A sharp voice cut through the air, making my heart leap with hope. I turned my head and saw Marilyn standing behind us, slightly out of breath.
For the first time in what felt like forever, a flicker of hope reignited in my chest.
“Zara, you left your prenatal checkup booklet with me last time,” Marilyn said with a smile, handing it to Ian. “Good luck with everything.”
“Thank you,” Ian responded politely.
As Marilyn turned to leave, I tried to call out to her. “Mar—”
Before I could get the full word out, Jaime clamped a hand over my mouth. Ian immediately restrained my hands.
“Yes, Honey, I know you’re in pain. Just hold on. We’re almost there. I’m sorry, but we really need to go,” Ian said smoothly.
Only after Marilyn entered the elevator did Ian finally release me. Jaime, on the other hand, dug his nails cruelly into my arm again.
“Bitch, you almost ruined everything.”
Pain seared through my arm, but I was helpless. Outnumbered. Trapped. At their mercy. They dragged me down the hallway, shoving me straight into an operating room.
“Ian, this is a crime! Don’t you know that?” I screamed, thrashing against their grip.
Ian, now dressed in surgical scrubs, barely spared me a glance. “You're my wife and I'm the head of obstetrics. Who’s going to question me for operating on my own wife?”
Without hesitation, he picked up a syringe and injected a sedative into my arm. My limbs immediately felt heavy, but my mind remained agonizingly clear.
“Strap her to the table,” Ian ordered coldly.
Jaime obeyed without question, securing my wrists and ankles with thick leather straps. They dug into my skin as I struggled, my breath coming in frantic gasps.
Jaime smirked. “Aren't you going to numb her first?”
Ian barely glanced at me. “No anesthesiologist is available. Not to mention that this surgery is illegal, calling in another doctor would only cause unnecessary complications. We'll proceed without it.”
A wave of sheer terror washed over me. My blood turned to ice.
“Ian, you're a monster!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.
Ian scoffed. “I’m doing this to save your best friend. Why are you making such a fuss?”
Jaime rolled his eyes. “You just don’t want Trish to get better, do you? You’ve always been a jealous of her, vindictive bitch.”
My eyes locked onto Jaime’s, my voice shaking with rage. “And you—have you lost your damn mind? Do you even remember whose baby this is?”