But the instant I pressed it, no alarm sounded from my body.
Instead, a shrill, piercing wail erupted from Sapphire.
My pupils contracted. I stared at Morton in disbelief.
He'd secretly removed my personal alarm and planted it on Sapphire.
The sudden blast of noise sent Sapphire into a violent flinch. Her legs buckled and she crumpled to the ground, both hands clutching her stomach, her face draining of color in an instant.
"Morton, my stomach... it hurts so bad... The baby, my baby..."
Morton's expression twisted. He lunged toward her like a man possessed, gathering her into his arms, then whipped his head around to glare at me with murder in his eyes.
"Teresa! You won't stop until you've destroyed us, will you?!"
"You won't have children yourself, so you have to make sure Sapphire can't either? How can you be so vicious!"
The shrill commotion quickly drew passersby from the surrounding area. A crowd gathered at the villa's entrance, pointing and whispering in my direction.
"Dressed that nicely, but rotten to the core."
"The woman's pregnant, and she deliberately scared her. That's disgusting."
"Trying to steal someone's house and hurt their baby. Absolute trash."
Morton's fury consumed him completely. He jerked his head up and barked at the bodyguards, "Hold her down! Today she's going to kneel and beg Sapphire for forgiveness. Anyone who tries to protect her gets the same treatment!"
Two bodyguards moved in immediately, seizing my arms in a brutal grip.
Morton's eyes were dark with malice. He drew his leg back and drove his foot toward my stomach.
"Don't you dare touch me!" I snarled. "Morton Finley, try it. The Masons won't let you walk away from this."
"That panic alarm is linked to my brother's phone! Even if you swapped the device and gave it to Sapphire, the binding on his end can't be undone. You don't have the access."
Morton's foot froze mid-swing. Then, as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke of his life, he let out a derisive laugh.
"Teresa, you're still making things up? We've been married for years. The only family you've ever had around you is your parents. A brother? Since when?"
"You've lost your mind. Babbling nonsense because you're scared."
My heart sank.