The nurse wheeled Vesper's small body toward me. My legs gave out as I collapsed beside her. Her skin was still warm, but the light had gone from her face. I gathered her into my arms, her limp form so light, so fragile.
"My baby, my sweet baby." I pressed kisses to her forehead, tasting salt from my endless tears. Her dark curls were damp with sweat, her lips tinged blue. The oxygen mask was gone now. She looked like she was sleeping, just sleeping.
"Mrs. Thorne." The nurse's voice was gentle. "We need to take her now."
"No, please." I clutched Vesper tighter. "Just a few more minutes."
"Come, let me help you up." The nurse slipped an arm around my waist, trying to guide me to my feet.
I resisted, my fingers tangled in Vesper's hospital gown. "I can't leave her alone."
"She's not in pain anymore." The nurse pulled harder. "You need to let us take care of her now."
My arms trembled as they lifted Vesper away. A wail built in my throat as I cried.
The double doors at the end of the hall swung open. Ryker emerged with his arm around Calypso's waist. Their faces were flushed with relief, with joy.
"He's stable." Calypso's voice carried down the corridor. "Our boy is going to make it."
Ryker pulled her closer. "We saved him. We saved our son."
They held each other, sharing triumphant smiles while my daughter's body grew cold on the gurney beside me. My chest heaved with sobs I couldn't contain.
"Mrs. Thorne, please." The nurse gripped my elbow. "Let's get you somewhere quiet."
I wrenched free from the nurse's grasp, my grief transforming into white-hot rage. My feet carried me down the sterile hallway toward them both. The sound of their celebration, their joy over their precious son while my daughter lay dead, pushed me over the edge.
My palm connected with Ryker's face in a sharp crack that echoed through the corridor. His head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming on his cheek.
"Why?" I screamed, my voice raw. "She was your daughter! Your flesh and blood!"
Ryker's eyes darkened as he touched his face. "Azalea-"
"You let her die! You chose him - that bastard child - over our daughter!" My fists pounded against his chest. "Where were you when she needed you? Where were the treatments you promised?"
"Control yourself," Ryker growled, grabbing my wrists.
Through my tears, I caught sight of Calypso's face. That snake wrapped around my husband wore a smirk that made my blood boil. She clung to Ryker's arm, watching my breakdown with barely concealed satisfaction.
The sight of her pleasure at my pain snapped something inside me. I yanked free from Ryker's grip and lunged for her, my hand raised to wipe that smile off her face.
Before I could reach her, Ryker's hand caught my arm. In one fluid motion, he spun me around and struck me across the face. The force knocked me sideways, my cheek burning from the impact.
"Don't you dare touch her," he snarled.
Ryker's spit landed on my cheek, mixing with my tears. "A son. That's what I wanted. Not some weak, sickly daughter you gave me."
My knees buckled as his words cut deeper than any blade. I stared at him through blurred vision, this stranger wearing my husband's face.
He pulled Calypso against him, his fingers digging into her waist. "This is my woman now. The real mother of my child."
Calypso's lips curved into a victorious smile. "Your daughter's gone. My son will carry on the Thorne legacy."
"How could you say that?" My voice cracked. "How could you speak of Vesper like she was nothing?"
"Shut up!" Ryker's face contorted with rage. "For all I know, that weak little bitch wasn't even mine."
The world tilted on its axis. "What?"
"You heard me. How many of my rivals did you spread your legs for? Which one of them fathered that pathetic excuse of a child?"
I shook my head, my mouth opening and closing without sound. This couldn't be happening.
"Calypso showed me everything." His eyes burned with hatred. "Told me all about your affairs. The secret meetings. The lies."
"No." I found my voice at last. "That's not true. I never-"
"Don't bother denying it." He jerked Calypso closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I know exactly what kind of whore you are."
I stood frozen, my mind reeling from the accusations. The truth stuck in my throat - I had never been unfaithful, not once.
But Calypso's satisfied smirk told me all I needed to know.
She had poisoned him against me.
The walls of the hospital corridor began to spin. Ryker's cruel words echoed in my head. My daughter was dead. My husband had betrayed me. Every foundation of my life crumbled beneath my feet.
Black spots danced at the edges of my vision. I tried to take a step back, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. The fluorescent lights above blurred into streaks of harsh white.
"I..." The word died in my throat.
The last thing I saw was Calypso's triumphant smile as my world tilted sideways.
The cold hospital floor rushed up to meet me as I fell, and then there was nothing but darkness.
