The doctor’s words from earlier still swam in the murky haze of my anesthesia. “We did everything we could, Mrs. Jones. But the toxicity levels were too high. The placenta detached. I’m so sorry.”
My mind drifted back to lunch. Beatrice. Anton’s childhood best friend. She had come over with a thermos. “Grandmother’s special herbal soup,” she had insisted. “It strengthens the baby.”
I hadn’t wanted it. It smelled bitter. But Anton had squeezed my shoulder. “Drink it, Donna. Bea made it just for you. Don’t be rude.”
So I drank it. And two hours later, I was bleeding out on the bathroom floor.
I drifted in and out of the darkness. The pain in my lower abdomen was a dull, throbbing void. I wanted to scream, to weep for the life that had been ripped out of me. But then, I heard voices.
“Why did you save her?” The voice was sharp. “Aren’t we supposed to kill her?” she hissed. “That was the plan, Anton. A tragic miscarriage followed by a grieving mother’s suicide. Then we could finally be together. But what did you do? You called the ambulance.”
I froze. The air in my lungs turned to ice.
“You know I can’t let her die yet,” came the deep, familiar voice of my husband. He sounded annoyed, not guilty. “We aren’t done with the merger. Her father’s logistics company hasn’t signed the final transfer papers. If Donna dies before that ink is dry next month, her shares go to her brother, David. And David will block the deal.”
“So you’re mad?” Beatrice’s voice trembled, shifting into a manipulative whine. “You’re mad because I killed your baby? Is that it? You want her? You want to play house with her?”
“Of course not,” Anton scoffed. The sound was like a physical blow to my chest. “I don’t really care about the baby. It was just a fetus. I was just worried about my grandfather. The old man was excited about an heir. This news… it’s going to be a headache to manage.”
“But you saved her,” Beatrice accused.
“I secured my asset,” Anton corrected coldly. “And since she miscarried, I can’t leave her now. I have to play the grieving husband for a few months. It would look suspicious if I filed for divorce while she’s recovering.”
“A few months?” Beatrice let out a frustrated noise. I heard the click of heels on the linoleum, moving closer to him. “I can’t wait a few months, Anton. I need you. I did this for us.”
“Bea, stop.”
“No,” she whispered, her voice turning husky. “Prove to me you don’t want her. Prove to me you’re mine. Fuck me. Right here. Make me pregnant or I am going to leave you!”
“Okay,” Anton murmured. “I will.”
Then came the rustle of clothes. The stifled moans. The sickening, wet sounds of my husband betraying me with the woman who had murdered our child, just feet away from my bed.
I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. I lay there, tears leaking from the corners of my closed eyes, sliding hot and fast into my hair. The grief I felt for my unborn son was suddenly eclipsed by a cold, black rage.
I waited until they were done. I waited until they fixed their clothes and left the room, Anton promising to get coffee and Beatrice giggling about their "secret."
Only then did I open my eyes.
I reached for the phone on the bedside table with a trembling hand. I dialed the one person who had never liked Anton.
“David?” I croaked when my brother answered.
“Donna? Oh my god, I’m on my way. Anton called, he said you lost—”
“Anton is a liar,” I cut him off, my voice raspy but steady. “David, listen to me. I need you to file a case. Immediately. Attempted murder,” I said, the words tasting like ash. “Beatrice poisoned me. She killed the baby.”
An hour later, the door didn’t creak open. It flew open.
Anton marched in. He stopped at the foot of the bed, gripping the plastic railing until his knuckles turned white.
"Are you insane?" he hissed, his voice low but vibrating with rage.
I looked at him, my expression unreadable. "Hello to you too, Anton."
"Don't play games with me, Donna," he snapped. "My legal team just called. David filed a lawsuit? Attempted murder against Beatrice? What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"She poisoned me, Anton," I said simply. "She killed our baby."
"She didn't mean to!" Anton shouted, not even denying the poison. "It was... a mistake! A bad reaction to the herbs! But you went nuclear! You sent the police to her house?"
"She murdered my son."
"She is family!" Anton slammed his hand on the tray table, making the water pitcher rattle. "We grew up together! You don't send family to prison over an accident! Do you know what this scandal will do to the merger? My grandfather is going to have a stroke when he sees the headlines!"
"So that's what you're worried about?" I asked, my voice deadly calm. "The headlines?"
"I'm worried about our future!" he argued, leaning over me, his shadow casting a dark pall over the bed. "I need that merger, Donna. If this lawsuit goes forward, the investors will pull out. We lose everything."
He took a breath, trying to rein in his temper, switching tactics to that maddeningly reasonable tone he used to manipulate me.
"Look," he said, softening his voice. "I know you're grieving. I know you're hormonal. You're not thinking clearly. Beatrice feels terrible. She's a mess. But we handle this in house. We don't drag our dirty laundry into court."
"You want me to drop it," I stated.
"I need you to drop it," he corrected. "Call David. Tell him it was a misunderstanding. Tell him you were delirious with grief. Fix this, Donna. Or so help me god..."
I looked at him. Really looked at him. I saw the man I had loved for five years, and I realized he was gone. Or maybe he had never existed. He was standing over his wife, who had just lost a child, threatening her to protect his mistress.
I didn't tell him I knew about the affair. I didn't tell him I knew about the plan to kill me. I kept that weapon for later.
"Fine," I said, closing my eyes. “I'll drop the lawsuit… if you give me a divorce.”
