"Hand over the child, NOW!"
My blood froze as masked men stormed into the ICU, guns pointed at me and the medical staff.
My newborn son squirmed in my arms, his tiny face scrunched up against my chest. I clutched him tighter, my body curling protectively around his fragile form.
"I said hand him over!" One of the men stepped forward, his voice muffled behind a black balaclava.
"Please," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "He's just a baby—"
The sharp sting of a slap cut my words short. My head snapped sideways, vision blurring as rough hands tore my son from my grasp.
I lunged forward desperately, my hospital gown tangling around my legs.
"No! Please! Give him back to me!"
The nurses cowered against the wall. Where was security? Where was Kallus?
My husband should have been here hours ago when my water broke, but the CEO of Luma Corps was "unavailable."
Now, after hours of labor, after finally holding my beautiful boy in my arms, these monsters had appeared from nowhere.
What happened next will haunt me until my dying breath.
One of the men laid my son on the bed and grabbed a pillow. My scream tore through the room as he pressed it over my baby's face.
My baby's tiny limbs flailed against the white cotton, his movements growing weaker, until...they stopped.
"No! God, no!" I thrashed against the hands holding me back, my throat raw from screaming.
The men laughed—they actually laughed—as my world collapsed around me. Someone stepped toward me, the butt of a gun raised. Pain exploded across my temple as he slammed it against my head.
I didn't lose consciousness, though I wished I had. Instead, I lay still, eyes closed, as tears leaked from my eyes.
Suddenly, a phone chimed. A video call.
"Greetings, boss. I've done as you ordered."
That voice. That familiar, impossible voice.
Kallus?
The man moved the phone, presumably showing the horrific scene.
"Excellent work." My husband's cool, controlled tone sliced through me like a blade. "And Donna?"
"She's unconscious."
"Perfect." Kallus sounded pleased—pleased about the murder of his own child.
"Now all I have to do is gaslight her enough and she'll never be able to live without me."
My heart shattered into a million pieces. The betrayal felt so overwhelming that I could barely process it.
The father of my child and my husband of 5 years had ordered his own son's murder.
Then another voice came through the phone. It was feminine, but very familiar.
"What are you doing, darling?"
I instantly realized the voice. It was Hannah. Hannah Jacobs. His secretary.
Why is she calling my husband 'Darling?'
"Just tying up loose ends, honey." Kallus's voice softened in a way I'd rarely heard.
"I've kept my promise. I told you that our son will be the only heir to Luma Corps. I've killed that wretched bitch's child, for you."
Our son? They had a child together? The room spun around me as I fought to remain still, and to keep my breathing shallow with my eyes closed.
Five years of marriage, and my husband was not only cheating but had started another family with his secretary.
"You're sure she doesn't suspect anything?" Hannah asked, her voice dripping with concern that made me want to vomit.
"Yes, she doesn't." He said.
"Poor girl," Kallus chuckled, the sound chilling my blood.
"She also doesn't even know I was the one who killed her parents."
Kallus's words crashed into my world like a wrecking ball.
My parents' death—the car accident that had devastated me—had been him? All this time, I'd cried on his shoulder, accepted his comfort, while he...
I bit down on my tongue until I tasted blood. I couldn't make a single noise. They couldn't know I'd heard.
The men shuffled around the room, packing equipment, removing evidence. One lingered by my bedside, checking my pulse.
I maintained the shallow breathing of unconsciousness, though every nerve in my body screamed to fight.
"Let's go," one of them barked. "She'll be out for hours."
Their footsteps faded. The door closed. Still, I remained motionless, counting seconds that felt like hours.
The door opened again.
"Mrs. Luma?" A trembling voice called out. It was the doctor.
I opened my eyes slowly, as if just regaining consciousness. The doctor approached my son, my beautiful baby boy who had only lived for mere minutes before being taken away.
I watched, hollow-eyed, as he checked for signs of life. His shoulders slumped, hands dropping to his sides in defeat.
"Doctor?" My voice cracked, though I already knew the answer.
He turned to me, his face was gray with shock and grief. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Luma. Your child is... he's gone."
The dam broke. Tears erupted from somewhere deep inside me. I screamed until my throat burned, clutching at the sheets and punching the bed.
Two nurses rushed in, trying to calm me, holding my shoulders as I thrashed.
"Why? WHY?" I screamed at the ceiling at the universe that had allowed this to happen. "My baby... my sweet baby..."
One of the nurses pressed a tissue into my hand. "Do you want us to call your husband?"
The mention of Kallus sent a bolt of pure hatred through me. It cleared my mind like lightning through fog.
"NO. My phone," I rasped. "I need my phone."
The younger nurse hesitated, then retrieved it from my belongings. My fingers trembled as I scrolled through contacts, past the K for Kallus, down to a name I hadn't touched in years.
Agnes Shaux. My brother.
We'd fallen out after I married Kallus. Agnes had never trusted him, he always used to say there was something off about the way he looked at me.
God, if only I'd listened.
The phone rang three times before his gruff voice answered.
"Donna?"
Just hearing him say my name broke something in me. But I controlled my tears..
"Agnes, I want to destroy Kallus. I want payback, I want revenge, Agnes!"
Silence stretched between us, broken only by my angry breathing.
Then, low and deadly, he asked "What happened Donna?"
"He murdered my son for his mistress." I replied, controlling the dam that was ready to burst.
Agnes seemed to be processing what she said, he then soon broke the silence with a deadly voice, "Are you safe Donna?"
"Yes," I managed. "For now. He doesn't know I heard him. He plans to manipulate me... I'm safe for the moment."
"Wait for me." His voice hardened with resolve.
"Agnes, I want to ruin his life, completely. I want to watch him beg and cry for mercy, I want him to regret everything he has done to me and my baby." I breathed heavy as I spat out my words.
"You'll have it Donna, I promise you." Agnes said, his voice dropping dangerously low.
"I'll be there in two weeks, but I'm sending someone—a bodyguard who can protect you. He'll arrive in a week. Hold on till then Donna, after that, you'll have your sweet revenge."
The line then soon went dead.
