Elise POV:
The steady, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor sliced through the heavy, suffocating darkness, dragging me back to consciousness. I forced my heavy eyelids open, my vision blurry and unfocused.
The harsh, sterile scent of hospital antiseptic flooded my nostrils. I blinked against the bright fluorescent lights, realizing I was lying on a crisp, unfamiliar white bed in a private room.
A dull, tearing agony radiated from my ribs with every shallow breath I took. I looked down and saw my right leg encased in a thick, heavy plaster cast, elevated high above the mattress in a traction sling.
I sucked in a sharp, ragged breath. The memory of the cliffside, the freezing rain, and the sickening lurch of the Maybach sliding backward slammed into my brain with the force of a physical blow.
Panic crashed over me like a tidal wave. Ignoring the excruciating fire in my fractured ribs, I blindly slammed both hands down onto my stomach. Ever since the orphanage fire took my parents, I had clung to the life growing inside me as my only anchor, my only true blood tie in this world.
My stomach felt terrifyingly flat beneath the thin hospital gown. I couldn't feel any flutter, any warmth. My eyes instantly burned, a hot tear slipping down my temple.
The heavy wooden door to the VIP suite pushed open. A middle-aged man in a crisp white coat, carrying a digital tablet, walked in. His badge read Dr. Evans.
He paused when he saw my open eyes, then quickly stepped to the side of the bed, pulling a small penlight from his pocket to check my pupillary response.
I didn't let him. I threw my hand out, my fingers clamping down on his white sleeve like a vice, my nails digging hard into his forearm.
"My baby," I rasped, my voice a broken, gravelly whisper. Tears pooled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. "Tell me."
Dr. Evans froze. He lowered the penlight, his expression tightening with professional sympathy. He let out a long, heavy sigh and tapped the screen of his tablet.
The air in the room seemed to solidify into concrete. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing my shattered heart for the absolute worst sentence of my life.
"You are incredibly lucky, Mrs. Howard," Dr. Evans said softly. "The reinforced structure of the backseat and the side-curtain airbags absorbed the brunt of the impact. By some absolute miracle, the fetus is still viable."
My eyes snapped open. A fresh wave of tears broke free, tracing hot paths down my pale cheeks as my grip on his sleeve went completely slack. I fell back against the pillows, utterly drained of energy.
"However," Dr. Evans continued, his tone shifting to a stern, clinical warning. "You are exhibiting severe signs of a threatened miscarriage. Your body has endured massive trauma."
He leaned closer, his eyes serious. "For the next few months, you require absolute bed rest. No stress, no physical exertion, and absolutely no emotional stimulation. Do you understand?"
I dragged a deep, shuddering breath into my aching lungs. I reached up and wiped the tears from my face. When I looked back at him, the vulnerable panic in my eyes had frozen over into cold, hard clarity.
"Who brought me here?" I asked, my voice steadying. "Who signed my admission papers?"
"The LAFD rescue helicopter airlifted you here," Dr. Evans replied smoothly. "Your husband is currently downstairs in the minor injuries ward, accompanying another lady who suffered a mild concussion."
The words hit my chest like a hollow thud. My heart sank to the very bottom of a frozen lake. The last, pathetic, lingering illusion I had about Holden Howard turned to dust in the sterile hospital air.
Dr. Evans pulled a sleek smartphone from his pocket. "Should I call Mr. Howard now? I'm sure he will be thrilled to hear you are awake and that the pregnancy is secure."
I shot up from the pillows, ignoring the scream of my ribs. I fixed Dr. Evans with a stare so icy it could have frozen mercury. "No."
The doctor blinked, his hand hovering over the screen in confusion. "Mrs. Howard, as your husband, he has a legal and moral right to know about your medical—"
"HIPAA," I cut him off, a bitter, mocking sneer twisting my lips. Years of grinding as a paralegal in a cutthroat Wall Street law firm before my marriage hadn't completely faded from my brain. I knew exactly how to wield the law as a shield.
I leaned forward, my voice dropping to a dangerous, lethal whisper. "Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, my medical records are strictly confidential. If you breathe a single syllable about my pregnancy to Holden Howard, I will personally see to it that this hospital is sued into the ground and your medical license is shredded."
Dr. Evans swallowed hard, visibly taken aback by the sudden, venomous aura radiating from the battered woman in the bed. He slowly slid the phone back into his pocket.
Without another word of protest, he picked up his tablet. I watched his fingers move across the screen, navigating to the electronic medical records system and placing a strict access lock on my obstetrics file.
Only when the little padlock icon turned red on the screen did the rigid tension in my shoulders finally begin to uncoil.
I slid my hand under the blanket, resting my palm gently against my lower abdomen. I made a silent, ironclad promise to the tiny life inside me: I was going to get us out of this gilded cage.
Suddenly, the sharp, authoritative clack of expensive leather dress shoes echoed from the hallway outside, moving rapidly toward my door.
"Not a single word to him, Doctor."
