I lay paralyzed on the hardwood floor of the dark office, gasping for air as the warm pool of amniotic fluid soaked through my clothes.
The labor-inducing drugs were tearing through my system like wildfire, accelerating a process that was supposed to take hours into mere minutes.
Outside, the heavy crunch of tires on gravel signaled the arrival of George’s private medical team. Car doors slammed. Muffled voices echoed from the driveway.
Get up, my mind screamed. Get up!
I bit down on my lip so hard that blood dripped down my chin. Using the heavy leg of the mahogany desk, I hauled my trembling, agonizingly heavy body off the floor.
My legs shook violently, barely able to support my weight.
I didn't have time to run. I wouldn't even make it down the back stairs before they caught me.
But I still had one card left to play.
I dragged myself back up to the glowing laptop screen. The offshore accounts were still open—the fifteen million dollars George had systematically stolen from my family’s company over the last five years. It was his safety net. His parachute.
My fingers flew across the keyboard, fueled by pure, unadulterated adrenaline.
I had a degree in finance. I knew exactly how these shell accounts worked. I opened a new tab and logged into a highly encrypted, untraceable crypto-wallet I had set up years ago for my own private investments.
"George, she's not in the bedroom!" a voice called out from the hallway. It was Dr. Evans.
"Check the office!" George barked, his footsteps thundering closer.
My hands shook as I quickly copied the routing numbers. I selected the entire balance of George’s offshore accounts.
$15,450,000.00.
I initiated a complete, irreversible wire transfer.
The screen loaded. A small blue circle spun in the center of the screen, mocking my racing heartbeat.
Come on. Come on! I prayed silently, sweat pouring down my face.
Another violent contraction ripped through my uterus. It felt like a jagged knife twisting directly into my spine. I whimpered, clutching my massive stomach, but I forced my eyes to stay locked on the glowing screen.
The heavy oak doors of the office suddenly burst open.
"There she is!" Dr. Evans shouted, stepping into the room with a black medical bag gripped in his hand.
Ding.
The laptop screen flashed green.
Transfer Complete. Balance: $0.00.
I slammed the laptop shut just a second before George walked into the room. He had changed out of his wet towel and was now wearing a crisp, dark suit, looking every bit the untouchable billionaire CEO.
He looked at me, shivering and bleeding by the desk, and a cruel, victorious smirk spread across his handsome face.
"Did you really think locking a door would stop me, Tash?" George sneered, walking slowly toward me. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a long, thick syringe filled with a cloudy liquid. "It's time to go to the clinic. Carmen is already on her way there to meet our children."
I backed away, pressing my spine against the edge of the desk. I didn't say a word about the money. I didn't say a word about the emails.
If I revealed my hand now, while I was physically trapped and vulnerable, he might just kill me right here and cut the babies out on the floor.
I needed to survive until we got to the clinic. I needed to bide my time.
"Don't touch me," I panted, my voice trembling.
George sighed, rolling his eyes as if I were a misbehaving child. "Hold her down, Doctor. Let's get this sedative in her so we can move her."
Dr. Evans rushed forward, grabbing my arms.
"No! Get off me!" I shrieked, thrashing wildly. I kicked, I bit, I fought with every ounce of strength I had left in my shattered body, playing the part of the desperate, defeated victim perfectly.
But I was too weak. The labor had drained me.
George grabbed my flailing arm, his fingers digging into my bruised skin like iron claws.
"Sweet dreams, Tash," he whispered darkly.
I felt the sharp, icy prick of the needle entering my vein.
"No... please..." I sobbed, letting my eyes roll back as the cloudy liquid rushed into my bloodstream.
Within seconds, the edges of my vision began to blur. The agonizing pain in my stomach dulled into a numb, terrifying warmth. The faces of George and Dr. Evans twisted and warped above me.
"Bring the stretcher up," George's voice echoed, sounding like it was coming from underwater. "If she dies on the table, make sure the triplets are out first. And throw the fourth one in the incinerator."
My baby...
