Chapter 2

Elinor Guzman POV:

The needle plunged into my arm with a sharp, burning sting. Kandace' s grip was surprisingly strong, pinning me against the cold floor. I thrashed, but the drugs in my system made my movements sluggish, ineffective.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and ragged. It wasn't just the needle. It was everything. The betrayal. The pain. The absolute horror.

A fiery sensation spread from the injection site, quickly engulfing my entire arm, then my chest. It felt like acid pouring directly into my veins. My skin prickled, then burned.

I tried to push Kandace away, to fight back, but my limbs felt weighted, heavy. My muscles wouldn't obey. My strength was gone.

A fresh gush of blood soaked my nightgown. The crimson stain spread, a dark, blossoming flower on the pale fabric. I was losing so much. Too much.

My body curled inward, seeking some impossible comfort, some escape from the relentless agony. I huddled on the cold, sterile floor, tears streaming down my face, mixing with the blood and sweat.

A tearing sensation, deep within my core, ripped through me. It was unlike any pain I had ever known. A primal, visceral agony that seemed to shred my very being.

My breath hitched, then caught. The world tilted. My vision swam, darkening at the edges. My life force felt like a flickering candle in a hurricane. It was fading.

I felt myself drifting, a dizzying descent into a dark, welcoming void. Oh, God. Was this it? Was this how it ended?

A sudden, jarring noise pulled me back. The heavy door of the panic room creaked open.

Kandace. Again.

She stepped inside, her face pale, a flicker of something that looked like horror in her eyes as she took in the scene. My blood. My stillness.

"Elinor?" Her voice was softer now, tinged with uncertainty. "Elinor, are you...?"

She knelt, hesitantly reaching for me. Her hand hovered over my wrist, then recoiled.

"Oh, God. Isaiah is going to kill me." Her voice was a horrified whisper.

She fumbled in the dim light, pulling out her phone. She shone the flashlight on my face, then down to my stomach. Her eyes widened.

"Elinor? Say something, you witch. Stop pretending." Her voice was sharp, a desperate attempt to regain control. "You're just trying to make me look bad. You always do."

"You're such a nuisance," she muttered, pulling back her hand with disgust. "Always ruining things. Always so weak."

A glint of silver caught my eye. The syringe. She was still holding it. She twirled it idly, her lips pressed into a thin, venomous line.

Then, her eyes landed on the needle. It was bent. Twisted, as if it had struck something impossibly hard.

Kandace' s eyes widened further. She snatched it closer, examining it under the phone's beam.

"What the hell?" Her voice was low, laced with disbelief. "This is impossible. It's medical grade steel."

Then, her gaze snapped back to me, her face contorted in a mask of rage and fear. "What did you do, you freak?! What kind of dark magic are you playing at?!"

She struck me then, a brutal slap across the face, fueled by terror and anger. My head lolled.

"Don't you dare use your Sterling witch tricks on me!" she shrieked, her voice shaking. "I know about your family's... unique abilities. Don't think for a second you can scare me!"

My head was reeling. My body screamed in protest. The searing pain from the injection, the tearing contractions, the blood.

"I'll cut you off," she snarled, grabbing my hair and yanking my head back. "I'll sever every tie to that freak show family of yours. You'll be nothing. Just a memory Isaiah will be glad to forget."

She stepped back, her chest heaving. With a final, disgusted look, she tossed something small and metallic onto the floor near me.

A handful of empty pill capsules. They must have contained more of the labor-delaying drug. "To keep you compliant," she muttered, before slamming the door shut with a final, echoing thud.

The metallic taste in my mouth intensified. My body shuddered violently, a chilling tremor that ran through my bones. The pills, I realized. The drug wasn't just slowing me down; it was poisoning me.

My mind, hazy and fragmented, conjured a whisper. Elinor. Our child. It was my mother's voice, soft and warning. The Sterling blood runs deep. Protect your own.

My child. My baby.

A guttural cry escaped me, a sound of pure, unadulterated anguish. How could this be happening? How could I be so utterly, completely helpless?

Why had I ever believed him? Why had I trusted him with my heart, my body, my future? Why had I given him our child?

Rage, cold and pure, surged through me, momentarily eclipsing the pain. A red-hot fury that promised vengeance. For me. For my baby.

But it was fleeting. The drugs, the blood loss. They were winning.

My hand, trembling, instinctively reached for my belly, covering the swelling mound. A faint movement fluttered beneath my palm. So weak.

"My love," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "My sweet baby. Please. Be strong. Be safe."

I prayed. I prayed to a God I wasn't sure existed anymore. I prayed for a miracle. For my child.

My vision blurred, growing steadily darker. My breath became a shallow rattle in my chest. The world was shrinking, fading into a pinpoint of distant light.

Then, a sudden, violent crash. The heavy door of the panic room exploded inward, ripped from its hinges as if by an unseen force.

A man stood silhouetted against the blinding light of the hallway. Tall, imposing. His eyes, wide with shock, scanned the devastation. He was one of Isaiah's security personnel, but his uniform was unfamiliar.

He took a step forward, his gaze landing on me, crumpled and bleeding on the floor. His eyes widened further in sheer horror.

"Ma'am?" His voice was a choked gasp. "Mrs. Black? What... what happened here?"

I tried to speak, tried to tell him everything. But only a faint, raspy sound escaped my lips. I lifted a trembling hand, pointing weakly to my abdomen. The baby.

He rushed forward, kneeling beside me, his face a mask of concern. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"Guzman," I rasped, the name feeling alien on my tongue. My maiden name. "Elinor Guzman."

I fumbled for the chain around my neck, pulling out a small, intricately carved pendant. The Sterling crest. My family's symbol. I pressed it into his hand.

His eyes widened, then narrowed. He looked at the pendant, then back at me. Recognition dawned.

"Sterling?" he whispered, his voice laced with disbelief. "You're... a Sterling?"

He pulled out his own comms unit, his fingers fumbling. "Code Red! Code Red! We have a breach! And... and a Sterling. I repeat, a Sterling. She' s... she' s badly injured. Critical."

A familiar voice crackled through the comms. Isaiah. "What breach? What Sterling? There's no one there. It's just Elinor, probably faking some theatrics again."

"Sir, it's not theatrics! She's... she's covered in blood! And this is the Sterling crest! She said her name is Elinor Guzman!" The guard's voice was desperate, pleading.

"It's impossible," Isaiah snapped. "Elinor is my wife. She has no Sterling connection. She's delusional."

"But sir, the pendant, the injuries... it's real!" the guard insisted.

"I said she's delusional!" Isaiah roared. "Stand down, soldier! Don't let her manipulate you. She's a very convincing actress."

The guard hesitated, then looked at me, his eyes filled with a new resolve. He clicked off his comms.

"I won't leave you, Mrs. Guzman," he said, his voice firm. "Not like this."

He carefully scooped me up, cradling me against his chest. My head lolled against his shoulder. The movement sent a fresh wave of agony through me.

He carried me out of the ruined panic room, through the long, sterile hallway. The air outside felt colder, sharper.

We moved through the estate, a blur of familiar luxury that now felt alien and menacing. He bypassed the main entrance, heading towards a discreet, hidden exit.

"Where are we going?" I managed to whisper.

"To the nearest safe house," he replied, his voice grim. "It's not ideal, but it's the fastest way to get you help without... without alerting him further."

He carried me into a small, makeshift medical bay. It was clean, but sparse. No sophisticated equipment. No specialized doctors. Just a basic first aid station.

Despair, cold and heavy, settled over me. This wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough.