Chapter 3

Elinor Guzman POV:

The light of the makeshift medical bay was harsh, unforgiving. Two men, hastily dressed in medical scrubs, rushed to my side. Their faces were grim as they assessed my bleeding, my fading pulse.

"Severe hemorrhage. Signs of premature labor, complicated by unknown substances." One of them, a man with kind eyes, spoke rapidly into his comms. "We need more. A full trauma team. Immediately."

"Who is this patient?" A voice crackled back, authoritative and impatient.

"Elinor Guzman," the medic said, his gaze meeting mine for a fleeting second. "Code Sterling."

"Elinor Guzman?" The voice on the comms was Isaiah's. Sharp. Disbelieving. "What is this nonsense? I told you, she's stable. She's in the panic room."

"Sir, she's not stable. She's critical," the medic insisted, his voice tight with urgency. "And she was found outside the panic room, nearly dead. We need to transfer her to a proper facility now."

"Don't lie to me," Isaiah snarled. "She's faking. She's always faking. She's trying to ruin everything. Don't you dare move her. Just keep her contained."

The medic sighed, a sound of frustration and moral conflict. He looked at me, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

"We can't do much here," he murmured to his colleague. "We need to get her to the main medical wing. It's the only chance."

He nodded decisively. "Prep her for transport. Now."

They moved me carefully onto a stretcher, the jolt sending fresh spikes of pain through my body. The air grew colder. My vision, already blurred, began to tunnel at the edges.

We were moving. Fast. Through long, sterile corridors. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled my nostrils, a stark contrast to the coppery scent of my own blood.

Then, a familiar sound. A soft lullaby, piped through the speakers. And voices. Soft, cooing.

My eyes struggled to focus. We were in the main medical wing. The most luxurious, advanced one.

And down the hall, through a large glass window, I saw her. Isabella Gray.

She was propped up in a pristine bed, her hair perfectly coiffed, a delicate smile on her face. In her arms, swaddled in soft blue, was a tiny baby. Small. So very small.

The firstborn. Isaiah's words echoed in my mind.

Tears, hot and bitter, welled in my eyes. My baby. My precious baby. Where were you?

"We need a full obstetric team, stat!" the medic yelled as we entered a nearby room. "And a pediatric team on standby!"

"On whose authority?" A stern voice cut through the air. A well-dressed man, clearly a hospital administrator, stood in the doorway.

"Isaiah Black's wife is in critical condition!" the medic pleaded. "We need to save her!"

"Mr. Black has already been informed," the administrator replied, his gaze cold. "He explicitly stated that no special resources are to be allocated. He believes she is... exaggerating her condition."

My heart, already shattered, splintered further. He was actively refusing me care. Actively condemning me and our baby.

A guttural cry escaped me, a sound of pure agony and despair. My body convulsed, a final, desperate attempt to fight.

My eyes, heavy with tears, locked onto a figure standing quietly in the corner of Isabella's room. A man. He was watching us, his face a mixture of shock and confusion. He was one of Isaiah's distant relatives, a quiet, unassuming man who rarely spoke.

He saw me. Really saw me. His eyes widened, his jaw dropping. He began to move, to speak.

"Mr. Black! Sir!" he stammered, fumbling for his phone. "There's a problem! Elinor... Mrs. Black, she's... she's dying!"

Isaiah's voice, distorted by the phone, crackled through the quiet hallway. "What are you babbling about now? I told you, she's fine. She's just seeking attention."

"But sir, she's bleeding so much! It's horrific! And it looks like she had the baby!" The relative's voice rose in a frantic plea.

"Impossible," Isaiah scoffed. "She's probably just spilling fruit juice on herself. She's prone to such dramatic displays. Don't waste my time with this nonsense. Focus on Isabella and the baby. They're what truly matters."

The administrator stepped forward, blocking the relative's view of me. "As per Mr. Black's direct orders, no further attention is to be paid to Mrs. Black's 'condition.' It's a distraction."

The medics, defeated, began to back away. The kind-eyed medic squeezed my hand, a silent apology in his gaze. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Guzman."

My vision blurred. Everything was fading. The kind faces of the medics. The cold, indifferent administrator. The distant, cooing sounds from Isabella's room.

My body felt hollow. Empty. A silent scream ripped through my soul. My baby. My baby was gone. I felt it. The sudden, agonizing emptiness where life had been.

A single tear, hot and heavy, escaped my eye and traced a path down my temple. I was apologizing. Apologizing to the tiny soul I had failed to protect. Apologizing for bringing them into such a cruel world.

Then, darkness. Complete and utter.

Isaiah Black POV:

The scent of fresh baby powder and expensive flowers filled the luxurious private suite. Isabella, radiant despite the delivery, smiled up at him, her eyes shining.

"She's perfect, Isaiah," she whispered, gently stroking the baby's tiny hand. "Absolutely perfect."

He looked at the infant, swaddled in delicate lace. A girl. Small, but healthy. His late partner's legacy. Isabella's hope. And the key to the tech fund.

He felt a surge of relief. It was done. Isabella' s child was here. First.

A faint, unsettling thought flickered through his mind. Elinor. His own child.

He tried to picture their baby, the one Elinor was carrying. Would it have his eyes? Elinor's stubborn chin? He pushed the thought away. It was a distraction. A complication.

"Make sure all the papers are in order," he instructed his assistant, who stood respectfully by the door. "The inheritance clause. Everything needs to be seamless."

"Yes, sir." The assistant paused, his face pale, a tremor in his hand. "About Mrs. Black, sir..."

Isaiah frowned. "What about her? Is she still making a fuss?"

The assistant swallowed hard. "Sir... Mrs. Black... she didn't make it. Neither did the baby."

The words hit him like a physical blow. The air left his lungs in a ragged gasp. "What did you say?"

His voice was a low growl, laced with disbelief.

"She... she died, sir," the assistant repeated, his voice barely audible. "During the premature labor. And the baby... the baby was stillborn."

No. No, this wasn't possible. She was just being dramatic. Just trying to get his attention.

"You're lying," Isaiah snarled, his voice rising. "She's faking! She's always faking! This is another one of her games!" He gripped the armrest of his chair, his knuckles white.

The assistant flinched but held his ground. "Sir, the medical team confirmed it. There was severe blood loss. And the drugs... they were too potent. It was a catastrophic failure."

Catastrophic failure.

Elinor. Dead. Their baby. Stillborn.

The words echoed in his mind, sharp and cold. He felt a sickening lurch in his stomach. A primal fear, cold and sharp, pierced through him.

He had meant to delay. Not to destroy.

His mind raced, replaying Kandace's call. The blood. Elinor's screams. He had dismissed it all. Because of Isabella. Because of the fund.