Chapter 5

Carter didn't spare me a glance. His entire focus was fixed on Jade's dramatic cries. He scrambled up the stairs, two at a time, leaving me alone, a discarded problem in the hallway. "Jade! I'm coming! What's wrong?" his voice echoed with frantic concern, a stark contrast to the venom he'd just spewed at me.

He reached her quickly, and I heard hurried whispers, then Jade's soft moan. "She... she attacked me, Carter! She pushed me! She's so violent!" Her voice was weak, trembling, a masterclass in feigned vulnerability.

My stomach dropped. A false accusation. Of course.

"What?" Carter's voice roared, laced with incredulity and fury. He descended the stairs, his eyes blazing with a dangerous light. Jade was clinging to him, her head buried in his chest, making soft, whimpering sounds. "Alayna! How dare you! You pushed her? She's pregnant, Alayna! Are you trying to hurt her? To hurt our baby?"

Our baby. The words hit me like a physical blow. The baby I hadn't known about, the baby he hadn't told me about, the baby he shared with her.

"I didn't touch her!" I cried out, my voice raw with shock and indignation. "She's lying! She broke my cane, she tormented me, she confessed everything!" My heart pounded, a frantic bird trapped in my chest. "Carter, please, you have to believe me!"

He ignored my plea, his face contorted with disgust. He stormed towards me, his eyes filled with a terrifying hatred. "Believe you? You're a bitter, jealous woman, Alayna! You're sick! You're nothing but a cruel, manipulative invalid who lashes out at anyone who poses a threat!" He grabbed my arm, his grip bruising, and dragged my wheelchair further into the hallway. "You are not to speak to Jade. You are not to even look at her! She is carrying our child, and I will not let you harm her, you pathetic, broken waste of space!"

"Carter, please!" I sobbed, tears finally streaming down my face. "You're wrong! She's lying! She's a monster!"

"Silence!" he bellowed, his voice echoing in the grand hallway. He slapped my face, a sharp, stinging blow that snapped my head back. My ears rang. "You will not speak to her like that! You will not speak at all! You're nothing but a burden, a reminder of a life I never wanted!" He pointed a trembling finger at my useless legs. "Look at yourself, Alayna! You're half a woman! What kind of mother would you even be? You can barely take care of yourself!"

He turned quickly, pulling Jade close, whispering reassurances to her. Jade, her eyes still red from her fake tears, met my gaze over Carter's shoulder. A triumphant, venomous smile spread across her face. Then, with a sudden, vicious movement, she stuck out her foot, sweeping it under the wheels of my chair.

I cried out as the chair tipped, sending me tumbling to the polished marble floor. A blinding pain shot through my head as it hit the hard surface. My body, already fragile, screamed in protest. A sharp, agonizing cramp seized my abdomen, a cold terror gripping me.

"No!" I shrieked, clutching my stomach. "The baby! My baby!"

Jade gasped, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and something akin to shock. The fake tears that had been so convincing moments ago were suddenly replaced by genuine alarm. She had gone too far.

Carter, distracted by her sudden gasp, looked down at me, his eyes momentarily softened with a flicker of something that might have been concern. But it was quickly replaced by a cold, hard anger.

"Alayna! What are you doing now? Faking pain? Anything for attention!" he spat, his voice laced with disgust. "Jade, my love, are you alright? Don't let her get to you. She's just trying to upset you." He wrapped his arm around Jade, pulling her away from me, towards the front door. "We're leaving. I'm taking you to the doctor. You need to be checked. That woman is insane."

"Carter, no! Please! My baby!" I begged, my voice hoarse, desperate. The pain in my stomach was intensifying, a deep, twisting agony. "Don't leave me!"

He paused at the door, his hand on the doorknob. He turned, his gaze cold, devoid of any warmth. "You're pathetic, Alayna. You're poison. I'm through with you. Stay here and rot." He looked at Jade. "Come on, my love. Let's go."

As he led her out, I heard Jade's voice, faint but clear, a triumphant whisper carried on the wind. "Goodbye, Alayna. Enjoy your little prison."

Then, the door slammed shut, plunging the house into silence. The pain in my abdomen intensified, a searing fire. I tried to move, to call for help, but my body refused to obey. A dark wave washed over me, the world spinning, then fading into black.

I woke up to the sterile smell of antiseptic and the muted beeping of machines. My head throbbed, and a dull ache resonated throughout my body, a constant reminder of the fall. I was in a hospital bed, the crisp white sheets a stark contrast to the overwhelming chaos in my mind. The sounds were muffled, my vision blurry, my senses overloaded.

Maria, her face streaked with tears, was sitting beside my bed. She immediately took my hand, her grip trembling. "Oh, Mrs. Kelley! You're awake! Thank God!" she sobbed, her voice raw with emotion. "I found you... after they left. You were unconscious. I called the ambulance immediately."

"Carter... the baby..." I whispered, my voice weak and raspy. My throat was dry, my heart pounding with a terrible dread.

Maria shook her head, her face etched with sorrow. "He didn't answer his phone, Mrs. Kelley. I tried calling him, but he never picked up. I even called the hospital where Miss Jade was. They just said Mr. Kelley made it clear he wanted nothing to do with your care. That you were 'no longer his responsibility'."

The words were a fresh stab, twisting in the raw wound of my abandonment. Tears welled up in my eyes, a silent testament to his cruelty. My chest tightened, a searing pain radiating through my ribs. He had truly cast me aside.

Just then, a solemn-faced doctor entered the room, holding a clipboard. He looked at me with a somber expression, then at Maria. "Mrs. Kelley, I'm Dr. Chen. I'm afraid I have some very difficult news." He paused, his gaze gentle but firm. "You've suffered a severe fall. We did everything we could, but... you've had a miscarriage. We couldn't save the baby."

The world stopped. My breath hitched, a silent scream trapped in my throat. Miscarriage. My baby. Gone. The words echoed in my mind, a death knell to my hopes, to my future, to the tiny spark of life I hadn't even known existed. A profound, crushing grief washed over me, so deep, so absolute, it stole away all other sensations.

"We need to perform a D&C procedure, Mrs. Kelley," the doctor continued, his voice soft but insistent. "To prevent complications. We've tried to contact your husband, but he's unreachable. Do you have any other family we can call?"

I closed my eyes, a single tear tracing a path down my temple. My baby. Our baby. The baby I had wanted, the baby they had stolen. "No," I whispered, my voice devoid of emotion. "No other family. I'll make the decisions."

My heart, once a source of love and light, was now a cold, hollow cavity, filled only with the echoes of loss and a burning, unquenchable desire for retribution. My baby was gone. My love was shattered. My life, as I knew it, was over. But this wasn't the end. This was a beginning. A new, terrifying beginning, fueled by pure, unadulterated venom.