Chapter 4

The lobby of my company buzzed with the usual morning chaos-executives in sharp suits, designers with colorful scarves, the low hum of productivity. I walked through it, my mind focused on the upcoming board meeting, the plans for expanding our tech empire. Then, a blur of movement. A figure detached itself from the crowd near the reception, dropping to her knees with a dramatic thud. Carmen Hodges.

Her hair was disheveled, her eyes wide and tearful, a perfect picture of distraught innocence. "Alexis! Please! You have to help me!" she wailed, her voice carrying across the polished marble floor.

Heads turned. Phones came out. A nervous energy rippled through the crowd. I felt a surge of nausea. This was her. This was her new performance.

"What do you want, Carmen?" I asked, my voice flat, devoid of the irritation I felt bubbling beneath the surface. I detested her theatrical displays.

She sniffled, tears streaming down her face. "They... they fired me! From the new job Carlton got me! Someone sent anonymous emails, threatening to expose me, calling me a homewrecker! No one will hire me now!" She looked up at me, her eyes pleading. "It was you, wasn't it? You told them!"

A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. Some faces looked sympathetic towards Carmen, others shot accusatory glances at me. "Disgusting," someone whispered. "Targeting an abuse victim."

"Carmen, I don't engage in petty backbiting," I stated, my voice steady, my gaze unwavering. "If I have something to say, I say it to your face."

Just then, the glass doors of the lobby swung open, and Carlton strode in, his face a mask of controlled fury. His eyes landed on Carmen, then on me. He rushed to Carmen, helping her up, his arm protectively around her.

"Alexis!" he snapped, his voice sharp, "What is the meaning of this? Why are you harassing Carmen?"

My heart squeezed, a cold, painful clench. He didn't even ask. He simply assumed. "Harassing her? Carlton, she came here, making a scene, accusing me."

"She's distraught, Alexis! Someone is actively trying to ruin her life, spreading malicious rumors." He looked at me, his eyes filled with a chilling accusation. "And I know who."

"You think I'd stoop to such tactics?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "I prefer to fight my battles head-on, Carlton. Unlike some people." I cast a pointed look at Carmen, who quickly averted her gaze.

"You're just jealous, Alexis!" Carlton retorted, his voice low and dangerous. "Jealous that Carmen is finally finding some peace, some recovery. Jealous that someone else needs me."

My breath caught in my throat. Jealousy. That was his convenient label for all my pain, my justified anger. He turned, pulling Carmen closer, and they walked away, leaving me standing in the center of the gawking crowd. He didn't even glance back. He never did.

My vision swam. The vibrant colors of the lobby blurred. A searing pain shot through my skull, followed by a wave of dizziness so intense I swayed, clutching my head. My legs gave out. I collapsed to the polished floor.

"Someone call an ambulance!" a voice shrieked. "She's pregnant!"

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a hospital bed, the sterile smell burning my nostrils. The same doctor from before stood over me, his face grim. "Alexis, you need to manage your stress. The tumor... and the pregnancy... they are both extremely vulnerable to emotional distress. This baby, Alexis, it' s a high-risk pregnancy already. If you don't calm down, we might lose it." He paused, then added gently, "Perhaps, it's time to consider a decision about the pregnancy. For your own health."

My heart felt numb. Lose the baby. My miracle baby. The only thing I had left. I just stared at the ceiling, my eyes dry. "Do what you have to do," I whispered, my voice hollow. I couldn' t fight anymore. I was too tired.

A few days later, I gathered my strength and went to Carlton's clinic. I needed to talk to him. I needed to end this. As I approached his office, I saw Carmen, her arm in a sling, chatting animatedly with his assistant. She seemed perfectly fine, her "distress" a distant memory.

She saw me, and her smile faltered, replaced by a practiced look of fear. "Oh, Alexis. I... I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said, my voice cold. "You seem quite at home."

Carlton emerged from his office, his eyes narrowed when he saw Carmen's sling. "What happened?" he asked, rushing to her side.

"Alexis..." Carmen began, her voice trembling.

"She fell," I interrupted, my gaze fixed on Carlton. "Again. She's clumsy. Always has been."

He glared at me, then back at Carmen. "Carmen is now working for me, Alexis. As my personal assistant. I can keep an eye on her here." His announcement was a punch to my gut. He truly was replacing me with her, even in his professional life.

"Fine," I said, my voice unnervingly calm. "Then I think it's time we talk about a divorce. I've already signed the papers." I pulled a neatly folded document from my purse and placed it on his desk.

He looked at the papers, his face paling. "Alexis, don't be ridiculous. This is just a misunderstanding. A temporary setback. We can work through this."

"Misunderstanding?" I laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. "You call sleeping with our housekeeper, lying to me, and abandoning me for her a misunderstanding? What do you say, Carlton? Does Carmen have any STDs I should be worried about from your experimental 'therapy' sessions?"

Carlton's face contorted in rage. "Alexis! How dare you! Apologize to Carmen, now!" he hissed, his voice barely a whisper, but filled with venom.

Carmen, seeing her cue, dropped to her knees, clutching her sling-bound arm. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Alexis! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!" She started hitting herself, soft, theatrical slaps to her own cheeks. "Punish me! I deserve it!"

My stomach churned. Her grotesque performance was too much. I turned to leave, but Carmen lunged, grabbing my arm. "No! Don't go!" she shrieked, then, with a practiced slump, she twisted, falling backwards. Her grip on my arm tightened, and I was dragged down with her, tumbling down the short flight of stairs leading to the clinic's lower level.

We landed in a heap. Carmen lay at the bottom, looking pale and fragile, her eyes wide with feigned fright. Carlton rushed down, his face a mask of horror. He scooped Carmen into his arms. "Carmen! Are you alright? What happened?"

"She... she pushed me, Carlton," Carmen whimpered, her voice weak. "She was angry..."

"No! I didn't!" I cried, trying to sit up, my head pounding. "She grabbed me! Check the surveillance cameras!"

Carlton glared at me, his eyes blazing. "The cameras haven't been working for days, Alexis! And I saw you! You pushed her!"

"No, I never did!" I protested, a wave of nausea washing over me.

Carmen, still in Carlton' s arms, weakly shook her head. "No, Carlton, don't blame her. It was an accident. I... I just stumbled." But her eyes, just for a split second, met mine. And in them, I saw it. A glint of triumph. A malicious flicker of pure, unadulterated evil.

Then, a gasp from Carmen. A dark stain spread across her dress, just below her waist. "Oh, no! My baby!" she wailed, clutching her abdomen. "My baby! It's gone!"

Carlton' s face went white. He looked at the spreading stain, then at me, his eyes filled with a murderous rage. "You bitch! You killed my baby!" He picked Carmen up and rushed towards the emergency exit.

"Carlton! No!" I screamed, a searing pain erupting in my own lower abdomen. "I'm pregnant! My baby! My baby!"

He paused, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. I saw it. A brief hesitation. But then Carmen clutched his arm, whimpering. "My baby, Carlton! Our baby!"

His gaze hardened. He looked at me, lying on the floor, clutching my stomach, then scoffed. "Don't play games, Alexis. You're just trying to get attention." He pushed open the emergency door and disappeared with Carmen.

The pain intensified. A hot, gushing sensation between my legs. My hands, when I looked, were covered in blood. My baby. My miracle baby. It was gone. My world, already shattered, splintered into a million irreparable pieces. My heart sank, heavy and cold as a stone.