Chapter 5 5

The lie hung in the air of the precinct, thick and foul.

Carmen's soul watched Forrest twist his watch dial. He was protecting Evelin. He would rather look like a ruthless businessman than admit he abandoned his fiancée for another woman.

The memory of the hospital pulled Carmen back in. The scene shifted again.

Flashback.

The rain and the dark street faded into the sterile, bright white lights of the Richmond private hospital.

Carmen had managed to hail a cab. She arrived at the ER soaked to the bone, shivering violently, and leaving a trail of blood on the pristine floor.

The doctors rushed her into a private suite. They ran tests. The diagnosis was a severe threatened miscarriage brought on by physical trauma and extreme stress. They gave her painkillers and told her she needed absolute bed rest.

She lay in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. She felt entirely hollow.

Ten minutes after she was admitted to the private suite, a nurse walked in carrying a clipboard.

"Ms. Campos," the nurse said with a gentle, sympathetic smile. "Your blood work came back. We found the cause of your severe cramping, aside from the physical trauma and stress."

The nurse handed her a piece of paper. It was a lab report. The HCG hormone levels were circled in red ink. Attached to it was a small, glossy black-and-white printout. An ultrasound.

"Congratulations," the nurse said softly. "You are six weeks pregnant. Despite the trauma, the baby is currently stable, but you need absolute bed rest."

Carmen stared at the tiny, bean-shaped blur on the paper. A bomb went off in her chest. A baby. Forrest's baby. A fierce, blinding wave of maternal instinct crashed over her.

Before she could even begin to process the overwhelming surge of emotion, the heavy door to the suite swung open.

Forrest walked in. He wasn't alone. He was flanked by the Richmond family's chief legal counsel and the head of their private security firm.

Forrest didn't rush to her side. He didn't ask how she was feeling. He stood at the foot of her bed, his face an unreadable mask of business.

"Are you stable?" Forrest asked. It sounded like he was asking about a stock portfolio.

Carmen tried to sit up, wincing as her stomach pulled. "Forrest, I..."

He held up a hand to silence her. "Evelin called me an hour ago. She received a death threat from an unknown number. The message was horrific."

Carmen's heart sank like a stone. He was here for Evelin. Again.

The head of security stepped forward. He opened an iPad and held it up for Carmen to see. On the screen were screenshots of text messages. I'm watching you. You're going to pay. There was a photo of Evelin with her eyes scratched out. There was a blurry still from a security camera showing a man in a hoodie standing across the street from Evelin's apartment.

"We believe a violent stalker has fixated on Ms. Mcgowan," the security chief said in a monotone voice.

Carmen looked at the iPad. Her stomach churned with nausea. She knew Evelin. Evelin was a master manipulator. This whole "stalker" routine reeked of a setup.

"Forrest, this is insane," Carmen said, her voice raspy. "Evelin is making this up. She wants you to feel sorry for her."

Forrest slammed his hand down on the metal footboard of the bed. The loud bang made Carmen flinch.

"Enough, Carmen!" Forrest roared. "I know you hate her, but this is a matter of life and death! Stop being so incredibly selfish for one minute!"

The chief lawyer cleared his throat. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Carmen with cold, calculating eyes.

"Ms. Campos," the lawyer said smoothly. "We have analyzed the stalker's behavioral patterns. He seems to harbor deep hostility toward anyone closely associated with Mr. Richmond. You, as his high-profile fiancée, are actually the most visible target."

The lawyer paused. He didn't blink.

"Therefore, we propose a strategy," the lawyer continued, his eyes cold and calculating. "We will use a highly trained female operative as a body double. We need her to wear your exact clothing, drive your vehicle, and use your personal items to draw this dangerous individual out, allowing our security team to apprehend him."

The air in the hospital room turned to ice.

Carmen stared at the lawyer. Then she stared at Forrest.

They wanted to use her identity, her belongings, putting a target on her back-all to protect Evelin. And Forrest was standing right there, demanding she comply, completely oblivious to the fact that she was lying in a hospital bed, bleeding, carrying his unborn child.

Her hands began to shake. A hot, blinding rage flared in her chest.

She pointed a trembling finger at the door. "Get. Out."

Forrest frowned. "Carmen, be reasonable-"

"I said get out!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "All of you!"

The lawyer and the security chief took a step back. They looked at Forrest, waiting for his command.

This was the moment. Carmen locked eyes with Forrest. Deep down, beneath the layers of pain and betrayal, a tiny, pathetic part of her still hoped he would act like a man. She hoped he would say, No, this is too dangerous, I won't risk my fiancée.

Forrest looked back at her. He didn't speak.

He was weighing his options. Carmen could see the gears turning behind his dark eyes. He was calculating the risk to Carmen's safety and reputation versus the safety of Evelin.

He didn't look worried for her. He looked annoyed that she was making this difficult.

That brief second of hesitation was the fatal blow. It hurt worse than the dogs tearing her flesh. It was the absolute, undeniable proof that she meant nothing to him. She was just a pawn to be sacrificed for his true love.

Forrest saw the light completely die in Carmen's eyes. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Let's go," Forrest told his men. "Let her rest. We'll discuss this tomorrow."

He didn't sign the consent form for the bait operation. But he didn't say no, either. He turned and walked out, leaving her alone in the cold room.

End of Flashback.

In the police precinct, Frobisher was still glaring at Forrest.

"So you dropped her off," Frobisher said. "Did you check on her later?"

Forrest twisted his watch. "I went to the hospital the next day. I paid her entire medical bill. She was perfectly fine."

He left out the bait plan. He left out the stalker. He used his money to cover his sins.