Chapter 2

Allegra shoved the metal handrims of the wheelchair forward. Her palms were slick with cold sweat, slipping against the metal, leaving erratic tracks on the thick hallway carpet. Every push of the wheels sent white-hot agony radiating through her torn abdomen. She was fading fast, operating on borrowed energy that felt like it was burning her from the inside out.

There's a blind spot for the cameras on the right! Rosalie's voice urged. Hurry!

Allegra jerked the right wheel hard. The chair swerved, the footrest slamming violently into a large ceramic potted plant in the corner. She clamped her teeth together to trap the groan of pain as her abdominal incision burned like a lit match.

"He's not a good man! He's hiding something terrible in his office safe, Mom! Something about a sick lady!" Rosalie's voice rushed into her mind, frantic and scared.

A sick lady?

Allegra's stomach violently rejected the vague words. Acid burned the back of her throat. Ten years of Kyler coming home smelling of sterile hospital soap, ten years of him claiming he was just "checking in on a sick college friend," suddenly flashed through her mind. No. Kyler wouldn't hurt their baby. He couldn't. This was all a horrible mistake.

She looked down at the tiny bundle in her lap. The thought of thick, hollow needles piercing her daughter's fragile spine made the blood vessels in Allegra's eyes throb.

Down the hall, the digital display above the VIP elevator chimed. A sharp, cheerful ding. The red number stopped on their floor.

Allegra slid her right hand under the cashmere blanket, her fingers wrapping so tightly around the cold steel of the surgical scissors that her forearm muscles cramped.

The polished metal doors slid open.

Kyler Camacho stepped out. His bespoke navy suit was immaculate, his dark hair perfectly styled.

He saw Allegra sitting in the wheelchair, her hospital gown soaked in blood, her face the color of chalk. A flicker of profound annoyance flashed across his dark eyes, so fast almost anyone would have missed it. But Allegra saw it. A second later, his features tightened into a mask of forced, impatient calm.

He closed the distance in three long strides and dropped to one knee beside the wheelchair. His hand reached out, his voice a low, soothing purr.

"Allegra, enough," Kyler said, his tone clipped and pressing. "I got here as fast as I could. The doctor told me everything."

Gag, Rosalie's voice echoed. Give this man an Oscar. Hollywood is missing out.

Allegra stared at the handsome face she had kissed every morning for a decade. Her skin crawled. The air around him felt toxic. She was looking at a monster wearing her husband's skin.

"Dr. Carver called me," Kyler said, his hand moving quickly toward the gray blanket, devoid of his usual gentleness. "Give the baby to me. We have to let the staff do their jobs. I'll arrange the services later."

The second his fingertips brushed the wool, Allegra violently jerked her torso away. She bared her teeth, her eyes wide, terrified, and feral. She still loved him, but right now, he felt like a stranger trying to take her child.

Kyler froze. His jaw tightened. This wasn't the script. His wife was a submissive, fragile thing who always collapsed into his chest when things got hard.

He leaned in closer, dropping the gentle facade just enough to let his natural dominance bleed through. "Allegra. Stop this," he ordered, his voice tight. "We are in a public hallway. You are making a scene."

"He's lying! His private medical team is idling in the underground parking garage!" Rosalie chimed in.

Allegra sucked in a harsh breath. Every fiber of her being screamed to drive the scissors into his chest, but she forced the urge down. She let her mouth fall open, stretching her lips into a terrifying, unhinged smile.

She raised her voice, making sure the sound carried down the hall toward a janitor pushing a cleaning cart.

"My daughter is not dead!" Allegra screamed. "She is breathing!"

Kyler's face hardened. He stood up, towering over her, and reached down to rip the blanket away. "You are having a postpartum psychotic episode. Give her to me!"

Allegra didn't hesitate. She swung her left hand up and slapped him.

The crack of her palm against the back of his hand echoed down the quiet corridor like a gunshot. A bright red handprint instantly bloomed across Kyler's knuckles. He stumbled back, his eyes wide with absolute shock.

Down the hall, the janitor stopped his cart and stared.

Kyler felt the eyes on him. His obsession with his public image was a sickness. He forced his hands to his sides, swallowing the rage that made a vein pulse in his neck.

He let out a heavy, theatrical sigh, playing the part of the exhausted, patient husband dealing with a madwoman. He held both hands up in mock surrender.

Allegra grabbed the wheels. She shoved the chair forward, the metal footrests ramming hard into Kyler's shins. He cursed and stepped aside. She rolled straight into the open elevator car.

Kyler moved to step in after her.

Allegra whipped her right hand out from under the blanket, pointing the bloodstained surgical scissors directly at his face.

Kyler stopped dead on the threshold. The doors began to slide shut, slowly cutting off his furious, darkened face.

The moment the doors clicked shut and the elevator dropped, the adrenaline abandoned Allegra. Gravity crushed her. The unnatural energy that had fueled her escape evaporated in an instant, leaving her utterly hollowed out. She bent over the blanket, her shoulders shaking violently as hot, heavy tears soaked into the gray wool.