Chapter 2

Jacklyn unlocked the bedroom door and dragged Ada out into the expansive second-floor hallway.

They reached the edge of the grand marble staircase. Jacklyn's fingernails dug into Ada's wrist, breaking the skin.

"Jacklyn, stop! You're hurting me!" Ada cried out, trying to pry the woman's fingers off. Her eight-month pregnant body was heavy and clumsy, making it impossible to fight back with any real force.

Downstairs, the heavy, muffled sound of a car engine shutting off echoed through the front doors. Desmond was home.

Jacklyn heard it. The vicious smirk on her face morphed into something entirely unhinged.

She suddenly let go of Ada's wrist.

Jacklyn grabbed her own flat stomach with both hands. She let out a blood-curdling, agonizing scream.

Before Ada could process what was happening, Jacklyn threw her upper body backward.

"No!" Ada's eyes widened in pure terror. She lunged forward, her hand reaching out to grab Jacklyn's dress.

Her fingers closed around empty air.

Jacklyn's body tumbled backward down the long, steep flight of marble stairs. The sickening sound of bone hitting stone echoed through the cavernous foyer.

She hit the bottom and rolled onto the massive Persian rug, coming to a dead stop.

At that exact second, the heavy carved oak front doors pushed open.

Desmond strode into the foyer, bringing the freezing winter air with him. He froze.

Jacklyn lay curled in a fetal position on the floor. A pool of dark red blood was already seeping from between her thighs, staining the expensive rug.

Desmond's head snapped up.

His eyes locked onto Ada, who was standing at the very top of the stairs, her hand still outstretched in the air.

The look in his eyes made Ada's blood turn to ice. It was the look of a man staring at a murderer.

"Desmond, I didn't-" Ada started, her voice shaking violently.

Desmond didn't hear her. He sprinted across the foyer and dropped to his knees beside Jacklyn. He pulled her bleeding body into his arms.

"Desmond," Jacklyn whimpered, her voice weak and trembling. She clutched his lapel. "She pushed me. She wanted to kill our baby."

Ada gripped the wooden banister. She forced her heavy legs to move, slowly descending the stairs. "She's lying! Desmond, it's a trap! She threw herself down!"

"Shut your mouth!" Desmond roared. His voice shook the chandelier above them. "You are just as vicious as you were when you killed Carmen!"

The sheer hatred in his voice felt like a knife twisting in Ada's gut.

Suddenly, a massive, tearing pain ripped through Ada's lower back and abdomen. It was so intense her vision went black for a second.

She doubled over, clutching her stomach, and collapsed onto her knees on the marble steps. Warm fluid gushed down her legs. Her water had broken.

"Desmond," Ada begged, gasping for air as another contraction hit her. "Please. The baby. Help me."

Desmond looked up at her. His face was a mask of absolute, terrifying indifference. He thought she was acting.

He pulled out his phone. He didn't call an ambulance for her. He dialed his private medical team and his lawyers.

"Hold her," Desmond commanded the two massive bodyguards standing by the door. "Do not let her leave this hall."

The bodyguards marched up the stairs. They grabbed Ada's shoulders roughly, pinning her to the freezing marble.

Ada screamed as another contraction tore through her body. She lay in her own amniotic fluid, watching through blurred vision as the private paramedics rushed in.

Desmond picked Jacklyn up in his arms and carried her out the front doors toward the waiting ambulance. He never looked back at Ada.

Ten minutes later, the estate manager walked into the foyer. Two federal police officers flanked him.

One of the officers pulled out a piece of paper. "Ada Thomas, you are under arrest for attempted murder."

The words sounded like they were coming from underwater. The physical pain in Ada's body finally overwhelmed her brain. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped against the cold stone, losing consciousness completely.

The officers dragged her limp body out into the freezing night, the wail of police sirens cutting through the dark sky.