Chapter 4

Ella Robles POV

I awoke to the sterile scent of disinfectant and the dull ache in my head. My eyes fluttered open. I was in a hospital bed. Dexter sat beside me, his head in his hands. He looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Ella," he whispered, standing. He reached for my hand, but I pulled it back. My body felt heavy, bruised. The pain in my abdomen still throbbed.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice raspy.

He hesitated, then took a deep breath. "You... you lost the baby, Ella."

My world stopped. The baby. Our baby. Dexter and I had been trying for months. We had just found out last week. A tiny, precious life. Gone. The words crashed over me, suffocating me. I felt a scream rising in my throat, but no sound came out. My body trembled uncontrollably.

Barbara entered the room, a bouquet of lilies in her hand. She looked at me, a flicker of something in her eyes-pity? triumph? "It's for the best, Ella. You're not stable enough for a child. This is a blessing in disguise."

My vision turned red. "You!" I shrieked, my voice raw. I lunged at her, my hands reaching for her throat.

Dexter grabbed me, holding me back, his strength overwhelming. "Ella! Stop!"

"She killed my baby!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. "She pushed me! She used me as a shield!"

"It was an accident!" Barbara cried, shrinking behind Dexter. "The crowd! It was chaotic! You fell!"

"Accident?" I choked, struggling against Dexter's grip. "You used me! You let me fall!"

Dexter tightened his hold. "You need to calm down, Ella. You're still recovering." He looked at Barbara. "Barbara, maybe you should leave."

"Wait, Dexter," Barbara said, stepping forward, her composure returning. "I'm willing to offer a settlement, Ella. For your... condition. A large sum. Enough for you to start fresh, far away from here." She looked at me with cold, calculating eyes. "And in return, you'll sign a non-disclosure agreement. You'll disappear. You'll never speak of this, or us, again."

My blood boiled. They wanted to buy my silence. To erase me. "I won't sign anything!" I screamed. "I won't disappear!"

Dexter' s face hardened. "You will, Ella. For your own good." He released me, his eyes cold. "Apologize to Barbara. Now."

"Apologize?" I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. "For what? For losing our baby? For being used and betrayed? For being pushed down the stairs?"

"For attacking my fiancée," Dexter said, his voice flat. "Apologize, or you'll regret it."

"Never," I spat. My voice was weak, but my resolve was solid.

Dexter's jaw tightened. "Fine." He turned to Barbara. "Let's go."

They left, their footsteps echoing down the hall. I lay there, shattered, the world a blur of pain and rage. My mother. I had to see my mother. She was in the cardiology ward, her heart condition fragile.

I forced myself out of bed, my body screaming in protest. The pain in my abdomen was excruciating, but the thought of my mother pushed me forward. I stumbled out of my room, clutching the wall for support.

As I reached the elevator, a shadow detached itself from the wall. A man stepped in front of me. His face was scarred, his eyes filled with a familiar, predatory gleam. My stepfather.

"Look what we have here," he sneered, his voice a low growl. "Little Ella. The good girl. Still causing trouble, I see."

My blood ran cold. The sight of him, his voice, triggered a cascade of terrifying memories. The fear, the helplessness, the years of abuse. I froze, my breath caught in my throat.

"Dexter found me," he said, enjoying my terror. "He paid me a visit. Told me all about you. Your rich boyfriend. Your fancy job." He grabbed my arm, his grip like iron. "He said you needed a reminder of your place. A lesson. And he offered me a nice sum to deliver it."

"Leave me alone!" I cried, trying to pull away. The pain in my abdomen flared, a sharp, stabbing sensation.

He laughed, a cruel, guttural sound. He punched me in the stomach. Again. And again. I crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. The pain was unbearable. I curled into a ball, trying to protect myself. It felt like I was back in my childhood bedroom, enduring the familiar torture. My body was numb, but my mind screamed.

"Ella!" A weak voice called out. My mother. She had witnessed the attack. She stood at the end of the hallway, her face ashen, clutching her chest. "Stop! Leave her alone!"

"Mom!" I cried, trying to reach her. My stepfather turned, his eyes narrowing. He grabbed a nearby IV stand and threw it at her. It struck her chest. She gasped, collapsing to the floor.

"Mom!" I screamed, a raw, primal sound tearing from my throat. I lunged at my stepfather, a surge of adrenaline overcoming my pain. I pushed him, clawed at him, anything to get him away from my mother.

He shoved me back, effortlessly. I fell, hitting my head against the wall. Dazed, I looked up. Dexter stood at the end of the hallway, watching, his face impassive. Barbara was beside him, a smirk on her lips. They sent him. They arranged this.

"Please!" I choked out, my voice broken. "Stop! Please! My mother! She's ill!"

My stepfather laughed, a triumphant chuckle. "That's better, little girl. Know your place." He kicked me one last time, a brutal blow to my ribs. "Dexter says, you'll be a bridesmaid at his wedding. And you'll keep your mouth shut. Or your mother dies." He pointed at my unconscious mother. "We have ways."

He leaned closer, his breath hot and stale. "And if you try anything, Ella, anything at all, your mother will pay. And you'll lose everything." He smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. "Understood?"

Tears streamed down my face. My body convulsed with silent sobs. I nodded, defeated. "Understood."

He turned, gave Dexter and Barbara a nod, and walked away. Dexter and Barbara watched him go, then turned their backs and disappeared down the hall. I lay there, broken, my mother unconscious beside me, the hospital corridor silent and empty around us, except for my own ragged breathing.