Chapter 4

The surgery was a chaotic blur. I was floating in and out of consciousness, the pain a relentless tide. But through it all, I held onto one thought: my baby. I had to survive for my baby.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was a man I didn't recognize. He was tall, dressed in scrubs, and had kind, tired eyes. He was not one of Julian's doctors.

"Where am I?" I whispered.

"You're at City General," he said, his voice gentle. "Your nurse from the clinic, she called 911. Said they weren't equipped to handle your case. She saved your life. And your baby's."

Relief washed over me so intensely it felt like a physical blow. I started to cry, silent, grateful tears.

"Easy now," the doctor said. "You're both stable, but you need to rest."

The peace didn't last long. The next morning, Julian appeared. He wasn't calm anymore. His eyes were blazing with a fury that was terrifying to behold. He dismissed the nurse with a flick of his wrist.

"How dare you," he hissed, his voice low and shaking with rage. "How dare you go behind my back."

"I didn't do anything," I said, my voice weak but steady. "Your nurse saved my life."

"That nurse has been fired," he snapped. "And you are coming back with me." He reached for my arm.

"No." I pulled away, my heart pounding. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

The pain in my abdomen spiked, a sharp, warning jab. I gasped, clutching my stomach.

"Don't be a fool, Anya," Julian said, his voice dropping again, becoming dangerously persuasive. "You're not well. You can't take care of yourself, let alone a... child. You need me. I can give you everything."

"I don't want anything from you," I said, my voice filled with a strength I didn't know I possessed. "You are a monster. You tried to kill our child."

"I was trying to secure our future!" he yelled, his control finally snapping. "Do you have any idea what's at stake? My reputation! My funding! Everything I've worked for!"

"You mean everything you stole from me," I shot back.

His face contorted with rage. He took a step toward me, his hand raised. I flinched, bracing for the blow.

But it never came. The door to the room burst open. The kind doctor from before stood there, flanked by two security guards.

"Dr. Thorne," the doctor said, his voice firm. "Ms. Sharma is my patient. She is not to be disturbed. You need to leave. Now."

Julian stared at him, his chest heaving. For a moment, I thought he was going to fight. The sheer force of his will was a palpable thing in the room. But then he seemed to remember where he was. He smoothed down his shirt, his mask of cold composure slipping back into place.

He looked at me, his eyes promising retribution. "This isn't over, Anya," he whispered. Then he turned and walked out of the room.

I lay back against the pillows, shaking uncontrollably. The doctor rushed to my side, checking the monitors.

"He can't make me leave, can he?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Not as long as you're under my care," the doctor said. "But Ms. Sharma... a man like that... he's not going to just give up. You need to be careful."

I knew he was right. Julian would not let me go. He saw me and my child as loose ends, threats to his perfect, stolen life. I had to disappear. Not just for my own sake, but for the life growing inside me. A life he had already tried to extinguish once.