Chapter 3

Eleanor POV:

Joshua didn't come home that night. I hadn't expected him to. Harlow's whispered words, "my pregnancy is progressing nicely," echoed in my mind, a constant reminder of his betrayal. While I lay awake in the silent house, he was undoubtedly with her, playing the doting father to their developing child. The thought was a searing brand, but it also fueled my resolve.

The morning light brought a semblance of calm, but my nerves were still frayed. My phone buzzed, a welcome distraction. It was Benjamin.

"Eleanor? Everything set for the patent transfer?" His voice was low, cautious.

"Yes, Dad. Joshua signed it last night, disguised as a separation agreement. He didn't even read it." A grim satisfaction twisted my lips. "The technology is formally transferred to Wilson Industries."

"Excellent. Jaylen will handle it from here. He's already begun the preliminary work to integrate your patent. But about the other matter... the evidence against them." Benjamin paused. "My people are having trouble. Joshua has covered his tracks meticulously. We can't find any direct evidence of him intentionally causing your miscarriages. No paper trail, no suspicious transactions to doctors."

My heart sank. I had hoped the recording would be enough, but it was just a verbal confession between conspirators. It proved intent, yes, but direct action was harder to pin down. "So, what now?" My voice was tight with frustration.

"We need something more. Something from his personal devices. His private computer, perhaps. He's arrogant enough to keep incriminating details there, thinking no one would ever look."

"His office is too public. But he has a secure home office. I know his passwords." A chilling thought formed in my mind. "I can get it."

"Are you sure? It's risky," Benjamin warned.

"I'll be careful. I have to. For my baby." My hand instinctively went to my still-flat belly. "When can I do it?"

"Tonight. He'll be at the Hunt Corp gala. Harlow will be there too, of course." His voice was laced with distaste. "It's the perfect window."

"Understood." I was about to hang up when my other phone, a burner I kept for emergencies, vibrated frantically. My birth mother.

I hesitated, then answered. "Mom?"

"Eleanor! Oh, thank God! They have me! They have me!" Her voice was shrill, terrified.

A cold dread gripped me. "Who has you? What are you talking about?"

"It's the loan sharks! They found me! They're demanding money, Eleanor! Please, you have to help me!" She wailed, her voice cracking.

Then, a gruff male voice cut in. "Listen up, rich girl. Your mommy owes us a lot of money. Fifty million. You got until midnight. No cops. Try anything, and she disappears. Understand?"

My mind raced. Fifty million. It was a massive sum, but not impossible for me. My biological mother, who had abandoned me at birth and only reconnected to siphon off my adoptive father's wealth, was now in danger. Despite the years of manipulation and disappointment, a primal instinct to protect her stirred within me. She was still my mother, in some twisted way. My father, Benjamin, had always despised her and my biological family for their greed. But I always felt a sense of filial duty, a desperate longing for their approval, however fleeting.

"I understand," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "Where do I bring the money?"

He rattled off an address, a desolate warehouse district on the edge of the city. "And remember, no tricks. Or your mommy gets it."

I hung up, my heart a frantic drumbeat in my chest. Joshua's laptop could wait. This was an immediate threat. I called Benjamin back, explaining the situation in terse, clipped sentences.

"Eleanor, she's never brought you anything but trouble," Benjamin said, his voice laced with exasperation. "Let the police handle it."

"No, Dad. They said no police. And... I can't just let her die. She's still my mother." The words felt hollow, but true in a way I couldn't articulate. It was a debt I felt I owed, for reasons I still couldn't fully comprehend. Maybe it was the biological connection, a phantom limb of longing that refused to be severed.

Benjamin sighed, a sound of defeat. "Alright, I'll arrange the cash. But you go with a team. My security detail will meet you there."

"No. They said no tricks. I have to go alone. Just me and the money." I knew it was foolish, but I felt an inexplicable compulsion. A need to prove something, perhaps. To myself, to her.

A long pause. "Eleanor... be careful. Please. You're pregnant." His voice softened, a hint of concern overriding his frustration.

"I will, Dad. I promise."

Within an hour, a briefcase overflowing with crisp bills was delivered to my door. The weight of it felt impossible, both physically and metaphorically. I had never held so much cash in my life. The thought of bringing it to a dark, unknown location filled me with a cold dread, but the muffled screams of my mother on the phone still echoed in my ears.

I drove to the coordinates, my hands slick on the steering wheel. The warehouse district was a maze of corrugated steel and broken windows, bathed in the sickly yellow glow of distant streetlights. With each bump in the road, a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. My body was already fragile, the repeated miscarriages taking their toll. I had to be strong. For this baby.

I pulled up to the designated warehouse, its massive metal door slightly ajar. I got out, the heavy briefcase making my arms ache. The air was thick with the scent of dust and decay. I could hear whimpering from inside.

"Mom?" I called out, my voice trembling despite my efforts to control it.

Afigure emerged from the shadows. My mother, disheveled and terrified, her hands bound. Her eyes widened when she saw me. "Eleanor! You came!"

"The money is here," I said, holding up the briefcase. "Let her go."

Three burly men stepped out from behind her, their faces obscured by the dim light. One of them, the gruff voice from the phone, stepped forward. "Hand it over."

I placed the briefcase on the ground, pushing it towards them with my foot. "Now, let her go."

The man opened the case, his eyes gleaming as he saw the stacks of cash. "Nice. Very nice, rich girl." He snapped his fingers, and his companions untied my mother.

She stumbled towards me, her face streaked with tears. "My baby! You saved me!" She threw her arms around me, clinging tightly.

I felt a surge of unease. Her embrace felt less like relief, and more like ownership.

"Wait a minute," the gruff man said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me. "You're Eleanor Wheeler. The tech billionaire's adopted daughter. And Joshua Hunt's wife."

My mother, still clinging to me, blurted out, "Yes, she's rich! My Eleanor is so rich! She can give you more! She's inherited millions from her adoptive father!"

A flicker of panic shot through me. Idiot. I squeezed her hand, a silent warning. But it was too late.

The man's eyes lit up with renewed greed. "Well, well, well. Looks like we hit the jackpot. Fifty million won't cut it now, princess. We want more. A lot more."

"No! You can't!" My mother screamed, her voice cracking. "You said you'd let me go!"

"Plans change, old woman," he sneered. "Especially when a bigger prize walks right into our trap."

I felt a cold rage building inside me. My own mother, betraying me again. Selling me out.

"Let us go," I said, my voice dangerously low. "You have the money. Don't push your luck."

He laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Or what? You'll cry to your billionaire daddy? Or your cheating husband?"

That last word, "cheating," was a spark. It ignited a fire in me. I saw my chance. As the lead thug was distracted by his own cruel joke, I shoved my mother away from me, towards the slightly open metal door. "Run, Mom! Now!"

Then, with a burst of adrenaline, I kicked the briefcase, scattering money everywhere. The men cursed, momentarily distracted by the flying cash. I used the diversion, grabbing my mother's arm and pulling her towards the exit.

"Run!" I urged, my voice hoarse.

We bolted out of the warehouse, the shouts of the men echoing behind us. Footsteps pounded on the concrete, closer and closer.

A gunshot cracked through the night. I felt a searing pain in my shoulder. My mother gasped, a terrified sob tearing from her throat. Her weight was a dead anchor on my arm, her movements clumsy with fear.

We scrambled through a narrow alley, the sounds of pursuit closing in. My shoulder throbbed, a hot, fiery pain, but I ignored it. My focus was on the baby. The baby inside me.

"Faster, Mom! We have to go faster!" I pleaded, my voice strained.

She whimpered, her grip tightening on my arm. "I can't, Eleanor! I can't!" She stumbled, pulling me down with her.

I cried out, losing my balance. We tumbled down a short, steep concrete embankment, landing hard in a heap. A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my lower abdomen, a familiar, terrifying sensation. No. Not again. Please, not again.

I instinctively curled into a fetal position, shielding my belly with my arms. A warm, sticky wetness spread between my legs. My vision swam.

A faint flutter. A tiny, desperate movement from within. My baby. My precious, innocent baby. They were still fighting.

"No, no, no," I whimpered, tears streaming down my face. I remembered the doctor's words: Your body can only take so much. My vision began to blur, the world fading to a dull gray.

The last thing I saw was Joshua's face, his eyes wide with a grotesque parody of concern, as he rushed towards me, pushing past the thugs. He knelt beside me, his hands reaching for me. "Eleanor! What happened? My God!"

He pulled me into his arms, his touch abhorrent. But I was too weak to fight him. Too weak to do anything but gasp for air, the pain consuming me whole. My body spasmed, a final, brutal contraction.

Then, darkness. Sweet, blessed darkness.