Ethan stood there—right behind her—arms loose at his sides, face calm as stone.Victoria’s eyes widened. The gun jerked back up for half a second before she forced it down again.“You—” Her voice cracked. “You were supposed to come through the door.”“I changed the plan.” Ethan’s tone was even. Almost gentle. “You need to be more alert, Victoria. If I can slip up behind you that easily, Jack will eat you alive.”Victoria’s shoulders dropped. A long, shaky sigh slipped out of her—like she’d been holding her breath underwater for minutes. The pistol trembled in her hands. She lowered it slowly, barrel pointing at the carpet.The room stayed silent. Too silent.Ethan stepped past her. “I need to use the bathroom. Stay here. Don’t move.”He walked into the attached bathroom and closed the door. The lock clicked.Victoria stood frozen in the middle of the dark bedroom. The Glock felt heavier now. Her pulse still hammered in her ears.She turned toward the vanity again, trying to steady her

The doctor stood at the foot of the bed, clipboard pressed against his chest like a shield. His eyes flicked between Ethan and Victoria, careful, measured.Victoria’s fingers tightened around Ethan’s hand. Her pulse jumped under his thumb. She suspected the doctor was about to reveal her secret.She cleared her throat. Voice thin. “I’m… I’m tired, Doctor. Can we talk later?”The doctor’s brows lifted slightly. He glanced at Ethan, then back to her.Ethan caught it—the quick look, the hesitation. His head turned slow. Eyes narrowed. He glanced from Victoria’s pale face to the doctor’s guarded expression.“No,” Ethan said. Flat. Final. “You talk now.”Victoria’s breath hitched. She tried to pull her hand free, but Ethan held on. Not rough. Just steady.“Ethan—” she started, her heart pounded. He didn’t look at her. Kept staring at the doctor. “Speak.”The doctor shifted a bit. Opened his mouth. but before he could speak, Victoria started coughing. Sudden. Hard. Wet. Her whole body

The hospital corridor was a tunnel of silence at 5:30 AM. Ethan stood outside Victoria’s room, dressed in dark scrubs. He had insisted on being in the operating theatre. He would oversee every second.The door opened. Two orderlies pushed a gurney out. Victoria lay on it, draped in a thin cotton gown, an IV already in her arm. Her eyes were open, fixed on the ceiling. They were dry now, and empty. Her eyes stayed fixed elsewhere, burning with the sting of betrayal. They hadn’t given her a single chance to stand and fight for their baby.They moved down the hall to the elevator, to the surgical floor. In the pre-op area, the anesthesiologist, a man Ethan trusted, gave him a brief nod. “We’re ready, General. She’s been sedated lightly for anxiety.”Ethan looked at Victoria. Her eyes were half-closed, the fight gone.He followed the gurney into the operating room. He took his place at the head of the table, near Victoria’s shoulder, a position to monitor her vitals and to be close if