Chapter 5: The Revelation

Maxwell’s POV

It had been almost eight months since I sent Regina to that damn rehab center, and every time I thought of her, a storm built in my chest. Rage. Confusion. Betrayal. I still couldn’t wrap my head around what she’d done.

Looking back, the signs were there, and they only became more obvious in the past six months. The wild mood swings. Some days she was bursting with ideas, pushing everyone past their limits with 3 a.m. emails and back-to-back strategy meetings. 

Other days she barely got out of bed, staring out the window like the world had collapsed around her. She stopped laughing at the things that used to crack her up. Would forget basic tasks, then overcorrect with a frenzy of obsessive micromanaging. I asked her before, “Are you okay?”

“I’m just tired,” she’d said. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Lies. All of it.

I didn’t want to believe it at first, not until Morgana came to me with the truth.

“You need to know what she’s been hiding,” she said, her voice low and almost reluctant. I still remember the chill that went down my spine when she opened that folder. Copies of embezzled transactions. Regina’s phone logs filled with cryptic messages. 

And then, God help me, the video. I couldn’t even finish it. I didn’t want to believe my Regina, my fiercely intelligent, principled Regina, could be that person. But it was her. There was no denying it.

I couldn’t breathe. I’d built my world around her. I trusted her with everything whether it be my company or  my life. And she shattered it like glass under her heel.

So I did what I had to do. I sent her away. Somewhere she could dry out. Somewhere strict enough to snap her back to reality. It wasn’t just punishment. It was a necessity. She needed help, and if she wouldn’t admit it, I’d do it for her.

Morgana knocked lightly, disturbing me from my thoughts, before stepping into my office with coffee. “You haven’t eaten,” she said, setting it down beside me.

I gave a hollow nod. The company was barely holding on. Regina’s mess had put everything at risk. Morgana had stepped in without question. I owed her more than I could say.

She lingered there so I looked up. “Something wrong?”

She hesitated. “There’s something I think you should know... about Regina. You need to see her yourself.”

I frowned. “She’s still refusing treatment?” I didn’t even try to hide my annoyance. Last I heard, she was going on hunger strikes, refusing therapy. Just being difficult for the sake of it.

Morgana glanced away. “It’s not just that. There’s... more. They called this morning. It’s better if we go.”

I stood up without replying, my gut twisting.

When I finally stood in front of Regina’s room, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

Through the small glass panel in the door, I stared at the woman huddled in the corner of the bed. Her back was to me, her body folded in on itself like she was trying to disappear. Her hair, once shining and full, was tangled and limp, clinging to her gaunt face. I wouldn’t have recognized her if not for the sharp ache that pulled behind my ribs the moment I laid eyes on her.

“Jesus,” I whispered, my hand tightening on the doorknob. “Is this... really her?”

“She’s been like this for a while now,” Morgana said behind me, voice quiet. “It’s worse than I expected, too.”

Then I saw it. The unmistakable curve of a belly under the thin sheet, round and swollen. I froze.

I turned to Morgana. “She’s pregnant?”

Morgana hesitated, then nodded. “Eight and a half months. She’s known for a while. She didn’t tell anyone, not even me at first. I only found out recently... I should’ve told you sooner. Maybe things wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”

My mind went blank for a second. “She hid it? The whole time?”

Morgana pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry, Max.”

Sorry? Sorry didn’t even scratch the surface. I didn’t even know she was carrying our child. And I had been out here, working, fighting to keep the company afloat, trusting that she was getting better. That she was safe.

A doctor approached, clipboard in hand. “Mr. Chamberlain, I need to speak with you. We ran some tests after she collapsed this morning. There are... traces of narcotics in her system. Likely ingested within the last week.”

“What?” I snapped. “How the hell did that happen?”

“We’re still investigating,” the doctor said carefully. “It may have been a lapse in protocol or outside help. We’re reviewing footage.”

I turned toward Morgana sharply, but before I could speak, she evenly said, “I’ve already begun looking into it. There’s a younger staff member, Ana, a  nurse. She’s grown unusually close to Regina over the past few months.”

Her voice was steady when she continued after a beat. “I warned her once to keep it professional, but I suspect she’s the one who’s been giving Regina access. I’ll personally investigate and deal with that female staff member.”

I gave a tight nod. Morgana was many things but being careless wasn’t one of them. If she said she’ll handle it, she would.

I nodded, knowing Morgana would stay true to her word, then I turned to the doctor.

“How could you let it happen right under your nose? She’s pregnant for god's sake!”

“She’s pregnant,” I hissed at him. “You were supposed to monitor everything! How could you let this happen?”

“I’m sorry, sir. But I also need to tell you... the fetus has no heartbeat. There’s been severe placental damage. We need to induce labor immediately, or your wife may go into septic shock.”

My chest felt like it had caved in. I glanced back at the woman I used to know, Regina, the fierce woman who once stood beside me through firestorms. Now she looked like someone hollowed her out and left the shell.

“She killed our child,” I said under my breath. “She killed our child.”

Morgana put a hand on my shoulder. “You need to give consent, Max. Or she could die too.”

I nodded slowly, numb. “Do it.”

As the doctor disappeared, I remained at the door, unable to bring myself to step inside. I couldn’t face her. Not yet. Not while I still saw her with that needle in her arm, not while I still felt the weight of a child we would never meet.

I didn’t know who I was angrier at, Regina... or myself for believing in her.