Lost everything in a second

### Anne-Marie’s POV,

I didn't know how long I was unconscious but I could tell I was in the hospital even without my eyes open. I slowly opened my eyes to see myself in a large room with beeping monitors and wires attached to my vein. I felt pain all over my body that I bet it would take months for me to be fine. At one corner of the room, I saw two males whispering to themselves but I couldn't hear them.

“She’s stable now,” one of the doctors said quietly. “But she needs rest. The stress and shock nearly—”

“Thank you,” interrupts another voice.

I turned my head slightly, and there he is, the man from the party. The one who had tried to save me from the first fall in the party. Although, he looked different in the daylight maybe because his suit was gone and he was dressed in casual clothes. Our eyes meet.

“Why are you here?” My voice was barely more than a whisper.

He hesitated before answering. “Your father sent me. I'm Leon Rowland.”

Of course. My father, I should never doubt how far my father was willing to go for my well-being. Then I suddenly remembered something.

“Mon bébé… Où est mon bébé? Where is my child?”

The doctor froze. His lips parted, but no sound came at first. The man who had saved me just looked away, his jaw tight. And then, in a tone so gentle that it shattered me, the doctor said,

“Je suis désolé, Madame. We… we lost the child.”

For a moment, I felt everything was just an illusion, probably just a dream. My baby wasn’t a set of car keys or a necklace one could just loose. I didn't know when I let out a scream at the top of my voice, that scream attracted some nurses from outside. About two or three rushed to my side trying to hold me down, but I used all my strength to push them away.

I got out from the bed, disconnecting all wires and strings connected to my body as I rushed to the cradle at the side of the room. I was bleeding but I didn't care. I got to the cradle and it was empty. My baby was gone.

“Put yourself together Madame Anne-Marie, we did all we could. You were bleeding, we could only save your life.”The doctor tried to explain but I wasn't listening, I just wanted my baby.

All I could whisper, over and over, was “ Mon Dieu… mon bébé…” until my voice broke .

While the nurses were all trying to comfort me, the door opened and another man stepped in. Tall, sharp suit, and a briefcase in hand. He was Louis’s lawyer. The moment I saw him my heart started racing too fast, the tears in my eyes stood still refusing to fall. The room went silent as everyone's eyes were on the middle aged man who just entered.

He cleared his throat and placed a folder on the small table beside my bed. “Madame Trottier or should I say Madame Duval” he began, his tone professional, detached. “I’m here on behalf of Monsieur Trottier to discuss… legal arrangements but before that I'm sorry for whatever you went through last night.”

I stared at the folder,and then at him wondering what it was all about.

He continued, “Your husband has filed for divorce. Additionally, he’s contesting ownership of the company your father transferred to you. He claims it as part of the marital assets.”

My breath catches. “He what?”

The lawyer doesn’t flinch. “He insists it was established during your marriage and that he contributed financially and strategically. He seeks half.”

Half of the only thing that was truly mine. The only part of my father’s world that belonged to me and divorce after losing a child?

I couldn't hold it in anymore , the anger, the humiliation, the pain. Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them. I was going to kill him, there was no way he deserved to live after making me go through hell.

I got up in haste as I grabbed the collar of the neck of the lawyer, “ Does Louis think he can get rid of me after making me go through hell?”

“ I would advise you to control your emotions, Anne-Marie because you can spend your entire life in jail if you don't control your emotions.”

“I don't care.” I yelled in anger, “What's jail compared to living with Louis?”

The doctors,nurses and Leon came to free Louis’s lawyer from my embrace. They had to hold me down to prevent me from attacking him again.

“ I would advise you to sign the papers. You simply do not have the wealth to take it up to court considering you have lost half of your father's possession.” He smirked.

Hearing that I have lost it made me cry more, my father had done his best to make me happy as his only child and was this how I repaid him?

He handed me a pen and the papers, while I was still weeping, the television on the wall flickered on.

It was a news broadcast.

“Yesterday’s violent scene at Louis Trottier’s home has left the French world in shock…”

Leon immediately turned off the television, I sighed knowing that the whole world knew about the story. I wondered if anyone cared that Louis Trottier was in the wrong and that in a few hours my divorce would be circulated on National Television. I wonder how my father was going to take this news.

“Time is precious.” The lawyer reminded me as he stared at his watch.

 I wipe my tears with the back of my hand. If Louis wanted a divorce, he’ll have it. If he wants to take everything, let him try because I was going to fight. I was surely going to make him pay for killing my child. A phone rang, it belonged to Leon. He gave me an assuring smile before leaving the room. I signed the documents in anger, the only things running through my head were ideas on how to teach Louis a painful lesson. The lawyer smiled as he took the documents and left while Leon Rowland entered.

“Miss Anne-Maria,” he called. I just noticed for the first time that he didn't have a French accent. “Your fat

her…Your father is unconscious.”