Chapter Four: The Final Blow

Ophelia POV

The sharp, stabbing pain in my stomach was unlike anything I had ever felt before. It started as a dull ache when I hit the metal cart, but within seconds it exploded into an agony so intense that I couldn't breathe. I could feel something warm and wet spreading between my legs, and my hands instinctively went to my abdomen.

"No, no, no," I whispered, my voice barely audible as waves of cramping pain rolled through my body. "Please, not now. Please, God, not now."

The blood was coming faster now, soaking through my hospital gown and pooling on the floor beneath me. I pressed my hands tightly against my stomach, as if I could somehow stop what was happening, but the pain was getting worse by the second.

"HELP ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing through the hospital hallway. "SOMEONE HELP ME! MY STOMACH! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MY STOMACH!"

The cramping intensified, and I doubled over in agony, clutching my stomach so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Blood was everywhere now, and I could feel myself getting weaker with each passing second.

"PLEASE!" I sobbed, my voice breaking with desperation. "SOMEONE HELP ME! I'M BLEEDING!"

But Landon was still focused on Rose, completely oblivious to my cries for help. The hospital hallway started spinning around me as the pain became unbearable, and darkness began closing in around the edges of my vision.

"Help me," I whispered one last time before collapsing to the floor, blood pooling around me as everything went black.

When I woke up hours later, I was back in a hospital bed with bright lights shining down on me. My stomach felt hollow and empty, and I knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. Dr. Martinez was standing beside my bed with a grim expression, and Landon was sitting in a chair nearby, his face cold and distant.

"Mrs. Hayes, I'm so sorry," Dr. Martinez said gently. "The trauma from your fall caused severe complications. We did everything we could, but..."

"My baby?" I whispered, though I already knew the answer from the emptiness I felt inside.

"I'm afraid you lost the pregnancy. I'm very sorry for your loss."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I started sobbing uncontrollably, my whole body shaking with grief. Three years of marriage, three years of dreaming about starting a family with the man I loved, and now it was gone forever.

"So you were pregnant," Landon said, his voice hard and accusatory. "And you were hiding it from me. What else are you hiding? What other secrets have you been keeping?"

I stared at him through my tears, unable to believe what I was hearing. "You chose another woman over me, and you're asking me why I was hiding my pregnancy? I wanted to surprise you after the contract signing. I wanted it to be perfect."

"Perfect?" Landon laughed bitterly. "Nothing about this is perfect, Ophelia. You've been lying to me, sneaking around, hugging other men behind my back."

"What happened to my baby?" I asked Dr. Martinez, ignoring Landon's accusations.

"The fall caused severe trauma to your abdomen," the doctor explained sadly. "The impact was too much for the pregnancy to survive."

I turned to look at my husband, the man who was supposed to love and protect me. "Your carelessness cost us our first child," I said, my voice breaking. "You chose another woman over your own wife and baby."

Landon's face turned red with anger. "My carelessness? You're the one who's been cheating on me! How do I even know this baby was mine? You've been lying about everything else."

The accusation was like a knife to my heart. Without thinking, I raised my hand and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. The sound echoed through the hospital room like a gunshot.

"Is our marriage a joke to you?" I screamed, all my pain and anger pouring out at once. "How dare you accuse me of cheating! How dare you question whether that baby was yours!"

Landon's eyes blazed with fury as he pulled out his phone. "Really? Then explain this," he said, shoving the screen in my face.

I stared at the photo in horror. It was the picture from outside the event center, showing me embracing Marcus. From the angle it was taken, it looked intimate and romantic, like I was having an affair.

"Where did you get these pictures?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Does it matter? The point is, I have proof of what you've been doing behind my back."

"That's not what it looks like," I protested desperately. "You don't understand"

"I understand perfectly," Landon cut me off. "You've been cheating on me, and now you lost a baby that probably wasn't even mine. How am I supposed to trust anything you say?"

Just then, the door opened and Rose Miller walked in, wearing a concerned expression that I now knew was completely fake.

"Oh, Ophelia, why were you slapping your husband?" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "That's not good behavior for a wife."

"Why are you always meddling in our business?" I snapped, my grief turning to rage. "What is wrong with you? This is our family matter!"

"She's just concerned," Landon said, defending Rose. "She's the one person who's been honest with me about everything. Unlike my own wife."

"Honest?" I laughed bitterly. "You think she's honest? You're so blind, Landon. So completely blind."

"Why don't you like her?" Landon demanded. "She saved my life, my career. She's done nothing but try to help us, and you treat her like dirt. What's wrong with you?"

I couldn't take it anymore. My husband was defending the woman who had destroyed our marriage and caused me to lose our baby, while treating me like I was the villain. Without another word, I pushed past both of them and ran out of the room.

"I told you your marriage was almost over," Rose called after me with a triumphant smile. "I told you I would take your husband, and look how well it's working."

I spun around, my fury reaching a breaking point. "You evil witch," I snarled, pushing her hard against the wall. She stumbled and almost fell, her eyes wide with surprise.

But I was done fighting. Done trying to make my husband see the truth. Done sacrificing everything for a man who would choose a stranger over his own wife.

With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found a number I hadn't called in three years. My fingers trembled as I dialed.

"It's me," I said when the call connected, my voice cold and emotionless. "I need you to come get me. Tonight. Yes, I know what this means. I know there's no going back after this."

I paused, listening to the voice on the other end, then continued with steel in my voice.

"Prepare everything. Tomorrow, I reclaim what's rightfully mine. And I want you to make sure everyone who destroyed my life pays the price. All of them."

I hung up and looked back at the hospital room where my husband was probably comforting the woman who had orchestrated our destruction.

They had no idea what was coming for them. But they were about to find out exactly who they had been foolish enough to cross.