The Last Straw

Chapter 2

Alice 

I fixed my gaze on him, my mind racing as I waited for his words.

“During the surgery, we found something… unusual.” He lowered his voice. “The rupture wasn’t natural. Someone introduced a clotting agent into your IV line a few days ago. It was a massive dose which was meant to trigger exactly this.”

A cold chill ran through my veins, my mind struggling to comprehend his words.

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that,” he whispered, glancing at the door. “... someone paid me a quarter million dollars to make sure none of you left this hospital alive… neither you nor the baby. I refused the second half of the money, and that’s why I’m telling you… because I want to save your life.”

He slipped a small flash drive into my palm and closed my fingers over it. “This contains the security footage, alongside names and bank transfers, revealing how the whole operation went down. Use it wisely, Mrs. Brooks.”  

He turned to leave, then paused midway through. 

“One more thing,” He whispered, his voice firmer this time. “Your husband will be on his way here tonight… with security. They believe you’re still unconscious.”

My heart slammed fiercely against my ribs. But the doctor wasn't even done yet.

His eyes met mine, his expression deadly serious now. “If you want to stay alive, Alice, you have to disappear before midnight.”

As soon as he said those words, he turned and walked away, leaving me there to my thoughts.

I stared at the closed door, the flash drive stinging my palm, while the empty ache burning between my legs reminded me that I had just lost everything.

The doctor’s warning still echoed in my head, even after he had left the room.  

I stared at the flash drive wrapped in my palm, struggling so hard to keep myself sane. Thomas had paid to murder our child. And now he was coming to kill me too.

The door burst open again, and two nurses wheeled in a metal tray. 

“Time for your discharge meds, Mrs. Brooks,” one of them said cheerfully.

I forced a smile, sat up, and let them administer the drugs.

The doctor slipped back in while the nurses were still busy. He walked straight to where I was and pressed a small envelope into my palm.

“In there is ten thousand cash with everything else you need to escape.” He whispered, his voice dropping lower. “A taxi is waiting outside. The driver is my friend…he knows exactly where to take you. Leave now.”

I paused for a moment, flashing a curious glance at him. “Why are you doing this? You barely even know me.”

He shook his head slightly, his expression unreadable. “That's because twenty years ago someone gave me a second chance, even when I didn't deserve it. I'm just trying to pay it forward.”

He squeezed my hand gently and walked away, like nothing ever happened.

After he left, I changed into the plain jeans and hoodie he had left in the bathroom, tucking my hair under a baseball cap as I made my way out. I looked like an exhausted college girl now… not the wife of Thomas Brooks.

The drive felt endless… longer than I expected. Maybe it was because I couldn't stop thinking about the doctor's words. His voice still echoed in my head, leaving me completely restless.

After everything he had warned me about, I was supposed to be running far away from Thomas now, not showing up at his mansion. 

But I did. 

I needed to look Thomas in the eye one last time and let him know I was no longer afraid of him. I had taken a steak knife from the hospital's kitchen secretly, just in case he tried anything stupid.

As soon as I crossed the gates, Maria hurried towards me, her eyes wide with surprise. “I thought you would never come back.” She breathed, fear etched in her voice.

“Of course, I would return. It's still my house.” 

Maria's eyes flashed with unease. “I know that, Mrs Brooks.” She replied, her voice trembling. “But… this place is not safe for you anymore. He's after your life.”

I nodded slowly, like her words meant nothing to me. “You don't have to worry, Maria. I have everything under control.” I brushed her shoulder gently, and began to make my way up the stairs.

Just when I reached the last stair leading up to our room, a sharp sound pierced through the air, stopping me right in my tracks.

A woman's soft moans echoed through the hallway, freezing me in place.

“Mmhhh… Fuck me hard, daddy.”

Then Thomas’s voice echoed… a deep, low groan. “Say my name, naughty girl.”

The woman moaned his name right back, her voice dripping with pleasure.

I sure as hell recognized that voice, but I brushed it off. Maybe it was just my mind playing games with me.

I steadied my breath and stepped forward, gripping the door knob. Then without a second thought, I kicked the door so hard it slammed against the wall.

Thomas's gaze snapped towards the door instantly, his cock still buried deeply inside the woman in front of him. The woman turned too… and my breath caught when I saw her.

“Aunt Sam?” I muttered under my breath, my voice shredded into a throaty whisper.

Thomas jerked to his feet and quickly wrapped a towel over his naked frame. His eyes went wide with shock, then they narrowed, burning with pure hatred.

Aunt Sam scrambled for the duvet, clutching it firmly across her naked chest. 

“Alice?” She gasped, her eyes wide with terror.

Thomas found his voice then. “How are you still alive?” 

“Disappointed?” I whispered, my voice surprisingly calm. “You paid a quarter million to have me killed, yet I'm still here… alive. Talk about a bad investment.”

Samantha's face went white. “What is she talking about?”

Thomas sprang off the bed, aiming towards me with a furious scowl.. “You crazy bitch! I'll…”

“You'll what?” I snapped, swiftly pulled out the knife from my pocket and aimed it at him. “Take one more step forward and I'll not hesitate to split your throat in two.”

His face went pale, and for the first time in three years, he looked really frightened. He stepped back, his legs trembling beneath him.

Samantha plunged at me from behind, her nails digging out. “You ungrateful little…”

I stepped aside sharply, just before she could reach me, and she crashed into the dresser, the perfumes shattering on the floor.

I stared at the both of them… at the man who had planned to kill me and my baby, and the woman who had sold me to him like cattle, and my anger burned even deeper. 

But I hadn't come to fight them… not yet.

“I came for two things.” I said quietly, my fists tightening. “My winter coat. And also to tell you both to rot in hell.”

I walked to the closet, pulled out the coat from its hanger, and tore the hidden seam open. 

The divorce papers slid out, already signed by me, waiting only for his signature. I tossed them on the bed and crossed my arms, letting the flash drive hang loosely between my fingers.

“Sign, or I walk out that door and straight to the federal attorney with all this evidence. The choice is yours.”

Thomas stared at the papers as if they were a ticking time bomb. Then he leaned forward slowly and picked them up.