Chapter 5

The Silent Vow

Elena 

"Mrs. Blackwood," Dr. Williams said, her voice gentle but serious. "You're experiencing what we call a threatened miscarriage. The bleeding and cramping are warning signs that your body is under severe stress."

The words hit me like ice water. My free hand flew to my stomach, covering the tiny life I was already so desperate to protect. "Am I going to lose my baby?"

"Not necessarily," the doctor said, adjusting her glasses as she studied the ultrasound screen. "The baby's heartbeat is strong, which is a very good sign. But you need to understand, stress, trauma, and physical exhaustion can all trigger complications in early pregnancy."

I felt Damien's hand squeeze mine reassuringly, but I could barely focus on anything except the doctor's words.

"What do I need to do?" I asked, my voice cracking. "I'll do anything to save my baby."

Dr. Williams turned the screen toward me, pointing to a tiny flickering spot. "That's your baby's heartbeat. Strong and steady at eight weeks. To keep it that way, you need complete bed rest for at least a week, no stress, proper nutrition, and prenatal vitamins."

Eight weeks. I was further along than I'd thought, which meant this baby had been growing inside me through all of Adrian's coldness, all of Maya's betrayal, all the nights I'd cried myself to sleep wondering what I'd done wrong.

"Doctor," Damien spoke for the first time, his voice careful. "What Elena has been through recently... could that have caused this bleeding?"

Dr. Williams looked between us, and I could see the understanding in her eyes. She'd probably seen women in my situation before, abandoned, traumatized, fighting for their children.

"Extreme emotional trauma can absolutely affect pregnancy," she said diplomatically. "The important thing now is creating a safe, stable environment for both mother and baby."

As she prepared my discharge papers, I made a silent vow. No matter what Adrian had said, no matter how he'd rejected us, I would protect this child with my life. This baby was innocent, pure, and deserved better than the cruelty its father had shown.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," I whispered to my belly as Dr. Williams stepped out. "I promise."

Damien had been quiet during the examination, but now he moved his chair closer to my bedside. "Elena, there's something I need to tell you. About Adrian, about what you're up against."

I looked at him, noting the serious expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You think what happened the other night was bad? That was Adrian showing restraint." Damien's voice was low, urgent. "When he finds out you're staying with me and he will find out – he's going to come after you with everything he has."

"He already threatened to destroy my family's business.."

"That was just the beginning." Damien interrupted. "Adrian Blackwood doesn't just win, Elena. He obliterates his opponents. He'll use every resource, every connection, every dirty trick in the book to break you completely."

A chill ran down my spine. "Then why are you helping me? If he's so dangerous.."

"Because I've been waiting years for someone with the right motivation to stand up to him." Damien's eyes were intense, focused. "Adrian has hurt a lot of people, destroyed countless lives to build his empire. But he's never faced someone who had nothing left to lose."

"I have something to lose," I said, touching my stomach. "I have everything to lose."

"That's what makes you dangerous to him," Damien said. "A woman fighting for her child is the most powerful force in the world."

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. A text message from an unknown number, but I recognized the cold, precise language immediately.

I know where you are. I know who you're with. This won't end well for you, Elena. - A

My blood turned to ice. "He knows," I whispered, showing Damien the message.

Damien's jaw tightened as he read it. "Faster than I expected, but not surprising. Adrian has people everywhere."

++++++++

Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian was pacing his office like a caged animal, his usually perfect composure completely shattered. Maya sat in his leather chair, filing her nails with infuriating calm.

"She's with Damien Cross," Adrian snarled, throwing his phone across the room. "Of all the people in this city, she runs straight to my biggest rival."

"Darling, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," Maya said without looking up. "So what if she's with him? You're divorcing her anyway."

"You don't understand," Adrian spun around to face her. "Damien Cross isn't just some random stranger. He's been trying to destroy me for years. And now Elena has given him the perfect weapon."

Maya finally looked up, a slow smile spreading across her face. "You think she's doing this on purpose? Using him to get back at you?"

"Of course she is," Adrian's voice was venomous. "This is all calculated. The pregnancy, the tears, the helpless act. She's playing the victim to turn my enemy against me."

"That clever little mouse," Maya purred, standing up and moving toward him. "Who would have thought Elena had it in her?"

Adrian's hands clenched into fists. "She thinks she can manipulate me through Cross, use our connection to hurt my business, my reputation. But she has no idea what I'm capable of."

"What are you going to do?" Maya asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.

"I'm going to remind her exactly who she's dealing with," Adrian said, his voice deadly quiet. "Elena thinks she can hide behind Damien Cross? She's about to learn that nowhere in this city is safe from me."

Maya's eyes sparkled with malicious excitement. "And the baby?"

"The baby is mine," Adrian said firmly. "Whether I want it or not, no child of mine will be raised by my enemy. I'll take the kid and destroy Elena in the process."

+++++++

Back at the hospital, I was getting dressed to leave when my phone rang. The caller ID showed my brother's name, and my heart sank before I even answered.

"Elena?" Jake's voice was shaky, panicked. "Something's happened to Dad's business. All our contracts got canceled today. The suppliers won't take our calls. And the bank... they're calling in our loans."

I closed my eyes, feeling the world spin around me. "It's starting," I whispered.

"What's starting? Elena, what's going on? Mom's treatments, we can't afford them without the business income."

"I'll figure something out, Jake. I promise."

I hung up and looked at Damien, who'd heard every word. His expression was grim.

"He's not wasting any time," Damien said. "Elena, I can help your family, but.."

"No," I said firmly. "I won't let you fight my battles for me. If I'm going to do this, I need to be strong enough to do it myself."

Damien studied my face for a long moment. "The woman Adrian married was weak, dependent, eager to please. If you want to survive what's coming, you need to become someone else entirely."

"Then that's what I'll do," I said, surprised by the steel in my own voice. "For my baby, for my family, I'll become whoever I need to be."

As we prepared to leave the hospital, I felt something shifting inside me. The scared, broken woman who'd been thrown out of her home was dying, and someone harder, more determined was taking her place.

We were almost to the elevator when I heard a commotion behind us. Shouting voices, heavy footsteps echoing through the hospital corridor. My blood ran cold as I recognized one of the voices.

I turned around to see Adrian striding toward us, his face twisted with rage, flanked by two security guards. His expensive suit was wrinkled, his usually perfect hair disheveled, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Where the hell do you think you're going with my child?" he roared, his voice carrying through the entire floor..