Chapter 4

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't looking at a sterile hospital ceiling.

Instead, the familiar, warm glow of the bedside sconce illuminated the master bedroom. Carter was slumped beside the bed, exhaustion etched across his face as he held my hand tightly.

For a fleeting moment, I felt transported back to the early days of our relationship.

Back then, even when I had suffered nothing more than menstrual cramps, he had stayed by my bedside all night to look after me. The next morning, he'd held my hand just like this, his eyes bloodshot.

"Eliza, you scared me so much."

Seeing him beside me now, I couldn't help letting a small, pathetic flicker of hope take hold.

Perhaps some part of him still cared.

I moved my fingers slightly, and he woke up at once.

"You're awake," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"Did you bring me back from the hospital?" I asked, my nose stinging.

"Yeah."

That single word nearly brought me to tears.

Maybe he'd finally realized how serious my condition was. The baby and I could die at any moment. Perhaps he'd finally felt some regret.

But then, he released my hand and picked up a document from the nightstand.

"Since you're awake, sign this."

I froze.

Printed in bold letters at the top of the page were the words: [Adoption Agreement.]

The document stated that once the baby was born, I would surrender all parental rights to Mavis. I would also be forbidden from approaching the child or ever revealing that I was their biological mother.

So, Carter hadn't been keeping vigil beside my bed because he was worried about my health. He was afraid I'd die before he could get my signature.

The fragile hope I'd just begun to feel vanished in an instant.

"You brought me back from the hospital just to make me sign this?" I screamed, my voice raw and hoarse.

"Seeing you pregnant has triggered Mavis's depression again," Carter said unswervingly, thrusting a pen toward me. "She couldn't sleep all night and kept saying she didn't want to live anymore.

"If you give her the baby, she'll have something to live for. And you'll still be Mrs. Ricci. It's the best outcome for everyone."

"And what about me?" I demanded, glaring at him. "I've carried this baby for nine months and risked my life giving birth, only to watch him call another woman Mom? Have you ever stopped to think about what that would do to me?"

"It's just a title. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Carter frowned. "Besides, we can always have more children later."

To him, the sacred bond between a mother and child was nothing more than a title he could take away and offer to another woman to make her happy.

I tore the agreement to pieces and flung the scraps into his face. "I will never sign this! No one is taking my baby away from me unless they kill me first!"

Carter's face darkened with rage. Just as he was about to explode, his phone rang.

The moment he answered, Mavis's faint sobs came through the speaker.

"Carter, I cut my wrists. There's so much blood. I can't take this anymore."

All the color drained from Carter's face.

He spun around and rushed toward the door. I threw off the covers and scrambled after him. But my legs soon gave out, sending me crashing heavily onto the floor.

I grabbed his pants legs, refusing to let go.

"The doctor said I could hemorrhage at any moment. I could lose both my life and the baby! Please, don't leave me here alone. I'm begging you..."

He looked down at me, then pried my fingers loose one by one. Instead of helping me up, he dragged me back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

A sharp click followed as he locked it from the outside.

"I can't let you go out there and upset Mavis again," he snapped. "Stay here. We'll talk when I get back."

"Carter, let me out!" I shouted, pounding on the door.

"Stop playing the martyr," he scoffed. "If you're that sick, go lie back down."

A moment later, I heard his car start.

The engine roared, then faded into the distance. I slumped against the door and slowly slid to the floor, still clutching a torn piece of the adoption agreement.

Less than half an hour later, a draft stirred the curtains, blowing them against the scented candle Mavis had lit. The fabric caught fire almost instantly, and flames spread through the room.

"Help! Somebody, help me!"

I threw myself against the door again and again, but the heavy wood wouldn't budge.

Another wave of excruciating pain tore through my abdomen. Warm blood trickled down my legs.

With trembling fingers, I took out my phone and called Carter.

"The house is on fire! Please, save me..."

There was a brief silence.

Then he let out an impatient, contemptuous laugh. "Seriously? You're making up a story like this just to get me to come back?"

"I'm not lying!" I sobbed, barely able to speak. "I'm bleeding. Please come back and save our baby..."

"Enough!" he snapped. "Mavis just had to be resuscitated in the emergency room! How much longer are you going to keep up this pathetic act?"

Mavis's whimpers came through the phone.

"Carter, it hurts so much..."

The call ended.

Once again, Carter had chosen to comfort her instead of helping me.

The flames roared around me, swallowing the room in heat and smoke. My vision blurred, and my eyelids grew unbearably heavy.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, a deafening crash sounded from the other side of the bedroom door.