جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 170

The hospital was quiet before dawn. Beyond the windows, the city lay beneath a sky that had not yet begun to lighten. A few distant lights burned between the buildings, but inside the hospital, the corridors were almost empty. In Laura’s room, the heart monitor kept its steady rhythm. Beep. Beep. Beep. Dominic sat outside the glass door, his hands clasped loosely between his knees. He had been there most of the night. He hadn’t slept. Every time his eyes closed, they opened again a few seconds later, drawn back to the figure lying motionless beyond the glass. Laura was still the mother of his child. That was enough to keep him there. His gaze moved to the monitor. Then the rhythm changed. Beep. Bee

Alexander and Stephanie returned to the waiting area carrying coffee for everyone. The moment Alexander stepped out of the elevator, his eyes went toward Emma’s room. The detectives were gone. He looked at Edward. “Where did they go?” “Back to the station,” Edward replied. Stephanie began handing out the cups. Adrian took one. Then Maya. Edward reached for his. Rowan accepted his without saying anything. Alexander barely touched his own. His attention remained on the closed door. “Sir…” Edward looked at him. “Can I see Emma?” Edward was about to answer. “She needs rest.” Rowan’s voice was quiet. Alexander turned. Rowan stood beside the window, his coffee untouched. “We haven’t told her about Brian and Laura yet,” he continued. “She’s already been through enough. Maybe it would be better to let her rest for now.” There was nothing forceful about the way he said it. If anything, he sounded concerned. Edward looked at him. Not for long.

Dan Reeves reached Steve Carter’s office less than two minutes after Steve’s call. The precinct was still alive with the restless rhythm of the day. Phones rang from different corners of the floor. Keyboards clicked beneath hurried fingers. Somewhere down the corridor, a printer started and stopped, its mechanical hum disappearing beneath the low murmur of officers speaking to one another. Dan pushed open Steve’s office door. “What happened?” Steve looked up. Alexander was still sitting across from him. The recovered phone lay on the desk between them. Steve nodded toward the door. “Close it.” Dan did. His eyes immediately settled on the phone. “That the one?” Alexander nodded. “The one I should’ve brought you sooner.” Dan pulled out the chair. “Why didn’t you?” Alexander hesitated. Not because he didn’t have an answer. Because he knew Steve wouldn’t like it. “Because I didn’t know who I could trust.” Steve’s expression didn’t change. He opened the recovered file

Morning had settled over the hospital, but nothing about it felt peaceful. The corridor was already alive with movement—the squeak of rubber soles against polished floors, nurses moving between rooms, the occasional rattle of a metal trolley. The sharp smell of antiseptic lingered in the air. Dominic hadn’t moved from outside Laura’s room. Through the glass, she lay motionless beneath the white sheets, wires disappearing beneath the blanket. The steady rhythm of the monitors was the only reminder that she was still there. Steve stood beside him. For a moment, neither man spoke. Then Steve broke the silence. “We need some answers from you.” Dominic looked at him. “About Laura?” “Especially after what she said.” Dominic’s jaw tightened. “Don’t kill me, Dom.” Steve watched him carefully. “She looked terrified of you.” Dominic looked through the glass again. “I don’t know why.” Steve studied his face for a beat. “Then come to the precinct and help us figure it out.” Do

Dan moved beside him. “What did they find?” Steve looked at his phone again. “The IT cell traced Laura’s other number.” Dan’s expression changed. “Where?” Steve turned the screen toward him. “They found where the number was registered.” Dan read the report. “A fertility clinic?” “Across town.” “Laura used that number there?” “That’s what they’re checking.” Steve slipped the phone into his pocket. “Go check it yourself. We can’t waste any more time.” Dan was already reaching for his jacket. “And the other number?” Steve looked at him. “The one found on Laura’s second phone. The same one found on Brian’s.” “They traced it too?” “Yes.” Steve’s jaw tightened.