Chapter 1 - The Plunging Vitals
The high-pitched screech of the fetal monitor echoed through the polished glass and steel walls of Room 402, cutting through the sterile silence of the luxury wing like a razor blade. Claire Vance clutched her swollen belly, her fingernails digging through the thin white fabric of her floral maternity dress. Sweat beaded along her hairline as a violent contraction seized her, racking her frame with unbearable agony.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the corridor. Ethan—her husband of five years, dressed in a bespoke dark suit with an open collar—was strolling past. But he wasn’t looking at her. His arm was wrapped protectively around Serena, his long-lost college sweetheart, who wore a champagne satin dress with a cashmere beige coat draped casually over her shoulders. Serena held her own rounded bump, looking up at Ethan with a soft, triumphant smile.
"Ethan... please!" Claire’s voice cracked, a desperate rasp against the rhythmic, terrifying alarm of the heart rate monitor. "Our baby... her vitals are plunging! I need the surgeon!"
Ethan stopped outside Claire’s open door, turning his head just enough to look at her over his shoulder. His jaw was set, his dark eyes completely devoid of warmth. He didn't step into the room. He didn't even release Serena’s waist.
"Serena's delivery takes precedence, Claire," he said, his tone dismissive and flat, as if he were discussing a minor rescheduling of a business meeting. "Her doctor was delayed in traffic, so I had your chief surgeon reassigned to her suite. Just hold on."
"She’s only thirty-two weeks! I am in active labor!" Claire wept, holding her forehead as physical pain mixed with a soul-crushing betrayal. "You transferred my doctor?!"
Ethan didn't answer. He simply turned back to Serena, whispering something reassuring into her ear as he guided her toward the VIP penthouse suite down the hall.
Claire slumped against the edge of the mattress, the cold monitor screen behind her flashing red numbers: Fetal Heart Rate: 72 bpm... 68 bpm...
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She was completely alone in a private wing he had bought out, surrounded by staff he had ordered to prioritize his first love.
👉 Will Claire lie helpless as her baby's heart rate continues to drop, or will she find the strength to save them both?
