. CHAPTER 5 — The Hospital Room
At the hospital, Daniel stood in the hallway outside Evelyn’s examination room with blood on his shirt that was not his.
A nurse had tried to convince him to sit. He could not. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Evelyn’s body falling, his mother’s face above her, the smile that had lived there for one terrible second.
When the doctor finally stepped out, Daniel forgot how to breathe.
“Your wife is stable,” the doctor said. “The baby’s heartbeat is strong. We are monitoring both of them closely. She has bruising, a facial laceration, and a sprained wrist, but we do not see signs of internal bleeding right now.”
Daniel gripped the wall.
Right now. The words were a gift and a warning.
“Can I see her?”
“Yes. Keep her calm.”
He entered quietly.
Evelyn lay against white pillows, smaller than he had ever seen her, but her eyes opened when he came in. A bandage crossed the cut near her cheek. Her wrist was wrapped. One hand still rested on her belly.
Daniel stopped at the foot of the bed, guilt breaking through him. “I’m sorry.”
Evelyn’s mouth trembled. “You didn’t push me.”
“I left you alone with her.”
“You trusted your mother,” she said softly. “That is not a crime.”
“It feels like one.”
She looked toward the window where evening light turned the hospital glass gold. “She told me I was a temporary embarrassment. She said after the baby came, your family would take what mattered and send me away.”
Daniel sat beside her, shattered. “Why didn’t you tell me she was threatening you?”
Evelyn tried to smile, but it hurt. “Because every time I tried, I saw how much you wanted to believe she could change.”
He bowed his head.
Evelyn touched his hand. “Daniel, I married you because you were kind when no one was watching. Don’t let what she did turn you into someone cold.”
He looked up, eyes red. “I don’t want revenge.”
She searched his face.
“I want truth,” he said. “And I want her to never touch you again.”
Evelyn’s fingers tightened around his.
Outside the room, Daniel’s phone buzzed. A message from Helena appeared on the screen.
Footage secured. Margaret has been removed from the estate.
May you like
Daniel closed his eyes.
The first wall had fallen.
