The harsh fluorescent lights cast a pale glow over the sweat-soaked face of Vanessa Carter. Each contraction tore through her body like fire. Her eyes, wide with exhaustion and fear, searched the room desperately for someone she trusted.
“Please… where is my husband?” Vanessa whispered weakly, gripping the soft white sheets.
Standing beside her, a tall nurse with perfectly styled brown hair and immaculate makeup didn’t answer right away. The badge clipped to her coat carried a name that wasn’t hers. She didn’t belong to the hospital staff.
She was Chloe Bennett, the mistress of Ethan Hayes—Vanessa’s husband and one of the most powerful real estate developers in the country.
Chloe had slipped past security using Ethan’s influence and a carefully crafted lie.
She leaned closer, her breath brushing Vanessa’s ear.
“Your husband will be here soon, sweetheart,” Chloe murmured with unsettling sweetness. “He’s just waiting outside for everything to be over.”
Vanessa managed a faint smile, thinking it was reassurance. But Chloe’s expression shifted into something far darker. Without hesitation, she adjusted the oxygen mask on Vanessa’s face… and with a swift, deliberate motion, disconnected the tube from the main supply.
The soft hiss of oxygen vanished instantly. The silence that followed was suffocating.
At first, no one noticed. The doctor was busy searching for gloves, and a young assistant focused on a tablet. But Vanessa’s breathing became erratic. Her chest heaved violently. The monitor erupted into sharp, frantic beeps.
“I… can’t… breathe!” she gasped, clutching at the mask.
Chloe moved quickly, pretending to assist while hiding the disconnected tube behind her body.
“It’s just a strong contraction, doctor. She’s panicking—it’s normal,” she said smoothly.
“Give her more oxygen!” the doctor ordered, distracted.
Chloe leaned in again, her eyes cold and merciless.
“You really think you deserve to have his child?” she whispered. “You ruined my life. You don’t deserve a happy ending.”
Vanessa’s vision blurred. Her hands shook as she reached for the tubing, but Chloe subtly pushed her away. The fetal monitor began screaming.
“The baby’s heart rate is dropping!” a nurse cried, rushing forward. “Check the oxygen!”
Everything exploded into chaos. A nurse lifted the tank, her face draining of color.
“Doctor, the oxygen line’s been disconnected!”