Chapter 3

By the time I finished my shift, it was pouring rain outside.

I walked down to the parking garage, ready to drive home.

Just as I turned the corner by a concrete pillar, I froze.

Under the dim yellow lights, a car was parked in the far corner, its door half-open.

Victor had a woman pinned against the car door, kissing her passionately.

The woman’s arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.

"Victor, babe... when is that ugly brat in that bitch's stomach finally going to die?"

Victor was breathing heavily, his hands wandering under her skirt.

"Soon, Amber."

"I increased the dosage of the drug. In two weeks at most, it’ll be a stillborn."

"When that happens, all the shares of the Lindemann Group will be ours."

Amber giggled.

"Then you’d better reward me really, really well."

Standing in the shadows, I pulled out my phone and pressed the record button.

The faint glow of the screen lit up my face.

You can't save someone who is bent on self-destruction.

But I would never let that innocent baby die without a fight.

The next day, Chloe was admitted to the hospital.

Because of some light spotting the night before, Victor had rushed her to my ward for preventive bed rest.

The entire department now knew she was a billionaire heiress.

The head nurse had specially arranged the best private suite for her.

When I walked in with the Doppler fetal monitor and blood pressure cuff for routine checks, the room was packed.

Several relatives were crowding around Victor, showering him with praise.

"Oh, Victor is truly the perfect husband."

"Right? He even washes her feet himself. You can't find a man like this nowadays even if you search with a flashlight."

Victor was indeed kneeling by the bed, holding a towel, meticulously wiping Chloe's feet.

He looked up and gave a warm, gentle smile.

"Chloe is carrying my child and going through so much pain. Doing this is the least I can do."

Chloe leaned against the pillows, her eyes red with emotion.

"Honey, you’re so good to me."

I walked to the bedside to check her chart.

"Chloe Lindemann, I need to take your blood pressure and check the baby's heart rate."

Seeing me, Chloe’s face instantly hardened.

She pulled her feet out of the water basin, frowning.

"Why is it you again?"

"Is this hospital short-staffed? Why are they letting someone who was disciplined touch my belly?"

Ignoring her attitude, I quickly pulled the privacy curtains and squeezed the ultrasound gel onto her skin.

"Lift your shirt, please."

Victor stood up, dried his hands, and blocked my path.

"Dr. Sterling, I haven’t settled yesterday’s account with you yet."

"You’d better keep your hands gentle. Don’t press that probe too hard. If you hurt my wife, I’ll make sure you regret it."

I let out a faint smirk.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Vance. I only treat patients. I don’t watch dramas."

After recording the vitals, I wiped her belly with a paper towel.

Just as I was about to leave, the door was pushed open.

Amber walked in with a designer thermos, a massive fake smile plastered on her face.

"Chloe, Victor! I brought you some soup!"

She placed the thermos on the nightstand, her eyes locked onto Victor's with a subtle, electric tension.

"Victor spent half the night brewing this organic chicken herbal broth. He said it’s the best thing for the baby."

"I went to his house this morning specifically to grab it. It's still hot."

Chloe took Amber's hand, deeply moved.

"Amber, thank you so much for going through all the trouble."

Amber teased, "Oh, come on. We're practically sisters. Your baby is my godson."

Victor unscrewed the thermos and poured a bowl of the hot, rich soup.

He blew on it gently and brought it to Chloe’s lips.

"Drink up, sweetie. It’s hot. Drink it for our healthy baby."

In that exact split second, a terrified shriek exploded in my head.

"No!"

"Doctor, save me!"

"It's poison! He added two whole packets of it last night!"

"My stomach hurts! It hurts so much!"

Hearing the baby's desperate cries, I stared at the bowl of soup.

Chloe opened her mouth, ready to take a sip.

"Don't drink that!"