Chapter 2

I had no idea how long I had been trapped in that basement.

The bleeding only got worse.

Everything beneath me was soaked with blood.

Just as the edges of my vision began to blur, the door swung open.

It was not Chloe.

It was not the bodyguard.

It was the Lang family’s doctor, Carter.

The second he saw me, all the color drained from his face.

“Serena? What are you doing down here?”

“Adrian told me you were resting in one of the VIP rooms.”

I tried to answer.

Nothing came out.

Tears spilled down my face as I lifted a trembling hand to my stomach.

Carter rushed over and dropped to his knees beside me.

The moment he examined me, his expression changed.

“Oh God.”

“The baby’s crowning.”

“Your water already broke.”

“I need to get you into surgery right now.”

He reached down to lift me, but the second my body shifted, a hot gush poured between my legs.

Blood.

So much blood.

Carter’s hands started shaking.

He turned toward the doorway and shouted, “I need help in here!”

“She’s bleeding heavily!”

But the hallway outside was empty.

This private hospital belonged to the Lang family.

Tonight, the entire building had been cleared for Vanessa’s delivery.

All the doctors and nurses were upstairs, gathered outside her delivery suite.

Carter yanked out his phone and tried to call for help.

But there was no signal in the basement.

“I’m taking you upstairs,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Stay with me.”

Then he bent down, gathered me into his arms, and ran.

Or tried to.

The stairwell felt endless.

Every step sent a brutal jolt through my body.

The pain was so intense I thought I might black out at any second.

I could feel the baby dropping lower and lower.

But she still would not come.

The drug was still in my system.

My contractions were weak and uneven.

That was the worst part.

“Doctor...” I clutched at his coat, barely able to force the words out.

“If it comes down to it... save my baby.”

“Don’t say that.”

“You’re both going to make it.”

At last, he reached the first floor and rushed toward the operating room.

But the moment we got there, both of us froze.

The OR doors were wide open.

Inside, there was nothing.

The surgical lights were gone.

The operating table was gone.

The monitors, the oxygen equipment, every last piece of medical machinery...

Gone.

The room was completely empty except for the wall outlets.

Carter stood there in stunned disbelief.

A strangled sound died in his throat.

“How is this possible?”

“I checked everything myself this afternoon...”

Footsteps echoed down the hall.

Chloe approached with two nurses behind her.

The moment she saw us, one brow lifted.

“Carter? What are you doing down here?”

“Vanessa is upstairs in the delivery room.”

“Why come all the way down here?”

Carter pointed at the empty operating room.

His voice shook.

“Where is the equipment?”

“Who cleared out this room?”

Chloe looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“We moved everything upstairs.”

“Vanessa’s having a C-section, so of course she gets priority.”

“If anything happens during surgery, she'll need all the equipment close at hand.”

“We couldn’t risk leaving her in a standard OR.”

As she said it, her gaze shifted to me.

Then she smiled.

“Oh. Serena, you’re in labor?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.”

“Vanessa comes first.”

“So you’ll just have to hold on a little longer.”

I stared at her beautiful, smiling face.

Suddenly, I remembered something she had said to me six months ago.

Back then, we were out shopping together.

She had slipped her arm through mine and smiled up at me sweetly.

“You’re so good to me, Serena.”

“Better than any real sister.”

That day alone, I spent over a hundred thousand dollars on designer bags for her.

Looking back now, I was a fool.