Chapter 4 - Flatline in OR 4
"He isn't going anywhere until I hear the status of my daughter-in-law."
A sharp, aristocratic voice rang through the corridor, accompanied by the authoritative click of stilettos.
Eleanor Moretti, the matriarch of the Moretti dynasty, swept through the double doors. Behind her strode Julian Bennett—Claire’s older brother and one of the most formidable corporate litigators in the country. Julian’s face was carved from granite, his eyes burning with an icy, lethal rage.
"Mother," Vincent rasped, stepping forward.
Eleanor didn't stop. She closed the distance between them, raised her hand, and delivered a resounding slap across Vincent’s face.
The crack echoed off the walls.
Vincent didn't flinch. He didn't raise a hand to shield himself. A red welt bloomed across his cheekbone, mirroring the side he had struck on Claire.
"You absolute coward," Eleanor whispered, her voice trembling with disgust. "Ten years I watched you neglect that sweet girl. Ten years I watched you dance around this pathetic leech," she glared at Sophia with pure venom, "and now you have nearly beaten her to death?"
"Aunt Eleanor, that's not what happened—" Sophia began, tears immediately spilling down her cheeks in a practiced display of grief.
"Shut your mouth, Sophia," Julian Bennett intervened, taking a single, predatory step toward her. Julian was six-foot-three, his presence suffocating. "If my sister dies in that room, you won't just be facing criminal conspiracy charges. I will spend every cent of the Bennett family trust to ensure you rot in a federal penitentiary for the rest of your miserable life."
Sophia shrank back, terror finally breaking through her vanity.
"Officers," Julian said, turning to the police, his voice professional, precise, and razor-sharp. "I am Claire Bennett’s legal counsel and power of attorney. Here is my card. Mr. Moretti will cooperate with your investigation, but as of this moment, I am filing an emergency protective order barring both Vincent Moretti and Sophia Reynolds from coming within one thousand feet of my sister."
Vincent felt the room collapse around him. "Julian, no... please. She’s my wife. That's my child in there!"
"You surrendered the right to call her your wife the moment you laid your hands on her," Julian said coldly. "And as for the child? You never wanted one. You spent ten years colluding with this parasite to make Claire feel broken, infertile, and inadequate."
Julian pulled a thick manila folder from his leather briefcase and tossed it squarely against Vincent’s chest. The papers fluttered, scattering across the floor.
Vincent looked down.
Bank statements. Offshore shell accounts. Receipts.
"What is this?" Vincent murmured.
"That," Eleanor said, her voice dripping with scorn, "is the financial forensic audit I commissioned three weeks ago when Claire came to me crying, asking why our charitable trust accounts were being drained. Your precious Sophia has embezzled four point two million dollars from your personal accounts over the past four years. She bought luxury properties in Miami under her brother's name. She kept you wrapped around her finger not because she loved you, Vincent. Because you were her private ATM."
Vincent stared at the spreadsheets. Transfers authorized through forged signatures. Invoices for vacations he had never taken. Jewelry he had never bought.
All stamped with Sophia’s personal account numbers.
Vincent slowly turned his head toward Sophia.
She was trembling, clutching her purse, backing toward the elevators. "Vince... Vince, he's lying. It's a setup... they hate me..."
Before Vincent could move, the red light above OR Four clicked off.
The heavy doors swung open.
Dr. Marcus, the lead obstetric trauma surgeon, stepped out into the hallway. His surgical cap was soaked with sweat, his mask hanging loose around his neck. His green scrubs were smeared with dark, oxidized blood.
Vincent’s heart stopped beating.
"Doctor," Julian stepped forward, his voice cracking for the first time. "My sister. Tell me."
Vincent couldn't even speak. He stood frozen, waiting for the sentence that would end his life.
Dr. Marcus exhaled a long, heavy breath and wiped his brow.
"She suffered a severe placental abruption caused by direct blunt-force trauma. She lost nearly four units of blood. We had to perform an emergency intrauterine arterial embolization to stop the hemorrhage."
The doctor paused, his eyes sweeping over the devastated family before resting on Vincent's hollow face.
"We almost lost her on the table twice. Her heart stopped for ninety seconds."
"And the baby?" Vincent choked out, falling to his knees, his hands clasped as if praying for the first time in his life. "The baby... please..."
Dr. Marcus looked at Vincent with grim exhaustion.
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"By some miracle... we found a faint fetal heartbeat after the embolization. The baby is alive. But Claire is in a medically induced coma in the intensive care unit. The next forty-eight hours will determine if either of them survives."
***
