Chapter 338

"My stomach... it's tearing me apart!" Cassandra collapsed onto the marble floor, crimson pooling beneath her. Her trembling fingers clutched her swollen abdomen while the other hand reached desperately toward Vivian.

Vivian recoiled, her breath hitching. "This is an act. I barely touched you!"

She'd only meant to brush Cassandra's hand away. The way the woman crumpled like paper made Vivian's pulse spike. Had she really pushed that hard?

"Ms. Lockhart," Cassandra gasped, her face draining of color. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she curled inward. "I don't care about your intentions anymore. Just call an ambulance—save my baby!"

Vivian fumbled for her phone, fingers slick with panic.

Then a force slammed into her shoulder. Her phone skittered across the tiles as Nathaniel Blackwood stormed past.

His usual composure had shattered. The CEO cradled Cassandra against his chest, hands shaking visibly. "Stay with me," he ordered hoarsely, ignoring the blood soaking his tailored shirt. "Look at me, Cassandra. Breathe."

She clawed at his lapel, leaving scarlet streaks. "Nathaniel! She pushed me—your wife wanted us dead!"

Vivian rushed forward. "It was an accident, I swear—"

"Move." The single word carried such venom that Vivian stumbled back.

Four years of marriage, and she'd never seen those steel-gray eyes so murderous. The icy hatred in his gaze pinned her in place as he carried Cassandra toward the elevators, leaving bloody footprints in his wake.

Vivian stood paralyzed until the elevator doors closed. Only then did the first tear fall.

Nathaniel burst through the hospital doors, Cassandra limp in his arms. "Emergency! Now!"

Medical staff swarmed them, transferring Cassandra onto a gurney. The scent of copper filled his nostrils—too much blood, far too much. His vision swam as the hemophobia took hold.

"Sir? Sir!"

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Consciousness returned with the sterile sting of antiseptic. Nathaniel jerked upright, IV lines pulling taut. "The baby?" he demanded of the nearest doctor.

The physician hesitated. "Mr. Blackwood, we need to discuss—"

"Save them." Nathaniel's fist connected with the mattress. "Whatever it takes. That child is all I have left of my brother."

His vow hung in the air—a silent oath to the dead. Failure wasn't an option. Not when Tristan's last words had been, "Keep them safe for me."