Maya's POV
"Stay with me, Maya. Keep your eyes open."
Ethan's voice sounds far away. Everything is blurry. The pain in my stomach is sharp and terrible.
I'm losing the baby. I know I am.
"We're almost there," Ethan says urgently. "Hold on. Just hold on."
The car stops. Doors open. Ethan lifts me carefully and carries me into a building. Bright lights hurt my eyes.
"Dr. Rachel Kim," Ethan demands. "Where is she?"
"Mr. Stone?" A woman's voice. "What happened?"
"She's pregnant. Eight weeks. She's bleeding. Help her. Now."
Hands touch me gently. I'm placed on something soft. A bed. An examination table. I don't know.
"Maya, can you hear me?" The woman—Dr. Kim—speaks softly. "I'm going to examine you. Try to relax."
Relax. That's impossible. I'm terrified.
"Is she going to lose the baby?" Ethan asks, his voice tight.
"Let me examine her first." Dr. Kim works quickly, professionally. "Maya, when did the bleeding start?"
"Twenty minutes ago," I manage to say. "The cramps came first. Then the bleeding."
"Have you been under a lot of stress?"
"Yes." That's the understatement of the century.
Dr. Kim does an ultrasound. The room is silent except for the machine's beeping. I hold my breath, waiting.
Please let the baby be okay. Please.
"There's the heartbeat," Dr. Kim finally says. "Strong and steady."
Relief floods through me so powerfully I start crying. "The baby's alive?"
"Very much alive." Dr. Kim smiles kindly. "The bleeding is concerning, but it's not uncommon in early pregnancy, especially with high stress levels. The baby looks healthy."
"But the pain—"
"Probably stress-related cramping. Your body is telling you to slow down." She cleans the ultrasound gel from my stomach. "Maya, I'm going to be very direct with you. If you don't reduce your stress levels immediately, you could lose this baby. High stress can cause miscarriage, especially in the first trimester."
"I'm trying to stay calm—"
"You need to do more than try. You need to actually be calm." Dr. Kim looks at Ethan. "She needs rest, proper nutrition, prenatal vitamins, and absolutely no dangerous situations."
"I'll make sure she has everything she needs," Ethan promises.
"Good." Dr. Kim writes something on a prescription pad. "I'm prescribing prenatal vitamins and a mild supplement to help with the cramping. Take these twice a day. No alcohol, no caffeine, no stress."
No stress. In the middle of a war between two powerful families who want to use my baby as leverage.
"There's one more thing," Dr. Kim says seriously. "You need someone who knows about this pregnancy. Someone who can support you and watch for warning signs. Keeping this secret alone is adding to your stress."
"I know about it," Ethan says. "I'll watch her."
Dr. Kim looks between us. "Are you the father?"
"No," I answer before Ethan can. "He's... a friend. Helping me through a difficult situation."
"I see." Dr. Kim doesn't look convinced. "Maya, is there someone else you should tell? The father, perhaps?"
Derek. She's asking about Derek.
"It's complicated," I say quietly.
"Most pregnancies are." Dr. Kim pats my hand gently. "But babies don't care about complicated. They just need to be safe and healthy. Think about who else should know."
After Dr. Kim leaves to prepare my discharge papers, Ethan sits beside me. "You scared me."
"I scared myself."
"When you started bleeding, I thought—" He stops, his jaw tight. "I thought I'd failed to protect you. Again."
"Again?"
"My father. My sister. Everyone I've tried to protect ends up hurt." He looks at me with something raw in his eyes. "I won't let that happen to you or your baby."
"Why do you care so much?" I ask. "You said yourself I'm part of your revenge plan. Why does it matter if I get hurt?"
"Because somewhere along the way, you stopped being just part of the plan." He stands and walks to the window. "You became real to me."
Before I can respond, the door bursts open. Patricia storms in, Vanessa right behind her.
"There you are!" Patricia's voice is shrill. "We've been looking everywhere for you."
"How did you find me?" I demand.
"We followed Ethan's car from the café," Vanessa says smugly. "Did you really think you could escape us?"
Dr. Kim steps between them and me. "Excuse me, but this is a private medical facility. You can't just barge in here."
"We're family," Patricia lies smoothly. "We're concerned about Maya's health."
"I'm not your family," I say coldly. "And you're not welcome here."
"Don't be dramatic, dear." Patricia moves closer. "We just want to help. That's what family does."
"Family doesn't steal money and throw people out on the street," Ethan says, stepping protectively in front of me. "Leave. Now."
"Or what?" Vanessa challenges. "You'll call security? We have every right to be here checking on our sister."
"Step-sister," I correct. "And you lost any rights to me when you stole my fiancé."
"I didn't steal anything. Derek chose me." Vanessa's smile is cruel. "He married me. Not you."
"Based on lies about being sick," Dr. Kim says sharply. "Which, interestingly, brings me to something I wanted to discuss with you, Vanessa."
Everyone turns to look at the doctor.
"I reviewed your medical records when I saw your name in our system earlier," Dr. Kim continues. "You're registered as a patient here, claiming to have a terminal heart condition. But according to your most recent tests—tests you took this morning—your heart is perfectly healthy."
Vanessa's face goes white. "Those tests are wrong. My other doctors—"
"Your other doctors are either incompetent or lying," Dr. Kim says firmly. "There is nothing wrong with your heart. You're one of the healthiest twenty-two-year-olds I've ever seen."
"You don't understand my condition—" Vanessa starts.
"I understand that you've been faking a terminal illness," Dr. Kim interrupts. "And as a doctor, I'm required to report medical fraud to the authorities. Especially when that fraud is being used to manipulate people."
Patricia grabs Vanessa's arm. "We're leaving. Now."
"Wait." I sit up, ignoring the doctor's protest. "Dr. Kim, can you write down exactly what you just said? About Vanessa's test results? I need proof."
"I can do better than that. I can provide copies of her actual medical records showing she's been lying." Dr. Kim looks disgusted. "Faking a terminal illness is one of the most manipulative things I've ever encountered."
"You can't share my medical records!" Vanessa shouts. "That's illegal!"
"Actually, when medical fraud is involved, I can share relevant information with law enforcement." Dr. Kim pulls out her phone. "In fact, I'm calling the police right now."
Patricia's face twists with rage. "You stupid girl. You've ruined everything."
"I ruined everything?" Vanessa's voice rises hysterically. "You're the one who told me to fake the illness! You're the one who said it was the only way to get Derek to marry me!"
The room goes silent. Vanessa just admitted the whole thing was Patricia's idea.
"You forced her to do it?" I ask Patricia, shocked.
"I didn't force anyone," Patricia says quickly. "Vanessa wanted Derek. I just suggested a strategy that would work."
"You suggested she fake a terminal illness to steal my fiancé," I say slowly, letting the words sink in. "You destroyed my relationship, my life, everything—for what? Money? Control?"
"For family!" Patricia snaps. "Derek Walsh's family connections would have secured our future. But you were in the way, as always. You've been in the way since the day you were born."
"Because I'm Richard's real daughter," I realize. "Because I'm the reminder that he loved someone else more than you."
"Your mother was a homewrecker," Patricia hisses. "She stole my husband and got herself pregnant to trap him. She deserved what she got."
"My mother was murdered," I say coldly. "By James Walsh. With your help."
Patricia's face goes pale. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." Ethan steps forward. "You helped your brother James arrange Linda Chen's death. You made sure Richard stayed quiet about it. You've been complicit in murder for fifteen years."
"Prove it," Patricia challenges.
"I will," Ethan promises. "And when I do, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
Dr. Kim, who's been listening to all of this with growing horror, speaks into her phone: "Yes, police? I need officers at the Kim Medical Center immediately. I have a patient admitting to fraud, and there are serious accusations being made about—"
Patricia lunges for the doctor's phone, trying to grab it. Ethan blocks her, and she scratches his face with her nails.
Vanessa screams. Dr. Kim backs away. Chaos erupts.
Security guards rush in and separate everyone. Patricia is restrained, still shouting threats. Vanessa cries hysterically. Dr. Kim gives her statement to the guards.
In the confusion, my phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number.
"Watch the news. Right now. Derek just did something that changes everything."
I turn on the TV in the examination room. A breaking news banner scrolls across the screen.
"DEREK WALSH, SON OF PROMINENT LAWYER JAMES WALSH, HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE EXPOSING FATHER'S CRIMES."
The news shows Derek standing at a podium, cameras flashing. He looks terrible—disheveled, exhausted, but determined.
"My name is Derek Walsh," he says into the microphone. "And I'm here to tell the truth about my father, James Walsh, and the crimes he's committed over the past thirty years."
My hand flies to my mouth. Derek is actually doing it. He's turning on his father.
"My father has destroyed businesses, ruined families, and killed people who threatened to expose him," Derek continues. "I have evidence of all of it. Documents, recordings, testimony. And I'm turning everything over to the police today."
The news cameras zoom in on Derek's face. Tears stream down his cheeks.
"I'm also here to apologize to someone I hurt deeply," Derek says. "Maya Chen, if you're watching this—I'm sorry. For everything. You deserved so much better than what I gave you. I hope someday you can forgive me."
The TV shows photos of Derek and me together. Old photos from when we were happy. Before everything fell apart.
"Derek Walsh's revelations have sent shockwaves through the legal community," the news anchor says. "James Walsh has been taken into custody for questioning. More details as this story develops."
I stare at the TV, unable to process what I just saw.
Derek just destroyed his own father. Publicly. On live television.
For me?
Ethan turns off the TV. "This changes the game completely."
"What do you mean?"
"Derek just declared war on his own family. That makes him either our greatest ally or our most dangerous liability." Ethan looks at me seriously. "Maya, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest."
"What?"
"Do you still love Derek?" His blue eyes search my face. "Or do you just want revenge?"
The question hangs in the air between us.
I don't know how to answer