The warmth between my legs made my entire body go cold.
For a second, I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
I could only stare at the floor beneath me.
The world around me became blurry.
“No…”
The word escaped my lips like a whisper.
My hand instinctively covered my stomach.
My baby.
My child.
The one thing in my life that was still innocent.
Claire’s expression changed for only a fraction of a second.
Just long enough for me to see the truth.
She wasn’t scared.
She wasn’t shocked.
She was satisfied.
Then, almost immediately, she replaced that expression with panic.
—Elena, I didn’t mean to…
Her voice trembled.
A perfect performance.
Adrian rushed toward me.
But not to help me.
His first instinct was accusation.
—What happened here?
I looked at him.
I was waiting.
Waiting for my husband.
Waiting for the man who had promised to protect me.
Waiting for him to see the blood, see my face, and understand.
Instead…
His eyes went directly to Claire.
—Claire?
She lowered her head.
—Adrian… I think Elena misunderstood.
My heart shattered.
Not because of Claire.
I already knew what kind of person she was.
But because of him.
Because even in that moment…
Even when I was standing there terrified…
he believed her before he believed me.
—Misunderstood?
My voice was weak.
Adrian looked at me.
—Elena, calm down.
I laughed.
A broken laugh.
—Calm down?
I pointed at my stomach.
—Your wife is bleeding, Adrian.
His expression changed slightly.
But only slightly.
Then Claire spoke softly.
—I was just asking for the surgical plan. She became emotional and pushed me away.
I stared at her.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
She had done it.
And now she was making me look like the unstable one.
Adrian looked at me.
And then he said the sentence I would remember for the rest of my life.
—Why would Claire do that?
Silence.
A terrible silence.
I looked at him.
—Why would she?
My voice became colder.
—That’s your question?
He frowned.
—Elena…
—Not “Are you okay?”
Not “Is the baby okay?”
Not “What happened?”
I swallowed the pain.
—Your first question was why Claire would do that.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
—You’re being dramatic.
That word.
Again.
Always that word.
Every time I was hurt.
Every time I asked for respect.
Every time I refused to sacrifice myself.
Dramatic.
I slowly stepped back.
The room felt smaller.
The person standing in front of me was my husband.
But I no longer recognized him.
The emergency department treated me immediately.
The doctor confirmed that the baby was stable.
But they ordered complete rest.
No stress.
No physical strain.
No emotional shock.
I almost laughed when I heard that.
Because the biggest danger to my pregnancy…
was the man who was supposed to protect it.
When I returned home that night, Adrian was waiting.
He stood in the living room.
For the first time, he looked nervous.
—Elena…
I walked past him.
—We need to talk.
I stopped.
But I didn’t turn around.
—About what?
—About what happened.
I finally looked at him.
—You mean what Claire did?
His face changed.
—You don’t know that.
I stared at him.
And something inside me finally broke.
—You still don’t believe me.
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I nodded.
—Six years.
Adrian looked at me.
—What?
—Six years I gave this hospital everything.
My voice shook.
—Six years I stayed late, canceled vacations, missed birthdays, and sacrificed my own life so you could become director.
I stepped closer.
—And the moment I became inconvenient…
you replaced me.
—That’s not true.
—Then what is it?
He had no answer.
I continued.
—You took my promotion.
—You gave my position to another woman.
—You forced me to assist in a surgery I designed.
—And when she hurt me…
you defended her.
Adrian looked away.
That movement told me everything.
The next morning, I went to St. Catherine Hospital.
I didn’t tell Adrian.
I didn’t tell anyone.
I walked into the director’s office with one folder.
My contract.
The one I had almost signed three years ago.
The director, Dr. William Hayes, stood up when he saw me.
—Dr. Warren.
He smiled.
—I’ve been hoping you would come back.
I placed the signed contract on his desk.
—I accept.
For a moment, he simply looked at me.
Then he smiled.
—Welcome to St. Catherine.
Head of Cardiology.
Director of Cardiovascular Research.
My own laboratory.
A future I had once abandoned for my marriage.
I walked out of that office feeling something I hadn’t felt in years.
Freedom.
Two days later, Adrian found out.
And he didn’t find out from me.
He found out during the hospital board meeting.
The announcement appeared on the screen.
“Dr. Elena Warren appointed as the new Head of Cardiology at St. Catherine Cardiovascular Center.”
The room went silent.
Adrian stared at the screen.
His face lost all color.
Because suddenly he understood.
He hadn’t just lost an employee.
He had lost the greatest doctor he had ever had.
And worse…
he had pushed her away himself.
Claire sat beside him.
Still smiling.
Until one board member asked:
—Dr. Cole, is it true that you removed Dr. Warren from the promotion process because of her pregnancy?
The smile disappeared from Claire’s face.
Adrian froze.
Someone had reported it.
Someone had leaked the documents.
The room became colder.
Then another message appeared.
A security report.
From the day I fell.
The recording from the hallway camera.
Showing Claire grabbing my wrist.
Showing her pushing me.
Showing everything.
Adrian watched the footage.
And for the first time…
he saw the truth.
Claire had never been his friend.
She had been using him.
The woman he defended had destroyed the person who loved him most.
That night, Adrian came to my apartment.
I opened the door.
He looked exhausted.
Broken.
Not like the powerful hospital director everyone admired.
Just a man who finally realized what he had lost.
—Elena…
I said nothing.
He stepped closer.
—I was wrong.
I looked at him.
For years, I had dreamed of hearing those words.
But now…
they meant nothing.
—You were.
His eyes became red.
—Please don’t leave.
I almost smiled.
Because six years ago, I would have done anything to hear him say that.
But now?
I only felt tired.
—Adrian…
He looked at me.
—The woman you lost wasn’t the woman standing in front of you today.
A tear fell from his eyes.
—Can you forgive me?
I closed the door halfway.
Then I stopped.
Because there was one thing I still didn’t know.
Why Claire had chosen me.
Why she had fought so hard for my position.
And the answer…
would reveal that her plan was much bigger than a simple promotion.
Because Claire Bennett didn’t just want my career.
She wanted my entire life.
TO BE CONTINUED — PART 3: The Woman Who Wanted Everything I Had
