Chapter 1 - The Cold Room of Truth
The waiting room of the emergency department smelled faintly of antiseptic and heavy dread. Caleb stood motionless, his hands stained with his wife's blood, staring down at the glowing screen of Hannah’s phone. The text message from his mother, Lorraine, seemed to burn through his vision.
Don't come home yet. She's finally going to tell you the truth about the other man.
The pieces of the horrific puzzle began to fall into place. The unfamiliar jacket on the chair hadn't belonged to a secret lover; it belonged to Dr. Ethan Brooks, the covering obstetrician who had desperately rushed to their home after realizing something was terribly wrong, only to find the door locked. The shattered wedding portrait on the floor hadn't been broken in a lovers' quarrel—Hannah must have knocked it down in her agony, trying to drag herself across the room to reach the door.
Caleb felt a wave of nausea so violent he had to lean against the cold hospital wall. His own mother had weaponized his wife's dying moments to destroy their marriage.
"Mr. Whitmore?"
Caleb snapped his head up. Dr. Brooks stepped out of the double doors of the operating theater, his surgical scrubs splattered with blood. His face was pale, his eyes etched with exhaustion and anger.
"Where is she? Is my baby... is Hannah...?" Caleb’s voice broke completely.
Dr. Brooks looked at Caleb, his expression hardening. "Your wife suffered a severe placental abruption. She lost an immense amount of blood. We managed to deliver your son via emergency C-section, but he went without oxygen for far too long. He is currently in the NICU on life support. As for Hannah... she is in a medically induced coma. The next twenty-four hours will determine if she survives."
Caleb fell to his knees on the linoleum floor, burying his face in his hands. "I didn't know... my phone was off on the plane... I didn't know."
Dr. Brooks knelt down in front of him, his tone dropping to a harsh whisper. "I know your phone was off, Mr. Whitmore. But your mother’s phone wasn't. I called your home phone after receiving a frantic, garbled message from Hannah two days ago. A woman answered claiming to be Hannah's mother-in-law. She told me Hannah was perfectly fine, that she was just 'seeking attention' because you were away, and explicitly told me not to come. If I hadn't followed my gut and driven out to your house tonight anyway, your wife would already be dead."
Caleb lifted his head, his tears turning into a terrifying, icy rage. He gripped the doctor's jacket—the jacket he had falsely suspected just minutes ago. "She lied to you. She wanted them to die."
May you like
Before Dr. Brooks could answer, the automatic doors of the waiting room slid open. Clacking heels echoed across the quiet floor. Caleb turned his head slowly to see Lorraine walking in, a designer handbag slung over her arm, a look of manufactured concern plastered across her face.
"Oh, Caleb, darling!" Lorraine rushed forward, reaching out to hug him. "I saw the ambulance outside your townhouse! I came as fast as I could. Thank goodness you're home. Did she finally admit what she's been doing behind your back?"
