CHAPTER 3 — THE WOMAN IN THE HOSPITAL
At 5:12 the next morning, Orson's security chief walked into the study carrying a tablet.
He looked exhausted.
“We found her.”
Orson looked up.
“Name?”
“Dr. Evelyn Hart.”
Raina froze.
“Doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Where does she work?”
“St. Vincent's Women's Medical Center.”
Raina's hand moved to her stomach.
“That's where Damon wanted me to deliver.”
Orson's face hardened.
“What department?”
“Maternal-fetal medicine.”
Raina's breathing became shallow.
“She's my doctor?”
“No.”
The security chief looked at her.
“But she has accessed your medical file.”
Raina stared.
“How?”
“We're still investigating.”
Orson stood.
“Call the hospital.”
“I already did.”
“And?”
“They won't release anything without a court order.”
Orson nodded.
“Then we'll get one.”
Raina shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“I don't want to wait.”
Orson looked concerned.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to go there.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Dad—”
“You're eight months pregnant.”
“I know.”
“You were locked in a kennel last night.”
“I know.”
“Damon may have people watching you.”
“I know.”
Raina stepped closer.
“And that's exactly why I need to go.”
Orson stared at her.
She wasn't crying anymore.
Something had changed.
The frightened woman from the kennel was gone.
In her place stood his daughter.
The woman who had once walked into his boardroom at twenty-five and told twelve executives they were wrong.
The woman he had raised to survive powerful men.
Orson nodded slowly.
“Fine.”
Raina exhaled.
“But you're not going alone.”
“I know.”
At 8:40 a.m., Raina entered St. Vincent's.
Two bodyguards followed several steps behind.
She wore a loose cream coat.
Her pregnancy was impossible to hide.
People looked at her.
She didn't care.
They reached the maternal-fetal medicine department.
A receptionist looked up.
“Name?”
“Raina Morrison.”
The woman's fingers moved across the keyboard.
Her face changed.
“I'm sorry.”
“For what?”
“You're no longer listed under Dr. Miller.”
Raina frowned.
“Who is my doctor?”
The receptionist hesitated.
“Dr. Evelyn Hart.”
Raina's heart stopped.
“When was that changed?”
“Yesterday.”
“By whom?”
“I don't have access to that information.”
Raina leaned closer.
“Who requested the change?”
The receptionist looked nervous.
Then she whispered,
“Your husband.”
Raina stepped back.
Of course.
Damon had arranged everything.
A nurse appeared.
“Mrs. Morrison?”
Raina turned.
“Yes?”
“Dr. Hart is expecting you.”
Raina stared.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
The nurse pointed toward a consultation room.
Raina entered.
Dr. Evelyn Hart was sitting behind the desk.
She was in her fifties.
Calm.
Professional.
Too calm.
“Mrs. Morrison.”
Raina sat.
“Why was my doctor changed?”
Dr. Hart folded her hands.
“Your husband requested a specialist.”
“I didn't.”
“Your husband is listed as your medical representative.”
“Not without my permission.”
Dr. Hart's expression remained neutral.
“I understand you're upset.”
“No.”
Raina leaned forward.
“I'm not upset.”
She stared directly at the woman.
“I'm suspicious.”
For the first time, Dr. Hart's expression shifted.
Raina continued.
“Why did you access my medical file?”
The doctor said nothing.
“Why did you meet Damon?”
Silence.
“Why were you discussing my baby?”
Dr. Hart's face became pale.
Raina knew.
She had hit something.
“What were you planning?”
The doctor stood.
“I think you should leave.”
Raina didn't move.
“Were you planning to take my baby?”
“No.”
“Then tell me what you were planning.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because I signed an agreement.”
“With Damon?”
Dr. Hart looked away.
Raina stood.
“What agreement?”
“I can't discuss it.”
“Was money involved?”
Silence.
“How much?”
The doctor didn't answer.
Raina stepped closer.
“Six million dollars?”
Dr. Hart's face changed.
Raina knew she was right.
“You're not paying me,” Dr. Hart whispered.
“Then who?”
The doctor's eyes filled with fear.
“Your husband.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“You're lying.”
“I don't know everything.”
“Then tell me what you know.”
Dr. Hart looked toward the door.
“There's a contract.”
“What contract?”
“A custody agreement.”
Raina froze.
“Custody?”
“It was drafted before your child was born.”
“By whom?”
“I don't know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Dr. Hart reached for a drawer.
Then stopped.
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because if I give it to you…”
She swallowed.
“…they'll kill me.”
The room went silent.
Raina stared at her.
“Who?”
Dr. Hart whispered,
“The people behind your husband's company.”
Raina's blood ran cold.
“My husband doesn't have people like that.”
Dr. Hart looked at her.
“You don't know your husband.”
Then the lights flickered.
The doctor suddenly looked toward the window.
Raina noticed.
“What?”
Dr. Hart whispered,
“Someone is watching.”
One of Raina's bodyguards moved toward the blinds.
He pulled them open.
Across the street, a black sedan was parked.
Its engine was running.
The rear window was tinted.
Raina stared.
Then her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
A man's voice spoke.
“You should have stayed home.”
Raina's heart raced.
“Who is this?”
The man laughed softly.
“Ask your father why your mother really died.”
The call ended.
Raina stood frozen.
Orson had never talked about her mother's death.
Not once.
Not in detail.
Raina slowly lowered the phone.
Dr. Hart stared at her.
“What did they say?”
Raina looked at her.
“They mentioned my mother.”
The doctor's face went white.
Then she whispered,
“Oh God.”
Raina stepped closer.
“You know something about my mother?”
Dr. Hart's lips trembled.
“I knew her.”
Raina's eyes widened.
“You knew my mother?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Twenty-seven years ago.”
Raina could barely breathe.
“What happened?”
Dr. Hart looked at the door.
“Your mother didn't die in an accident.”
Raina froze.
“What?”
“She was killed.”
The world seemed to tilt.
“My mother died in a car accident.”
“That is what they told your father.”
“Who?”
Dr. Hart whispered,
“The same people who are trying to take your baby.”
Raina's eyes filled with tears.
“Why?”
The doctor stared at her.
“Because your mother knew where the money was.”
“What money?”
“The money your father thought disappeared twenty-seven years ago.”
Raina's stomach tightened.
“And Damon?”
Dr. Hart closed her eyes.
“He found it.”
Raina stared.
“What did he find?”
The doctor opened her eyes.
“Your inheritance.”
Raina shook her head.
“My inheritance?”
“No.”
Dr. Hart's voice dropped.
“Not the inheritance you think.”
She reached into her desk.
This time, she pulled out a small sealed envelope.
She pushed it toward Raina.
“This was left for you.”
“By whom?”
“Your mother.”
Raina stared at the envelope.
Her mother's handwriting was visible on the front.
RAINA — OPEN ONLY WHEN YOU ARE READY TO KNOW THE TRUTH.
Raina's hands began to shake.
She turned the envelope over.
A second line was written beneath her name.
TRUST NO ONE — NOT EVEN YOUR HUSBAND.
Raina looked up.
Dr. Hart whispered,
“You need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Because they already know you're here.”
Suddenly, the hospital fire alarm began to scream.
People rushed into the hallway.
The lights went out.
One of Raina's bodyguards shouted,
“Move!”
Raina grabbed the envelope.
The door burst open.
A masked man appeared.
He lunged toward her.
Her bodyguard intercepted him.
The room erupted into chaos.
Raina backed against the wall.
One hand protected her stomach.
The other clutched the envelope.
Then she heard Dr. Hart scream.
The masked man pulled a knife.
Raina froze.
And from somewhere in the hallway came a familiar voice.
Damon.
“Take the envelope.”
Raina's blood ran cold.
He had followed her.
He knew.
And now he knew exactly what she had found.
The envelope containing the secret her mother had hidden for twenty-seven years.
The secret Damon was willing to kill to possess.
Raina looked down at her unborn child.
Then she looked at the door.
For the first time since Damon locked her inside that kennel, she wasn't thinking about escaping.
She was thinking about fighting.
And she finally understood the terrifying truth.
May you like
The kennel had never been the real prison.
Her entire marriage had been.
