Hold the Birth Back

My condition had turned critical, and the doctor knew I couldn’t wait any longer. Therefore, she quickly asked for Sean’s number and called him.

“Hello, Mr. Conner? The patient, Zoe Salvador, is in urgent condition. She’s about to deliver. Could you spare some surgical supplies for the delivery?”

On the other end, Sean’s voice flared with anger.

“Zoe! You’re smarter than I thought. Not only did you escape the basement, but you even found people to help you! Let me tell you, no matter what tricks you play, I won’t fall for them again. I know you. You can’t possibly be in real danger. I’ve told you countless times that I will never ignore my own child. Once Quinn delivers, it’ll be your turn. Why are you in such a hurry?”

The doctor pleaded with the other staff in the hospital, but Sean had issued a strict order: not even a single painkiller was to be given.

Through the thin wall, I heard his cold, cutting voice. “Quinn must be safe. No matter who else needs the supplies, they have to wait until she delivers her baby.”

Despair washed over me, and I slumped against the wall until my blurry gaze landed on a man standing at the door.

It was Sean’s secretary. His eyes widened in shock when he saw me, as if he couldn’t believe who I was. I tried to call out, but before I could, he rushed into the delivery room next door.

“Mr. Conner, there’s a pregnant woman next door, and she looks like your wife,” the secretary stammered.

Sean shot him a sharp glare. “That’s impossible. If she were in labor, she wouldn’t be quietly lying next door. She’d be storming in here demanding her child’s inheritance.”

The secretary hesitated, then pushed again. “But it really does look like Mrs. Conner. If it is her, she’s covered in blood, and the baby’s life is in danger.”

Sean waved him off impatiently. “I said it’s impossible! She’s obsessed with being clean. If there’s the slightest stain on her clothes, she changes immediately. How could she be covered in blood? You must’ve seen wrong.”

The doctor tried one last time, begging for just a roll of bandages, but Sean threatened her job. She returned to me helplessly, full of apology. I wanted to comfort her and say it wasn’t her fault, but my vision was already fading. I couldn’t see clearly anymore.

The medical staff’s voices blurred in and out.

“She’s experiencing severe blood loss… It’s critical…”

“The baby’s heartbeat is gone!”

“Hurry, resuscitate her!”

I wanted to pray and scream, but my throat produced no sound. All I could do was watch their shadowy figures rushing around me.

My hand dropped weakly onto my stomach, and a faint kick pressed against my palm.

A tear slid down my cheek.

“I’m sorry, baby. I couldn’t protect you.”

Then, the darkness swallowed me whole.

…

Meanwhile, Sean waited anxiously outside Quinn’s delivery room. The moment the door opened, he rushed in and scooped up the newborn.

“He looks exactly like you,” he said softly, gazing at the infant. “He’s so adorable.”

For a fleeting second, his mind wandered to how our baby would look. He thought, if it were a girl, she’d probably resemble me more, and she must be beautiful beyond words.

The thought passed quickly. After finishing the hospital paperwork, he stepped out of the room. Since Quinn had delivered safely, it was time to bring me over.

However, just as he walked out, he bumped into his secretary, who was standing rigidly by the door.

“Why are you still here?” Sean snapped. “Go home and get Zoe to the hospital.”

The secretary didn’t look up. His body trembled, frozen in place.

Sean’s patience thinned to nothing. That was when the secretary finally spoke, his voice breaking. “Madam… and the baby… They’re both gone.”