Chapter 1 - The Veil Lifted
Mark stormed down the sterile hospital corridor.
His patience had completely evaporated.
He pushed open the heavy wooden door to room 412.
The private suite overlooked the towering Manhattan skyline.
Sarah lay in the center of the pristine white bed.
She looked incredibly small and fragile.
Her mother-in-law, Eleanor, stood nearby in a sharp teal suit.
Eleanor held a clipboard with a cold, detached posture.
Mark glared at his wife.
He was exhausted from the constant drama.
"You can stop acting now," Mark snapped.
He stepped closer to the bed.
Sarah shrank back against the pillows.
Her eyes were wide with pure terror.
Mark reached for the edge of the heavy white blanket.
He yanked it downward with a sharp, aggressive motion.
The fabric fell away from her legs.
Mark froze instantly.
His breath caught painfully in his throat.
Massive, dark purple bruises painted Sarah's pale calves.
The horrific injuries looked like heavy, blunt-force trauma.
All the anger drained from his face.
Shock replaced his previous irritation.
"What happened to you?" Mark stammered.
Tears spilled freely down Sarah's cheeks.
She leaned forward with desperate urgency.
Her trembling hand reached out toward him.
"Please," Sarah begged softly.
She cast a terrified glance toward Eleanor.
"Don't let them take our baby."
Mark felt a cold chill run down his spine.
He slowly turned his gaze from the bruises back to his wife.
His eyes finally darted toward his mother.
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"Did you do this?" Mark whispered.
The room descended into a suffocating silence.
