Chapter 10: Glass Walls
Two days later, the sterile, bustling corridors of the hospital witnessed a quiet but profound procession. Chloe, pale but sitting upright in a wheelchair, was being pushed by Harry toward the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A thick blanket was draped over her lap, hiding the healing incision from her emergency C-section, but the physical pain was entirely eclipsed by a desperate, maternal need.
She hadn't yet seen her daughter.
"Are you ready?" Harry asked softly, pausing just outside the heavy double doors of the NICU.
Chloe nodded, her hands gripping the armrests of the wheelchair. "I've been ready since the moment I woke up."
Harry pushed the doors open, navigating the chair through the dim, quiet ward until they reached the corner incubator. When Chloe finally laid eyes on the tiny, fragile life sleeping beneath the plastic canopy, a ragged sob escaped her lips.
Lily was so small, surrounded by a terrifying array of medical equipment, yet she was undeniably theirs. She had a wisp of dark hair, and her chest rose and fell with a steady, determined rhythm.
"Oh, Harry," Chloe wept, reaching a trembling hand toward the incubator. "She's so little."
"She’s small, but she’s fierce," Harry whispered, kneeling beside the wheelchair so he was at eye level with his wife. The nurse quietly opened the side porthole, allowing Chloe to slip her hand inside.
When Chloe’s finger gently brushed the baby’s arm, Lily stirred, letting out a tiny, barely audible squeak. It was the most beautiful sound Chloe had ever heard. For an hour, they just existed in that quiet corner, a fractured family slowly piecing themselves back together.
When Chloe finally drifted to sleep back in her own ICU room, exhausted by the emotional toll of the visit, Harry stepped out into the hallway and pulled out his phone.
"Frank," Harry said, his voice dropping the tender warmth he reserved for his family and adopting a cold, hard edge. "It’s time. Put the plan into motion."
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"You sure about this, Harry?" Frank asked. "It’s a massive gamble. If Arthur gets his hands on that capital, and the trap doesn't spring, he could tank the Foundation."
"He won't get the chance," Harry replied smoothly. "He’s desperate. And desperate men are predictable. Set the bait."
