She pushed a pregnant woman down the courthouse stairs in front

Three days later, the rain was lashing against the hospital windows in heavy, gray sheets. Harry was reading a book aloud in the ICU, the same worn copy of The Great Gatsby he had read to Chloe on their honeymoon, when the rhythm of the room suddenly shifted.

The steady beep of the heart monitor spiked, growing faster.

Harry dropped the book, leaning over the bed. "Chloe?"

Her fingers twitched against his palm. Then, slowly, painfully, her eyelids fluttered. She let out a small, muffled groan around the breathing tube taped to her mouth.

"Nurse!" Harry shouted, hitting the call button frantically. "Get the doctor! She's waking up!"

Within seconds, a team flooded the room. Harry was gently pushed to the side as the doctor assessed her vitals and carefully removed the ventilator tube, a process that left Chloe coughing weakly.

"Chloe, can you hear me?" the doctor asked, shining a small penlight into her eyes.

She blinked against the harsh light, her gaze darting around the room in confusion before finally landing on Harry. The sheer terror in her eyes broke his heart all over again.

"H-Harry..." she rasped, her voice raw and broken.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," Harry pushed past the nurses, taking her hand in both of his and pressing it to his cheek. Tears streamed freely down his face. "I'm right here. You're safe."

Her free hand instantly flew to her stomach, finding it flat and empty. A sob tore through her throat. "My baby... the baby..."

"She's alive," Harry said instantly, cupping her face so she couldn't look away from him. "Lily is alive, Chloe. She’s in the NICU. She's early, but she's breathing, and she's fighting. She's perfect."

Chloe collapsed back against the pillows, closing her eyes as a wave of profound relief washed over her. She wept quietly, the tension leaving her battered body. Harry held her, murmuring comforts until the medical team finished their checks and gave them a moment of privacy.

When the room cleared, Chloe looked up at him, her blue eyes sharp and focused despite the exhaustion. The memory of the fall was coming back to her.

"Harry," she whispered, her grip on his hand tightening with surprising strength. "I didn't slip."

"I know, my love," Harry said softly. "I know."

"I was standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for you," she continued, her breathing hitching at the memory. "Arthur was there. He was distracting me, talking about some documents. And then... Beatrice. She walked up right behind me." Chloe shuddered. "She shoved me, Harry. Hard. With both hands."

Harry kissed her knuckles, his eyes burning with a fierce, protective fire. "They thought they could take everything from us," he said, his voice a low, steady vow. "They failed. And now, they are going to pay for every single second of pain they’ve caused you."

Chloe looked at the fierce determination in her husband's eyes. She knew that look. It was the look of a man who was about to move heaven and earth.