Chapter 13
594words
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "You're... pregnant?"
She nodded, her hand moving protectively to her still-flat stomach. "And Nathan is the father."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I staggered back, gripping the counter for support.
"That's not possible," I whispered.
"It is," she insisted. "That night, when you were in the hospital... Nathan wasn't trapped in an elevator. He was with me."
The room spun around me. Nathan and Rebecca. My husband and my sister. While I was losing our baby.
"Get out," I managed, my voice barely audible.
"Liv, please, let me explain—"
"GET OUT!" I screamed, pain shooting through my ribs with the effort. "Get out before I do something we'll both regret."
Rebecca backed toward the door, tears streaming down her perfect face. "I never meant to hurt you," she said. "Neither of us did. It just happened."
"Nothing 'just happens,'" I spat. "You make choices. Both of you made choices."
After she left, I stood frozen in the kitchen, my mind unable to process the betrayal. Nathan and Rebecca. A baby. Their baby. The child that would live, while mine had died.
The pain was physical, a crushing weight on my chest that made it hard to breathe.
I moved mechanically, gathering my things, calling a cab. I couldn't stay in this apartment, surrounded by memories and betrayal. I needed to focus on something else, someone else. Lily needed me. At least there, I could make a difference.
As the cab pulled away from Nathan's building, my phone buzzed with his name on the screen. I declined the call, then turned off my phone entirely.
Some betrayals were beyond forgiveness. Some wounds would never heal.
Olivia's POV
I don't remember the cab ride to the hospital. I don't remember walking through the main entrance or taking the elevator to the pediatric floor. My mind was a storm of pain and betrayal, Rebecca's words echoing on endless repeat: "I'm pregnant. Nathan is the father."
Dr. Reynolds was waiting for me outside Lily's room, his face grave. He took one look at me and frowned.
"Tell me about this transfer order."
Reynolds glanced around, then pulled me into a nearby consultation room. "It's irregular, to say the least. The facility in Vermont isn't even appropriate for a child Lily's age. It's primarily for adults with severe psychiatric disorders."
"Then why approve the transfer?"
"I didn't," he said grimly. "Victor Carter bypassed normal protocols. Used his board position to push it through. When I questioned it, he implied my job was at stake."
"This is about silencing Lily," I realized, momentarily distracted from my personal pain. "She's remembered something about her parents' murder, something someone doesn't want her to share."
Reynolds looked uncomfortable. "Olivia, be careful. Victor Carter is not a man to cross lightly."
"I need to see Lily," I said, moving toward the door. "Now, before they take her."
Lily was sitting on her bed, clutching the stuffed rabbit I'd given her during our first session. She looked up when I entered, her small face brightening.
"Dr. Olivia! You came back!"
"Of course I did," I said, sitting beside her. "I heard you might be going on a trip soon."
Her face fell. "They said I have to go to a new hospital. But I don't want to go. I want to stay with you."
"I know, sweetheart." I took her hand. "Can you tell me what you remembered? About the night your parents died?"
