At an elite maternity clinic, I was helping my daughter get changed for the last ultrasound before her due date. The instant her blouse slipped down from her shoulders, everything inside me stopped. Dark bruises, shaped like the prints of boots, covered her back and ribs. Trembling, she tried to pull the fabric over them and whispered, “Mom… please. He runs this hospital. He promised that if I ever leave him, I won’t survive the C-section.” I didn’t break down. I simply helped her into the gown, smiled softly, and said, “Let’s go meet your baby first.” While the ultrasound was being done, I silently began dismantling the empire her husband believed could never be touched.

The absolute darkness in the windowless surgical wing was instantly suffocating.

Ten seconds later, the emergency backup lights flickered to life, casting a sinister red glow over the hallway.

"Did Julian cut the power?" I whispered to Sarah, gripping her arm tightly.

"No, the main generators should have kicked in by now," she replied, sounding genuinely panicked.

"Someone completely severed the main electrical grid to this specific floor."

I instantly thought of Arthur, hoping he had orchestrated the blackout to buy us precious time.

I pushed the heavy electronic doors apart manually using the emergency release lever.

We slipped quietly into the chaotic surgical room, which was bathed in the same bloody red light.

I scanned the room and spotted Chloe lying strapped to a surgical table in the center of the floor.

She was heavily sedated, her eyes half-closed, but she was still conscious and weeping softly.

I rushed to her side and gently grabbed her cold, trembling hand.

"Mom is right here, sweetheart, I am going to get you out of this," I whispered directly into her ear.

Chloe let out a soft, relieved sob that completely shattered my heart.

"You cannot move her, the stress will drop the baby's heart rate," a male voice echoed from the shadows.

I spun around aggressively, fully expecting to see Julian standing there.

Instead, it was Dr. Vance, the corrupt anesthesiologist, holding a massive syringe filled with a cloudy liquid.

"Dr. Thorne ordered me to administer this paralytic to keep her completely still during the blackout," Dr. Vance stated coldly.

I knew with absolute certainty that the syringe in his hand contained a lethal, untraceable dose.

I stepped directly between the dangerous doctor and my helpless daughter.

"You are not putting that poison anywhere near her," I hissed dangerously.

Dr. Vance narrowed his eyes and pulled a heavy steel surgical bone saw from his coat pocket.

“Which daughter is yours?” should have been a harmless question

The first wineglass shattered at 8:07 p.m

The moment the mafia boss’s wife called me “an illiterate servant,”

"Move out of the way, Evelyn, or you will die right beside her," Dr. Vance threatened, stepping forward.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the entire building, vibrating through the floorboards beneath our feet.

Chapter 5 - The Red Room