Chapter 1 - The Silver Cup
The security monitor flickered as the camera lens adjusted to the harsh morning light outside.
Dr. Reed leaned closer to the screen, her eyes narrowing at the magnified image of the silver cup in Sylvia’s hand.
Inside the polished metal, a thick crimson liquid swirled sluggishly against the rim.
It was not herbal tea at all.
It looked exactly like unfiltered, coagulated blood.
"Call 911 right now," Dr. Reed whispered to her nurse without looking away from the screen.
Before the nurse could pick up the receiver, a deafening crash shattered the clinic’s waiting room.
Aaron had driven his heavy SUV straight through the reinforced glass front doors.
I screamed and instinctively wrapped both arms around my swollen belly.
Shattered glass rained across the reception desk as the vehicle’s engine roared inside the small building.
"Come with me, Anna!" Dr. Reed yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me off the examination table.
We sprinted down the narrow back hallway toward the staff exit while the heavy thud of Aaron’s footsteps echoed behind us.
"Where do you think you are going, Anna?" Aaron’s voice boomed, stripped of all its usual warmth.
He sounded like a predator who had finally cornered his prey.
Dr. Reed shoved the heavy metal fire door open, and the bright sunlight temporarily blinded me.
We stumbled into the back alley, gasping for air in the humid morning heat.
"My car is right here," Dr. Reed said, frantically digging her keys out of her white coat pocket.
She pressed the unlock button, and the headlights of a sleek black sedan flashed twice.
I reached for the passenger door handle, tears of sheer terror streaming down my face.
Suddenly, a massive hand clamped down over my mouth and forcefully jerked me backward away from the vehicle.
I thrashed wildly, but the grip was entirely unbreakable.
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I looked up in absolute horror as the driver stepped out of Dr. Reed's car with a malicious grin on his face.
It was the exact same private driver Aaron had hired to watch me all week.
