My husband forgot to hang up, believing the call had ended — the moment I heard what he really thought of me, I planned a little surprise he would never forget.

The horrifying truth about Maya's fate sent a surge of adrenaline straight into my veins.

We had less than three hours before the sun rose over the desolate mountain range.

Marcus pushed the armored vehicle to its absolute limit, tearing up the winding, icy roads toward the Volkov compound.

Chloe sat in the backseat, bandaging her wounds while feeding us crucial security details she had overheard.

She explained that the main gate was heavily fortified, but there was an old maintenance tunnel leading directly into the basement.

We parked a mile away, hiking through the freezing snow under the cover of total darkness.

We located the rusted iron grate hidden behind a thick patch of overgrown pine trees.

Marcus used a specialized thermal torch to melt through the heavy steel padlock in absolute silence.

We crawled through the narrow, damp tunnel, the smell of mold and old copper filling my lungs.

The tunnel ended at a concrete wall equipped with a heavy blast door secured by an electronic keypad.

Marcus connected a decryption device to the panel, hacking the outdated security system within seconds.

The door hissed open, revealing a massive, dimly lit medical facility hidden deep underground.

Rows of empty hospital beds lined the walls, surrounded by advanced surgical equipment.

My heart dropped when I saw a tiny glass incubator sitting on a metal table in the center of the room.

I sprinted toward it, tears blurring my vision as I reached out to touch the warm glass.

Maya was sleeping peacefully inside, completely unaware of the nightmare unfolding around her.

I carefully unlatched the incubator and scooped my beautiful daughter tightly against my chest.

Marcus provided covering fire as an armed guard suddenly stepped into the medical bay.

The guard dropped instantly, but the loud gunshot triggered the compound's blaring security alarms.

Red warning lights began flashing violently, and the sound of heavy combat boots echoed down the hallway.

We rushed toward the emergency exit staircase, determined to fight our way up to the surface.

But as Marcus kicked the heavy steel door open, a blinding spotlight hit us directly in the face.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

Standing at the top of the stairs was Julian, surrounded by a dozen heavily armed syndicate soldiers.

Julian smiled coldly and aimed a customized assault rifle directly at my daughter's head.

Chapter 7 - The Mountain Compound