Chapter 2 - The Shadow Clinic
The helicopter landed on the snow-covered roof of a heavily fortified, off-grid medical facility hidden deep in the wilderness.
A team of doctors in unmarked scrubs rushed out to meet us with a rolling stretcher.
The pain of labor consumed my entire world as they wheeled me down a brightly lit, sterile concrete hallway.
I focused every remaining ounce of my energy on bringing my son safely into this world.
Hours blurred together in a haze of agony, bright lights, and the steady, calming voice of the lead physician.
Finally, the deafening sound of a newborn baby crying pierced the quiet air of the underground room.
The doctor gently placed my beautiful, perfect son onto my chest.
Tears streamed down my face as I kissed his warm forehead, promising I would never let anyone hurt him again.
Julian entered the room an hour later, carrying a sleek silver laptop and a grim expression.
He sat beside my hospital bed and told me that Michael had officially filed the fifty-million-dollar insurance claim.
I asked him how that was possible without a physical body to prove I was actually dead.
Julian turned the laptop screen toward me and pressed the play button on a local news broadcast.
The news anchor solemnly announced that a female hiker matching my exact description had been found dead at the bottom of the cliff.
My heart stopped as the camera panned over a black body bag being loaded into a coroner's van.
Julian explained that Michael and Ashley had deliberately planted a frozen Jane Doe wearing my stolen winter clothes to trick the authorities.
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But the most terrifying part was the official statement given by the lead forensic examiner on the broadcast.
The corrupt medical examiner confirmed on live television that a rapid DNA test had already matched the corpse to me perfectly.
