The woman my husband has always loved appeared in tears with hardly a scratch, and he didn't even hear my explanation before stabbing me twice: "You will never lay a hand on her again." I woke up in the hospital three days later and kept my silence. When he came to apologize with a bouquet of roses, the doctor pointed to my twins' medical records, and his expression changed forever.

I dropped the burner phone onto the concrete floor in sheer, absolute horror.

Dr. Marcus Reed, the man who had saved my life and offered me a lifeline, had completely sold me out.

Flynn had realized Dr. Reed was my only outside contact and bought his silence with corporate money.

I was entirely alone in a locked basement, surrounded by enemies who wanted me dead.

Panic clawed aggressively at my chest, threatening to completely overwhelm my rational mind.

I refused to die in the dark like a helpless victim.

I looked around the dimly lit basement, searching frantically for anything I could use as a weapon.

My eyes landed on the massive, industrial gas furnace humming loudly in the corner of the room.

I remembered Flynn complaining months ago about a severe, dangerous leak in the main gas line valve.

I grabbed the heavy metal wrench resting on the nearby workbench and crawled toward the furnace.

I wedged the wrench onto the main release valve and pulled with every single ounce of strength I had left.

The rusted metal groaned loudly in protest, but the valve finally snapped open.

The unmistakable, suffocating smell of raw natural gas immediately flooded the enclosed basement.

I knew that one single spark would blow the entire mansion straight to hell.

I crawled back to the air duct and squeezed myself inside, moving as far away from the basement as possible.

I heard the heavy steel door at the top of the stairs unlock.

"Mabel! Time to go for a permanent ride," Flynn called out mockingly as he descended the steps.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and immediately started coughing violently from the thick gas.

"What the hell did you do?" he screamed, his voice muffled through the metal air vents.

I held my breath, waiting silently in the dark ductwork directly above the kitchen.

Selina yelled down from the top of the stairs, complaining about the awful smell.

"Do not turn on the lights, Selina!" Flynn roared in absolute panic.

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

But Selina was impatient and completely ignorant of the danger.

I heard the distinct, sharp click of the hallway light switch being flipped on.

Chapter 7 - The Final Betrayal