Chapter 6 - The Web of Lies
When Ryan arrived at Saint Jude’s Hospital fourteen hours later, his eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were wrinkled from the emergency flight. He sprinted through the glass doors of the intensive care unit, where Patricia and Brianna were waiting like vultures.
“Where is she? Where are my babies?” Ryan demanded, his voice shaking with exhaustion and terror.
Patricia stood up immediately, wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, Ryan, thank God you’re here. The doctors managed to stabilize her, but she’s in a medically induced coma. The blood loss was severe.”
“And the twins?” Ryan’s voice broke. “Sophie and Lucas?”
Brianna stepped forward, wiping a fake tear from her cheek. “They’re in the NICU, Ryan. They’re so small. They’re fighting, but the doctors say the trauma from the fall caused a partial placental abruption. It’s… it’s a miracle they’re even alive.”
Ryan pushed past them, demanding to see the doctor. Dr. Evans met him in the hallway outside the ICU.
“Mr. Brooks,” Dr. Evans said gravely. “Your wife suffered severe abdominal trauma. While the paramedics reported it as a slip-and-fall, the bruising on her abdomen is highly unusual for a standard fall. It looks more like blunt-force impact.”
Before Ryan could process that, Patricia stepped in front of the doctor. “We told you, Doctor, Clara was in a terrible state of mind. She was throwing a tantrum in the kitchen, slamming things around because Ryan wouldn't give her access to the main family funds. She must have fallen against the counter or a chair on her way down.”
Dr. Evans frowned, looking between Patricia and Ryan. “The police have opened a standard investigation since it resulted in a traumatic premature birth, but right now, our focus is keeping your wife and babies alive.”
Ryan walked over to the glass window of the NICU. Inside, two tiny, fragile bodies were hooked up to wires, tubes, and ventilators. They looked so impossibly small. His heart ripped to shreds.
He then walked into Clara’s ICU room. She lay there, pale and motionless, surrounded by machines keeping her alive. He sat beside her, taking her cold hand in his.
“What happened to you, Clara?” he whispered, his tears falling onto her blanket. “What really happened?”
May you like
Standing in the doorway, Brianna watched them, her hand secretly slipping into her purse. Inside her bag was Clara’s phone. She had successfully bypassed the fingerprint lock earlier by using Clara’s unconscious hand on the floor, but the app had locked her out. Now, she needed to find a way to permanently delete any evidence Clara might have accumulated.
She smiled to herself. Clara was in a coma. She couldn't speak. The perfect lie had been told.
