CHAPTER 2 — THE BLOOD THAT DIDN’T BELONG TO BETRAYAL
Clara?”
My voice cracked when I said her name.
She didn’t respond the way I expected.
There was no shock in her eyes.
No panic at seeing me.
Only pain.
Deep, controlled, terrifying pain.
She tried to sit up, but her body betrayed her halfway through. Her hand clutched the bedsheet like it was the only thing keeping her anchored to reality.
Another sharp breath escaped her lips.
Then a quiet moan.
I moved instantly.
All suspicion—every ugly thought I had seconds earlier—collapsed under the weight of what I was seeing.
This wasn’t guilt.
This wasn’t betrayal.
This was something else.
Something wrong.
Something medical.
Something urgent.
“Clara, what happened?” I knelt beside her. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head weakly.
“No…” she whispered.
But her voice broke halfway through.
“I tried to wait…”
Her fingers pressed harder into her stomach.
And that’s when I saw it.
The fabric of her nightgown near her waist was slightly darker.
Wet.
Not from sweat.
Not from water.
Something else.
My blood ran cold.
“Clara…” I whispered. “Are you bleeding?”
Her eyes flickered toward me.
And in that moment, I saw fear.
Not of me.
Not of discovery.
But of something she had been trying to hide from me.
From herself.
“I didn’t want to ruin your trip,” she said faintly.
That made no sense.
“Clara, what are you talking about?”
She tried to answer—but another wave of pain cut her off.
Her body curled inward.
A strangled sound escaped her throat.
And I realized—
this wasn’t a conversation anymore.
This was survival.
I reached for my phone.
But before I could dial, Clara grabbed my wrist with surprising strength.
“Don’t…” she whispered.
“Please… don’t call yet.”
I froze.
“What? Why?”
Her lips trembled.
“Because if they take me in too early… they might not be able to stop it.”
That sentence shattered something in my mind.
“They?”
Who was she talking about?
What was she talking about?
Before I could ask, the apartment door opened.
Not broken.
May you like
Unlocked.
Someone had a key.
