Chương 2
His voice was quiet but firm.
“Stay.”
Vanessa forced a small smile.
“Of course.”
But Mason could see it.
The confidence she always carried was beginning to crack.
Dr. Bennett closed the folder and prepared to leave.
Before he reached the door, Mason stopped him.
“Doctor.”
The doctor turned around.
“If someone did this intentionally, can Claire recover?”
Dr. Bennett looked at him with sympathy.
“We caught the problem quickly, Mr. Sloane.”
“That gives her a chance.”
A chance.
That was all Mason needed.
He walked back to Claire’s bedside and touched her hand again.
Her fingers were cold, but she was still there.
Still fighting.
“I’m here,” he whispered.
“You’re not leaving me.”
The machines continued their steady rhythm.
The babies continued sleeping.
And somewhere inside the hospital, someone who wanted Claire gone was still pretending to care.
Mason looked at the reflection of everyone in the dark window beside the bed.
The doctor.
The nurses outside.
Vanessa standing silently behind him.
Someone close to him had tried to take away his family.
And before the sun rose, he promised himself he would uncover the truth.
No matter who he had to expose.
No matter what it cost him.
Before the sun rose over the city, Mason Sloane had already made three phone calls that could change the future of everyone involved.
The first call was to the hospital security director.
The second was to his private legal team.
The third was to the one person he trusted enough to investigate without hesitation.
His older brother, Ethan Sloane, had spent twenty years working in federal investigations before retiring.
Ethan knew how to find the truth hidden beneath carefully designed lies.
Mason stood beside Claire’s hospital bed while listening to the quiet voice on the phone.
“I need you to come here,” Mason said.
“There was an attempt on Claire’s life.”
The silence on the other end lasted several seconds.
Then Ethan answered.
“I’m coming now.”
Mason ended the call and looked back at Claire.
The room remained almost exactly the same as before.
The machines continued their steady rhythm.
The newborn babies continued sleeping peacefully.
Vanessa remained near the window, watching the darkness outside.
But Mason felt like everything had changed.
The woman he loved was fighting for her life, and the person responsible might have been standing only a few feet away.
A nurse entered the room carrying additional medical records.
She looked nervous when she saw Mason and Dr. Bennett still inside.
“Mr. Sloane, I was asked to bring these immediately.”
Mason walked toward her.
“Who asked you?”
The nurse hesitated.
“Dr. Bennett.”
The doctor stepped forward and accepted the documents.
“These are the latest toxicology results.”
Mason watched carefully as Dr. Bennett opened the file.
The doctor’s expression became even more serious.
“The toxin was not accidental.”
Mason’s jaw tightened.
“You’re certain?”
Dr. Bennett nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
The word carried a terrible weight.
Claire had not simply suffered a medical emergency.
Someone had planned this.
Someone had waited until she was vulnerable.
Someone had watched her bring their children into the world and then decided to hurt her.
Mason looked toward the three bassinets.
His expression softened for a moment.
He imagined Claire holding each baby for the first time.
He remembered the tears in her eyes when she heard their first cries.
He remembered her whispering that she never wanted their children to grow up surrounded by fear and secrets.
A painful realization struck him.
The person who poisoned Claire had tried to destroy the future she had fought so hard to create.
“I want everyone who entered this room in the last twenty-four hours identified,” Mason said.
Dr. Bennett nodded.
“We are already reviewing access records.”
“Everyone,” Mason repeated.
His eyes moved toward Vanessa.
“No exceptions.”
Vanessa looked offended.
“Mason, are you suggesting I had something to do with this?”
Her voice was soft, but there was a sharpness underneath.
Mason studied her face.
For years, Vanessa had been part of his world.
She was a close family friend.
Someone who had attended dinners at their home.
Someone Claire trusted enough to invite to the baby shower.
That was what made the possibility unbearable.
“I’m suggesting that I don’t know who I can trust right now,” Mason replied.
Vanessa looked away.
Only for a second.
But Mason noticed.
The door opened again, and Ethan Sloane entered the room.
The fifty-year-old former investigator carried himself with quiet confidence.
His eyes immediately scanned the room.
Claire.
The babies.
The doctor.
Vanessa.
Then Mason.
“What happened?” Ethan asked.
Mason handed him the medical report.
Ethan read silently.
The longer he looked at the pages, the more serious his expression became.
“This wasn’t random,” Ethan said.
“No.”
“Someone knew exactly what they were doing.”
Mason nodded.
“That’s why I called you.”
Ethan looked toward Vanessa.
“Who is she?”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“I’m Vanessa Vale.”
Ethan’s expression did not change.
“And your relationship with Mason?”
Vanessa looked at Mason before answering.
“We’re friends.”
Ethan noticed the hesitation.
Mason noticed it too.
The room became uncomfortable.
Dr. Bennett cleared his throat.
“There is another issue.”
Everyone turned toward him.
The doctor looked down at the documents.
“We found something unusual in Claire’s recent hospital records.”
Mason moved closer.
“What?”
“Someone accessed her file before the delivery.”
Mason froze.
“Who?”
“We are checking that now.”
Ethan took the documents.
“Can you tell us when?”
Dr. Bennett pointed to a timestamp.
“Three hours before Claire went into labor.”
Mason felt his stomach drop.
Three hours before everything changed.
Someone had already been preparing.
Someone had been watching.
Vanessa slowly stepped back.
Mason noticed.
Again.
“You seem surprised,” he said.
She looked at him.
“I am.”
“Why?”
“I just can’t believe someone would do this.”
Mason held her gaze.
“Neither can I.”
The words sounded simple.
But they carried a warning.
Ethan walked toward the hallway and made a phone call.
May you like
Within minutes, the hospital floor began filling with quiet activity.
Security officers reviewed camera footage.
