Chapter 2 - The Heartbeat Monitor
The sterile glare of St. Jude’s Emergency Ward stripped away whatever dignity the Vance name usually commanded. Eleanor paced the narrow waiting corridor, the hem of her designer slacks still streaked with Clara’s blood. Down the hall, behind frosted double doors, a frantic flurry of green scrubs moved around Clara's gurney. The rhythm of the fetal monitor echoed through the hallway—a rapid, stuttering gallop that faltered with every erratic surge of Eleanor’s own heart.
Julian sat on a plastic chair, head buried in his hands, rocking slightly. To any passerby, he looked like a devastated husband praying for his wife and unborn heir. But Eleanor knew her son. She knew the subtle tremor in his right index finger—the nervous tell he had possessed since childhood whenever a lie was about to collapse beneath him.
""Julian,"" Eleanor said quietly, stopping directly in front of him.
He didn't look up. ""Leave me alone, Mother. I'm praying.""
""You haven't prayed since you were twelve years old,"" she said coldly. ""The doctor came out ten minutes ago while you were in the restroom. That bruise on Clara’s abdomen isn't fresh. The subcutaneous tissue has been hemorrhaging for at least three days. She was being beaten long before tonight's banquet.""
Julian’s posture went rigid. Slowly, he lifted his head, his face stripped of all remorse, replaced by an icy, defensive smirk. ""Clara is fragile, Mother. She’s been clumsy throughout the third trimester. You’re looking for monsters where there are only mistakes.""
Before Eleanor could strike him, the emergency room doors swung open. Dr. Evans emerged, stripping off his surgical gloves with a grim expression. ""Mrs. Vance. We stabilized the placental abruption, but the toxicity panel came back.""
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Eleanor grabbed the doctor’s sleeve. ""Toxicity? What are you talking about?""
""Her blood contains lethal levels of an unprescribed synthetic labor-inducing drug,"" Dr. Evans said gravely. ""Someone hasn't just been beating her. Someone has been methodically trying to kill this child.""
