Chapter 2 - Silent Corridors
The glowing screen on Julian's phone bore a simple text: Is she alive? Did you tell her? Elena’s hazel eyes darted from the screen back to Julian’s face, catching the sudden drain of color from his cheeks. "Who is that?" she demanded, her voice barely louder than a whisper, yet carrying the force of a tidal wave.
Instead of answering, Julian shoved the device deep into his suit pocket, suffocating the buzzing vibration with his fist. "It’s work, Elena. It’s nobody. Listen to me—we need to talk about the babies. We need to prepare." But Elena simply turned her face toward the overcast sky beyond the window, refusing to look at his anxious eyes. "There is no 'we'. You heard what I said. My attorney will reach out to you tomorrow morning."
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Standing in the corner of the room, Clara, Elena's younger sister, stepped forward, her arms crossed tight over her chest. "Julian, you need to leave. The doctor said elevated stress could induce another hemorrhage. Look at her monitor." The rhythmic beep of the cardiac monitor was indeed accelerating, spiking in jagged, warning peaks.
Julian’s chest tightened as if bound by iron bands. He backed away slowly toward the heavy door, his gaze locked on his wife's turned silhouette. "I’m not giving up on us, Elena. I love you, and I will protect these children." He stepped backward into the hallway, but as the door clicked shut, he pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the call log. The number wasn't a business contact at all—it was a private line registered to a clinic on the east side of town.
