Chapter 8: The Fall That Took My Baby

Elinor Frost POV:

I should have left the house that day.

Looking back, that was my biggest mistake.

The warning signs had been everywhere.

Destany's threats.

The hatred in her eyes.

The way she looked at my stomach.

The promise hidden inside her smile.

This isn't over.

She had meant every word.

The next morning, Braden left before sunrise.

I heard his car disappear down the driveway while I remained curled beneath the blankets.

For once, I felt relieved by his absence.

The house felt safer without him.

Calmer.

Less suffocating.

I spent most of the morning organizing documents for the divorce.

Bank records.

Property agreements.

Messages.

Photos.

Evidence.

Years of pain reduced to paperwork.

By noon, a headache had settled behind my eyes.

Pregnancy exhaustion, the doctor had explained.

Perfectly normal.

I placed a hand over my stomach.

"Just a little longer," I whispered.

"We'll be okay."

For a moment, I actually believed it.

Then the doorbell rang.

Mrs. Gable answered.

A few seconds later, her voice drifted upstairs.

"Mrs. Harmon, someone is here to see you."

My stomach tightened.

I already knew.

Destany.

When I reached the foyer, she stood beside the staircase wearing oversized sunglasses and a white designer coat.

She looked perfectly composed.

Perfectly harmless.

Perfectly dangerous.

"Get out," I said immediately.

"Good afternoon to you too."

"Leave."

"I just want to talk."

"No."

Mrs. Gable shifted nervously.

"Should I call security?"

"No," Destany interrupted. "This won't take long."

"It already has."

Her smile disappeared.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"Harder for who?"

"For everyone."

I laughed.

"You sleep with my husband and somehow I'm the difficult one?"

Her eyes flashed.

"Braden never loved you."

"Maybe not."

"Then let him go."

"I'm trying to."

The words seemed to catch her off guard.

"What?"

"I'm divorcing him."

For a second, confusion crossed her face.

Then suspicion.

"You're lying."

"Why would I lie?"

"Because women like you never leave."

"Women like me?"

"The loyal wives. The martyrs. The victims."

I folded my arms.

"And women like you?"

Her jaw tightened.

"Women who take what they want."

"Even if it belongs to someone else?"

"If they don't appreciate it, yes."

The sheer arrogance almost stunned me.

"You're unbelievable."

"And yet Braden chose me."

The words hurt.

Not because I still loved him.

Because they were true.

He had chosen her.

Again and again.

Over and over.

"Congratulations," I said quietly.

"You won."

Something flickered in her expression.

For a moment, she looked unsettled.

"Then why aren't you leaving?"

"Because my lawyer says the divorce isn't final yet."

"You're stalling."

"No."

"Then what are you hiding?"

My pulse accelerated.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

The word cracked through the room.

Mrs. Gable stepped forward.

"Miss, I think you should leave now."

"Stay out of this," Destany snapped.

"No," I said firmly. "Mrs. Gable stays."

Destany's eyes narrowed.

"You think she can protect you?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Danger.

I could feel it.

Something was wrong.

"Leave."

"Not until you tell me the truth."

"What truth?"

"The baby."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Mrs. Gable gasped.

My blood turned to ice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop lying."

"Leave."

"You're pregnant."

"Leave."

"Braden doesn't know, does he?"

"Leave!"

The scream echoed through the foyer.

Destany laughed.

"There it is."

My hand moved protectively over my stomach.

The gesture was enough.

Her smile vanished.

"So it's true."

"Get out."

"You think a baby changes anything?"

"Get out."

"You think he'll suddenly love you?"

"Get out!"

She started walking toward me.

One step.

Then another.

And another.

"That baby is just another obstacle."

The exact same words from before.

This time they sounded like a threat.

"Stay back."

"Or what?"

"I'm warning you."

"No," she whispered. "I'm warning you."

Everything happened too fast.

I stepped backward.

She stepped forward.

The staircase loomed behind me.

"Destany—"

"You should have left when you had the chance."

Her hand shot forward.

A hard shove.

Directly into my shoulders.

The world tilted.

For one horrible second, I hung suspended in time.

Then gravity took over.

"No!" Mrs. Gable screamed.

The first step slammed into my back.

Then another.

And another.

Pain exploded through my body.

My head struck wood.

My arm twisted beneath me.

A terrible pressure tore through my abdomen.

"My baby!"

The thought flashed through my mind before I even hit the bottom.

The final impact knocked the air from my lungs.

Everything went white.

Mrs. Gable's screams echoed somewhere far away.

Footsteps.

Shouting.

Panic.

Then warmth.

A horrible warmth spreading beneath me.

I looked down.

Blood.

So much blood.

"No," I whispered.

"No. No. No."

My hands shook as they moved to my stomach.

"Please."

Tears blurred my vision.

"Please don't take my baby."

Destany stood frozen at the top of the staircase.

The color had drained from her face.

"I didn't—"

"You pushed her!" Mrs. Gable screamed.

"You pushed her!"

Destany staggered backward.

"I didn't mean—"

"Call an ambulance!"

The world spun.

The ceiling blurred.

Pain ripped through me again.

Worse this time.

Much worse.

The front door burst open.

A familiar voice echoed through the house.

"Elinor!"

Braden.

He must have returned.

I couldn't see him clearly.

Only movement.

Only chaos.

Then suddenly he was beside me.

"Jesus Christ."

His voice broke.

"Elinor."

Strong arms lifted my head.

"Stay with me."

I wanted to laugh.

Now he wanted me to stay.

Now.

"Braden..."

His face was pale.

Terrified.

"The ambulance is coming."

"My baby."

The words barely escaped.

"What?"

"My baby."

He froze.

"What did you say?"

More blood.

More pain.

More tears.

"Please save my baby."

The realization hit him like a truck.

I watched the exact moment understanding entered his eyes.

Pregnant.

I was pregnant.

His child.

"No," he whispered.

"No."

His hands started shaking.

"Elinor, stay awake."

"Please..."

"You're pregnant?"

"Save... the baby..."

For the first time since I had known him, Braden Harmon looked completely broken.

Not angry.

Not cold.

Not distant.

Broken.

The ambulance sirens wailed somewhere outside.

Voices shouted.

People ran.

But none of it mattered.

Because deep inside my heart, I already knew.

Something precious was slipping away.

And no one could stop it.

The last thing I saw before darkness consumed me was Braden's face.

Covered in my blood.

And filled with absolute terror.