Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN IN THE HALLWAY
Detective Mara Chen stood in the hallway.
Plain clothes.
Badge at her belt.
Expression unreadable.
Beside her was Claire Donnelly, Emma’s older sister.
Ryan knew Claire disliked him.
He had never seen her look at him with hatred before.
He did now.
“Where is she?” Ryan asked.
Claire moved as if she wanted to hit him.
Mara stopped her with one hand.
“Don’t.”
Ryan stared between them.
“Where’s Emma? Where’s my son?”
Mara answered:
“Safe.”
That word did not calm him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re going to answer some questions.”
Ryan looked toward the bloodstain again.
His face drained.
“I didn’t do anything.”
Claire laughed once.
The sound was ugly.
“You left her on the floor.”
“I thought she was overreacting.”
“She nearly died.”
Ryan closed his eyes.
For half a second, real horror crossed his face.
“What happened?”
Mara watched him carefully.
“Your neighbor, Mrs. Alvarez, heard the baby crying for over an hour.”
Ryan swallowed.
“She knocked. Nobody answered.”
Mara continued.
“She used the emergency key Emma gave her during the pregnancy.”
Ryan looked at Claire.
Claire’s voice shook.
“She found Emma unconscious in the nursery.”
“And Ethan?”
“With her.”
“Was he hurt?”
“No.”
Relief hit Ryan so visibly that Mara noted it.
Emma had been transported by ambulance.
Secondary postpartum hemorrhage.
Severe blood loss.
Retained placental tissue was suspected and later confirmed.
She needed urgent treatment, medication, fluids, and a procedure to control the bleeding.
The doctors believed she would recover.
But the margin had been narrower than anyone wanted to think about.
Ryan whispered:
“Can I see her?”
Claire answered:
“No.”
He looked at Mara.
“She’s my wife.”
Mara said:
“She asked the hospital not to release her room number to you.”
That landed.
Then Mara asked the question that would change everything.
May you like
“Why did you delete her call from your phone?”
Ryan froze.
