Chapter 6 - The Child Born Into a War
Annika was rushed into emergency surgery.
The bullet had grazed her side.
The greater danger came from placental separation caused by the fall.
The child had to be delivered immediately.
I sat outside the operating room while doctors fought to save a baby conceived through a crime.
My baby.
Edwin’s baby.
Annika’s pregnancy.
No sentence could contain the truth without hurting someone.
Robert waited beside me.
Police had taken Beverly into custody.
She survived the gunshot wound to her leg.
Edwin remained detained at the mansion.
Jonathan handled the emergency legal filings.
“What happens after the baby is born?” I asked.
Robert looked toward the operating room.
“That depends on what you want.”
“I didn’t choose this pregnancy.”
“No.”
“Annika carried the child.”
“Yes.”
“Edwin created the embryo.”
“Yes.”
“And the law?”
“The law has never handled a case exactly like this.”
I pressed both palms together.
“I don’t even know whether I’m ready to be a mother.”
“You don’t have to decide tonight.”
“But someone will.”
Robert nodded.
“That is why Jonathan is asking the court to appoint an independent guardian until custody is resolved.”
A nurse rushed through the doors.
The monitor alarm sounded inside.
I stood.
Minutes stretched.
Then a baby cried.
The sound cut through everything.
My grief.
My anger.
My fear.
A doctor emerged wearing a surgical cap.
“The baby is alive.”
I covered my mouth.
“Annika?”
“Stable. She lost blood, but the bullet did not penetrate the abdomen.”
“And the baby?”
“A girl. Premature, but stronger than expected.”
I followed the doctor to the neonatal unit.
Through the glass, I saw her.
Tiny.
Wrapped in white.
One hand opened and closed against the blanket.
My genetic child.
A stranger.
Mine and not mine.
I pressed my fingers against the glass.
“She has red hair,” the nurse said.
So did I.
I began crying.
Not the helpless tears Edwin enjoyed.
These came from standing at the edge of a life no one had asked permission to create.
Jonathan arrived carrying court papers.
“The judge granted temporary protective custody to the hospital.”
“Good.”
“Edwin filed an emergency paternal claim.”
My tears stopped.
“He is under investigation.”
“He is still the biological father.”
“He created her through theft.”
“We will argue that.”
Robert stepped closer.
“What about Annika?”
“She signed a surrogacy agreement.”
“Under coercion,” I said.
Jonathan nodded.
“She has requested an attorney.”
I looked toward the neonatal room.
“No one touches that child until every fact is known.”
A security alarm sounded in the hallway.
Hospital staff began moving quickly.
An officer ran past us.
“What happened?” Jonathan asked.
“Infant security breach.”
My blood turned cold.
We reached the neonatal unit.
The incubator was empty.
The nurse lay unconscious near the medication station.
A woman in surgical clothing had used stolen credentials to enter.
Security footage showed her carrying the baby toward the service elevator.
The mask hid her face.
But the walk was familiar.
Beverly could not be there.
She was under guard at another hospital.
Annika was still in surgery recovery.
Then the woman turned slightly toward the camera.
A strand of dark hair escaped her cap.
I recognized her.
Dr. Melissa Crane.
The physician Edwin hired to perform my original procedure.
The woman who stole my eggs.
Jonathan checked the exit cameras.
“She left in an ambulance.”
Robert’s face hardened.
“She is taking the baby to the Nevada clinic.”
“Why?”
“Because that child is proof.”
I looked at him.
“Proof of what?”
Robert’s answer came quietly.
“That Edwin is not the biological father.”
The laboratory reports had been altered.
The embryo used my egg.
May you like
But the sperm belonged to someone else.
📖 Claire’s newborn daughter had been kidnapped by the doctor who created her, and Robert’s revelation meant the real father could be the key to Edwin’s entire conspiracy. 👇
