Chapter 6
PART 6:
Dinner ended badly.
The relatives disappeared into side rooms and hallways, pretending not to see.
The wife walked toward the front door with one hand on the wall.
She needed air.
She needed Caleb.
She needed to get out of that house.
Eleanor followed her into the corridor.
“You will not take that child out of this family,” she said.
The wife turned.
“This child is not yours.”
Something in Eleanor snapped.
Not loudly.
Not with shouting.
With one cold, controlled motion.
She grabbed the wife’s arm hard enough to bruise and pulled her away from the door.
The wife stumbled.
“Let go.”
“You will sign the agreement.”
“No.”
Eleanor shoved the document against her chest.
The wife pushed it away.
Then pain ripped through her lower back.
She reached for the stair rail.
Eleanor saw her struggle and stepped between her and the door.
“You are being dramatic.”
“I need a hospital.”
“You need to stop performing.”
The wife tried to move past her.
Eleanor grabbed her again.
The wife lost her balance and hit the side table hard.
A vase shattered.
Pain flashed white through her body.
For one terrifying second, she could not hear anything.
Then she felt wetness.
Her water had broken.
Eleanor looked down.
Her face changed.
Not with guilt.
With calculation.
She pulled out her phone.
Not to call an ambulance.
To call her private driver.
The wife stared at her.
“Call 911.”
Eleanor’s voice was low.
“You will tell them you fell.”
The wife could barely stand.
“No.”
Eleanor leaned close.
“You have no idea what I can take from you.”
The security camera above the hallway blinked red.
The wife saw it.
So did Eleanor.
Eleanor walked to the wall panel and tapped in a code.
The camera light went dark.
She thought she had turned it off.
May you like
She had not.
👉 Because Caleb had changed the security system — and Eleanor had just triggered the one backup she didn’t know existed…
