Chapter 13 Chapter 13
THIRTEEN~
The drive back to the city felt like it took forever. Every mile closer, my anxiety grew. Declan kept trying to reach Amanda, but her phone went straight to voicemail.
"Something's wrong," he muttered, trying her number again.
"Maybe her phone died," I suggested weakly, though I didn't believe it myself.
We were an hour from the city when Declan's phone finally rang. It was Rick.
"Where are you?" Rick's voice was tense. "The board meeting just ended. Declan, I'm so sorry. They voted to remove you as CEO. Eight to four."
Declan's jaw clenched, but his voice remained steady. "Who voted against me?"
"Margaret Chen, surprisingly. She fought hard for you. But Richard had the others convinced that keeping you would destroy the company's reputation."
"So Richard gets what he wanted," Declan said bitterly.
"There's more," Rick continued. "They've frozen your company accounts and revoked your access to all Norex systems. And Declan—they've issued a statement saying you're no longer affiliated with the company in any capacity."
I watched Declan's face as he absorbed this information. Years of work, his father's legacy, everything he'd built—gone in one vote.
"Richard's already moving into your office," Rick said quietly. "I'm sorry. I tried everything."
"I know you did," Declan said. "Thank you, Rick."
After hanging up, we drove in silence for several minutes.
"I'm so sorry," I finally whispered.
"Don't be," Declan said, though I could hear the pain in his voice. "The company doesn't matter. You and the babies—that's what matters now."
We arrived at the hospital forty-five minutes later. The parking lot was strangely empty for a weekday afternoon.
"This doesn't feel right," Declan said, scanning the area.
"We don't have a choice," I said, my hand on my stomach. "If something's really wrong—"
"I know," he cut me off gently. "Come on."
We walked into the emergency entrance together. The receptionist looked up, her eyes widening slightly when she saw us.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm Anita Blake. I got a call about my pregnancy—"
"One moment," she picked up the phone and spoke quietly into it.
A nurse appeared almost immediately. "Miss Blake? Please follow me."
Declan held my hand as we followed her through the corridors. Instead of heading to the OB-GYN department, she led us to a private room in a secluded wing.
"Wait here," she said. "The doctor will be with you shortly."
After she left, Declan checked the door. "It's locked."
My heart started racing. "What?"
He tried the handle again. "We're locked in."
Before I could panic, the door opened again, but it wasn't the nurse or a doctor.
It was Victoria Laurence.
She smiled coldly as she stepped into the room, followed by Richard Harris.
"Hello, Declan," Victoria purred. "Miss Blake. So glad you could make it."
"What is this?" Declan demanded, stepping in front of me protectively.
"This is the end of your little charade," Richard said. "Did you really think you could outsmart us?"
"There's nothing wrong with the babies, is there?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Oh, I have no idea about your bastard children," Victoria said dismissively. "That was just the bait to get you out of hiding."
"How did you even know about the cabin?" Declan asked.
"Your father mentioned it once, years ago," Richard said. "Took some time to find it, but we have resources."
"What do you want?" Declan's voice was dangerously quiet.
"I want what's rightfully mine," Richard said. "The company. And now I have it."
"And I want you," Victoria added, looking at Declan with disturbing intensity. "Once Miss Blake is out of the picture, you'll see that we're meant to be together."
"You're insane," I said.
"I'm determined," Victoria corrected. "There's a difference."
"This is kidnapping," Declan said. "You won't get away with this."
"Won't we?" Richard smiled. "Who's going to stop us? You're a disgraced former CEO accused of murder. She's your pregnant mistress. No one will believe anything you say."
"Jake will talk," I said. "He knows what you've done."
"Jake?" Victoria laughed. "Oh, sweetheart. Jake is currently wanted for his mother's murder. Even if he did talk, no one would believe a fugitive."
"You killed Patricia," Declan said slowly. "And framed both me and Jake."
"Actually, that was all me," Richard said proudly. "Victoria wanted to just discredit you, but I thought murder added such a nice dramatic touch. And using your car was genius, if I do say so myself."
"You're confessing?" I asked incredulously.
"Why not?" Richard shrugged. "No one's recording this conversation. And even if they were, we'd just deny it. Our lawyers are better than yours."
Victoria moved closer to Declan. "Now, here's what's going to happen. You're going to leave Miss Blake and those babies. You're going to publicly announce that the children aren't yours—"
"Never," Declan interrupted.
"—and you're going to start a relationship with me," Victoria continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Our families will merge our companies, and together we'll be unstoppable."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then Miss Blake has a tragic accident," Richard said casually. "Pregnant woman falls down stairs, loses babies, dies from complications. So sad. You'll be devastated, of course. Victoria will be there to comfort you."
I felt sick. These people were actually planning to kill me.
"You're monsters," Declan said, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage.
"We're survivors," Victoria corrected. "We do what needs to be done to get what we want."
"I'll never be with you," Declan said firmly. "I'd rather lose everything than spend one day pretending to care about you."
Victoria's smile faltered. "You don't mean that."
"I absolutely mean it," Declan said. "I love Anita. I love our children. And I will never, ever choose you."
The slap came so fast I barely saw it. Victoria's hand connected with Declan's face with a sharp crack.
"You'll regret that," she hissed.
"The only thing I regret is not seeing what you really were sooner," Declan said, not even flinching.
Richard stepped forward. "Enough of this. Victoria, call your man. Let's get this over with."
Victoria pulled out her phone, but before she could make the call, the door burst open.
Detective Morrison and Detective Chen entered, followed by several uniformed officers.
"Richard Harris, Victoria Laurence, you're both under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder," Detective Morrison announced.
Victoria's face went pale. "What? This is ridiculous—"
"We heard everything," Detective Chen said, gesturing to the small camera hidden in the smoke detector. "The whole confession."
"That's entrapment!" Richard shouted.
"Actually, it's evidence," Detective Morrison said as officers moved to handcuff them both. "Mr. Harris, Miss Blake, thank you for your cooperation."
I looked at Declan in confusion. "You knew?"
"I suspected," he admitted. "When we got that call about the babies, I contacted the detectives. They agreed to set this up—to give Richard and Victoria enough rope to hang themselves."
"But how did you know they'd show up and confess?"
"I didn't," Declan said. "I just knew they couldn't resist the chance to gloat."
As Victoria and Richard were led away in handcuffs, Victoria turned back to look at Declan one more time.
"This isn't over," she spat. "My family has connections. I'll be out in hours, and when I am—"
"You'll still be facing murder conspiracy charges," Detective Chen interrupted. "I'd worry less about Mr. Harris and more about yourself."
After they were gone, a real doctor entered the room.
"Miss Blake, I'm Dr. Martinez. I'm so sorry about the deception, but the detectives needed to make this situation as authentic as possible. Would you like me to check on your babies? Just to give you peace of mind after all this stress?"
I nodded gratefully.
The examination confirmed what I'd hoped—both babies were fine, their heartbeats strong and steady.
"Everything looks good," Dr. Martinez said with a warm smile. "Though I'd recommend you try to avoid any more high-stress situations for the remainder of your pregnancy."
"I'll do my best," I said, laughing weakly.
After the doctor left, Detective Morrison returned.
"We'll need official statements from both of you," he said. "But based on the confession we recorded, along with evidence we found linking Richard to Patricia Turner's murder, I think it's safe to say the charges against you will be dropped, Mr. Harris."
"What about Jake?" I asked. "He's innocent too."
"We're working on locating him now," Detective Chen said. "Once we do, we'll clear his name as well."
As we finally left the hospital, the sun was setting over the city. The nightmare was over.
Or so I thought.
We got back to the apartment to find Rick waiting with champagne—non-alcoholic for me.
"You did it!" Rick said, hugging Declan. "The board already called an emergency meeting. They want to reinstate you as CEO."
"No," Declan said quietly.
Both Rick and I stared at him.
"What do you mean, no?" Rick asked.
"I mean I'm done with Norex," Declan said. "My uncle Richard was voted in by eight board members. That means eight people were willing to believe I was a murderer and throw away everything my father built. I can't work with people like that."
"But Declan, it's your company—"
"It was my father's company," Declan corrected. "And maybe it's time for something new. Something that's actually mine."
He looked at me. "Ours."
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"I'm saying I want to start fresh," Declan said. "New company, new focus, new life. With you and our children."
Rick looked stunned. "You're serious about this."
"Completely serious," Declan said. "I've been living my father's dream for seven years. It's time I build my own."
My phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize, but after everything that had happened today, I was afraid not to answer.
"Hello?"
"Anita, it's Jake."
I put the phone on speaker so Declan could hear.
"Jake? Where are you? The police are looking for you—"
"I know. I heard about Richard and Victoria getting arrested," he said. "I wanted to call and say... I'm sorry. For everything. The way I treated you, the things I said, all of it. You deserved better."
I was silent, unsure what to say.
"I know I can't fix what I broke," Jake continued. "And I know you're happy with Declan. I just wanted you to know that I'm turning myself in tomorrow. I'm going to clear my name properly, legally. And then I'm leaving town. You'll never have to see me again."
"Jake—"
"Be happy, Anita. You and those babies. And Declan—take care of her. She's stronger than she knows, but she deserves someone who sees that."
The call ended.
I looked at Declan, tears in my eyes.
"That must have been hard for him," Declan said softly.
"He was a terrible boyfriend," I said. "But maybe he's finally growing up."
Rick cleared his throat. "Well, this has been the most dramatic day I've ever experienced, and I once witnessed a hostile takeover attempt involving actual hostages. I think I need a drink. Or ten."
Despite everything, we all laughed.
That night, as I lay in bed with Declan's arm around me and his hand on my stomach, I finally felt like I could breathe.
"What happens now?" I whispered into the darkness.
"Now we build our life," Declan said. "I'm thinking a new company focused on sustainable construction. Something good for the world and good for our children's future."
"That sounds perfect," I said.
"And I'm thinking we should make this official," he continued.
I turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"
He reached into his nightstand and pulled out a small box.
My heart stopped.
"I know the timing is terrible," he said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "I know we've only known each other for a few weeks. I know everything is chaos and we're still figuring things out. But Anita Blake, I love you. I love our children. And I want to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you made the right choice by giving me a chance."
Tears streamed down my face.
"Will you marry me?" he asked.
I should have thought about it. I should have considered all the complications, the speed of our relationship, the uncertainties ahead.
But instead, I said the only thing that felt right.
"Yes."
He slipped the ring on my finger and kissed me deeply.
For the first time since that night at the club, everything felt like it was falling into place.
We fell asleep tangled together, happy and hopeful.
But happiness never lasts forever.
I woke up around 3 AM with a sharp pain in my stomach.
At first, I thought it was just normal pregnancy discomfort. But then another pain hit, stronger this time.
"Declan," I shook him awake. "Something's wrong."
He was instantly alert. "What is it?"
"My stomach—it hurts—"
I threw back the covers and saw blood.
A lot of blood.
"Oh God," I whispered.
Declan was already grabbing his phone, calling 911.
"Hang on, baby," he said to me. "Just hang on."
The ambulance arrived within minutes. As the paramedics loaded me onto a stretcher, all I could think about were my babies.
I couldn't lose them. Not after everything we'd been through.
"Declan," I grabbed his hand as they wheeled me toward the ambulance.
"I'm right here," he said, climbing in beside me. "I'm not going anywhere."
But as the ambulance sped toward the hospital, sirens blaring, I felt another sharp pain and saw the fear in the paramedic's eyes.
"We're losing the heartbeat on Baby A," she said urgently i
nto her radio.
No. No, no, no.
"Stay with me, Anita," Declan said, squeezing my hand.
But I could feel myself fading, the blood loss making me dizzy.
The last thing I heard before everything went black was the paramedic's frantic voice:
"She's crashing. We need to get her to the OR now!”
And then nothing.