Chapter 16 Chapter 16
~SIXTEEN~
The doorknob turned slowly, deliberately. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst through my chest. I clutched my phone even though I knew it was useless with the signal jammed.
"Declan?" I called out, hoping desperately it was him.
Silence.
Then a voice I knew all too well spoke through the door.
"Guess again, sweetheart."
Victoria.
"Stay away from me," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "The police are on their way. The panic button—"
"Is routed through your internet connection, which I cut along with your power," Victoria interrupted. "I've thought of everything, Anita. I always do."
I looked around frantically for a weapon, anything I could use to defend myself. But Dr. Chen's orders echoed in my mind—no physical activity, no stress, or I could lose the babies.
"What do you want?" I asked, buying time.
"What I've always wanted," Victoria said. "Declan. And you're in my way."
"He doesn't love you," I said. "He never did."
"He will again, once you're gone," Victoria said with eerie calmness. "He'll grieve for a while, of course. But grief fades. And I'll be there to comfort him, to remind him of what we had. Eventually, he'll forget all about you and those parasites you're carrying."
Rage flooded through me, momentarily overriding my fear. "Don't you dare call my children parasites."
"That's exactly what they are," Victoria said. "Little parasites trapping Declan with an obligation he never wanted. But don't worry—I'll make sure they never have to suffer in this world."
The implication was clear. She wasn't just here to hurt me. She wanted to kill my babies too.
"You're insane," I breathed.
"I'm in love," Victoria corrected. "And love makes us do crazy things, doesn't it? You should understand that. You manipulated your way into Declan's life, got yourself pregnant on purpose, played the victim so he'd feel obligated to protect you."
"That's not what happened—"
"Isn't it?" Victoria interrupted. "A nobody secretary who just happens to sleep with a billionaire CEO the night before she starts working for him? Who just happens to get pregnant with twins? Who just happens to have a psychotic ex-boyfriend show up at exactly the right moment to make Declan feel protective? It's all very convenient."
"You're delusional," I said. "You're seeing conspiracies that don't exist."
"And you're naive if you think Declan really loves you," Victoria shot back. "He feels obligated to you because of those babies. Once they're gone, he'll have no reason to stay."
I heard a crash from somewhere else in the house, followed by Declan's voice shouting my name.
"In here!" I screamed. "Declan, she's here!"
"He can't hear you," Victoria said. "I locked him in the basement. By the time he gets out, this will all be over."
The door suddenly burst open—Victoria must have picked the lock. She stood in the doorway, illuminated by the moonlight streaming through my window.
She looked different than the last time I'd seen her. Her usually perfect hair was messy, her designer clothes replaced with dark, nondescript clothing. But her eyes were the same—cold, calculating, obsessed.
And in her hand, she held a syringe.
"What is that?" I whispered, pressing myself back against the headboard.
"Just something to help you sleep," Victoria said, moving closer. "You won't feel a thing. You'll just drift off, and when you don't wake up, it'll look like a tragic complication from your condition. So sad. Declan will be devastated."
"Please," I begged, my hands instinctively moving to protect my stomach. "Please don't do this. Whatever you think you'll gain from this, you're wrong. Declan will know it was you. He'll never forgive you."
"He'll never know it was me," Victoria said confidently. "I'll be in Canada by morning, establishing my alibi. And in a few months, once the investigation dies down, I'll come back. I'll be there for Declan in his grief. I'll help him heal. And eventually, he'll be mine again."
She lunged forward with the syringe.
I rolled off the other side of the bed, my body screaming in protest. The movement sent a sharp pain through my abdomen, and I prayed I wasn't causing another abruption.
"You can't run from me, Anita," Victoria said, walking around the bed. "You're on bed rest, remember? You're weak. Vulnerable. This will be easier if you just accept it."
"Never," I gasped, backing toward the bathroom.
If I could lock myself in there, maybe I could buy enough time for help to arrive. The security company had to notice the power outage. The police outside had to realize something was wrong.
But Victoria was faster. She grabbed my arm and yanked me back, the syringe poised to strike.
That's when the bedroom window exploded inward.
Glass shattered everywhere as a figure crashed through—Declan, having somehow gotten out of the basement and climbed up to my second-story window.
He tackled Victoria, and the syringe went flying across the room.
"You crazy bitch!" Declan shouted, pinning her down. "I should have seen what you really were years ago!"
Victoria fought back with surprising strength, scratching at his face, trying to knee him in the groin.
"She doesn't love you!" Victoria screamed. "I'm the one who's always loved you! Me! Not her!"
"You don't know what love is," Declan said through gritted teeth. "Love isn't obsession. It isn't possession. And it sure as hell isn't trying to murder someone!"
Suddenly, the lights came back on. The police officer who had been stationed outside burst into the room, followed by two more officers.
"Freeze! Hands where I can see them!"
Victoria went limp, and Declan carefully moved away from her as the officers swarmed in to handcuff her.
"You'll regret this, Declan," Victoria hissed as they dragged her to her feet. "You'll regret choosing her over me. You'll regret it for the rest of your pathetic life!"
"The only thing I regret is ever wasting a single moment on you," Declan said coldly.
As they hauled Victoria away, Declan rushed to my side.
"Are you hurt? The babies—"
"I think I'm okay," I said, but even as I said it, I felt a familiar cramping sensation in my lower abdomen. "Declan, something's wrong."
He looked down and saw what I'd feared—blood seeping through my pajama pants.
"No, no, no," I whispered. "Not again."
"Ambulance!" Declan shouted to the officers. "We need an ambulance now!"
The paramedics arrived within minutes, but the ride to the hospital felt like an eternity. The cramping was getting worse, and I could feel myself losing too much blood.
"Stay with me, baby," Declan kept saying, holding my hand. "Stay with me."
But I could see the fear in his eyes. We'd been through this before, just over a week ago. How much could my body take? How much could my babies take?
At the hospital, they rushed me straight to the operating room. Dr. Chen was already there, having been called in.
"Miss Blake, I need you to try to stay calm," she said, though her face was grave. "We're going to do everything we can."
"My babies," I sobbed. "Please save my babies."
"We're going to try," she said. "But Anita, you need to prepare yourself. At nineteen weeks, if we can't stop the labor—"
"They won't survive," I finished, my voice breaking. "I know."
They wheeled me into surgery, and the last thing I saw before the anesthesia took me was Declan's face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he told me he loved me.
When I woke up, the room was dark and quiet except for the steady beep of monitors.
I was alive.
But were my babies?
I was too afraid to look, too afraid to ask, too afraid to move.
Finally, I turned my head and saw Declan sleeping in the chair beside my bed, his hand still holding mine even in sleep.
"Declan," I whispered.
His eyes flew open immediately. "You're awake. Thank God."
"The babies?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
His face broke into a smile—a real, genuine smile of relief and joy.
"They're okay," he said. "Dr. Chen stopped the bleeding. You're going to have to stay in the hospital for a while this time, and the bed rest orders are now even stricter, but Anita—the babies are okay."
I burst into tears—relief, joy, exhaustion, all of it pouring out at once.
"We're so lucky," I sobbed. "So incredibly lucky."
"I know," he said, climbing onto the bed carefully and pulling me into his arms. "And I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again. Victoria is in maximum security now with no possibility of escape. Richard is being prosecuted. All the people who wanted to hurt us are finally gone."
"Can we really believe that?" I asked. "Every time we think it's over, something else happens."
"This time it's really over," Declan said firmly. "I won't let anyone hurt you or our babies ever again."
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust that we could finally have peace.
But I'd learned the hard way that peace was fragile, and danger could come from the most unexpected places.
Over the next few days, as I recovered in the hospital, I learned more about what had happened that night.
Victoria had indeed bribed a guard to help her escape. She'd been planning her attack on me for days, gathering supplies, cutting power lines, jamming signals.
The police officer outside our house had been drugged with something in his coffee earlier that evening—Victoria had accomplices we didn't even know about.
"How many people were helping her?" I asked Detective Morrison when he came to take my statement.
"At least three that we know of," he said. "We're still investigating. But Miss Blake, I want you to know that we take full responsibility for the security failures that allowed this to happen. If there's anything we can do—"
"Just make sure she never gets out again," I said quietly.
"I can promise you that," Detective Morrison said. "She's facing attempted murder charges now, on top of everything else. She'll be locked up for a very long time."
After he left, I looked at Declan, who was reading through some business documents Rick had brought by.
"What are those?" I asked.
"Proposals from the Norex board," he said with a sigh. "They're offering me full control of the company if I come back. No board interference, no Richard to deal with, complete autonomy."
"That's what you always wanted," I said.
"It was what I wanted," he corrected. "Before I met you. Before I realized there are more important things than running a company."
"Declan, you should take it," I said. "It's your father's legacy—"
"My father's legacy is making sure his son knows what's truly important in life," Declan interrupted. "And he would want me to choose my family over a corporation. So that's what I'm doing."
"But—"
"No buts," he said gently but firmly. "I've already made up my mind. I'm turning them down."
Before I could argue further, there was a knock on the door. Margaret Chen, the board member who had supported Declan, entered.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said. "Mr. Harris, might I have a word?"
"Of course," Declan said. "This is Anita, my fiancée."
"I know who she is," Margaret said with a slight smile. "Miss Blake, you're quite remarkable. Not many women could endure what you've been through with such grace."
"I don't feel very graceful," I admitted.
"Nevertheless," Margaret said, then turned to Declan. "I heard you're turning down our offer."
"I am," Declan confirmed. "My priorities have changed."
"I thought you might say that," Margaret said. "Which is why I have a counter-proposal. What if Norex became a family business? You as CEO, but working reduced hours from home until your children are born. Remote meetings, flexible schedule, full support staff to handle day-to-day operations."
Declan looked surprised. "The board would agree to that?"
"The board doesn't have a choice," Margaret said bluntly. "Without you, the company will fail. With you on these terms, we have a chance. So yes, they'll agree. They'll agree to anything that gets you back."
Declan looked at me. "What do you think?"
"I think you should do what makes you happy," I said. "But Declan, I don't want you to resent me someday for making you give up your dreams."
"You're not making me give up anything," he said. "You're helping me realize what my real dreams are."
He turned to Margaret. "I'll accept on one condition. Anita gets a promotion to senior analyst when she's ready to return to work after the babies are born, with full flexibility and remote work options."
"Done," Margaret said immediately. "Welcome back, Mr. Harris."
After she left, I looked at Declan in amazement.
"You didn't have to do that," I said. "The promotion—"
"You earned it," he said. "You're brilliant at your job, and you deserve recognition for that. Besides, I like the idea of working with you. Building something together."
"Our own corporate power couple?" I teased.
"Exactly," he grinned.
Everything seemed to be falling into place. My babies were safe, Declan had his company back on his terms, Victoria was locked away, and we were finally getting the happy ending we deserved.
But that night, as I drifted off to sleep, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
Congratulations on your survival. But don't get too comfortable. This isn't over. Not by a long shot. - A Friend
I showed Declan the message, and I watched his face harden.
"Who could this be from?" I whispered.
"I don't know,
" he said grimly. "But we're going to find out."
He immediately called Detective Morrison, who promised to trace the number.
But we both knew the truth.
Somewhere out there, someone else wanted to destroy us.
And they were just getting started.