Chapter 46
Chapter 46
BENEDICT’S POV
The sound of the impact ripped through the room like a jagged knife slicing the air. My stomach sank before my mind even registered what had happened. I froze, unable to move at first, my brain short-circuiting as images replayed in a chaotic loop.
Then the world caught up to me.
“Louisa!” I roared, and the sound of my own voice snapped me into motion. I bolted across the floor, my feet slamming against the hard surface. My heart was pounding so violently I could almost hear it in my ears over the ringing in my skull. Every instinct screamed, every nerve fired, urging me forward.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the scene froze in a horrifying tableau. Louisa lay there, twisted and unmoving, the air knocked out of her. My chest constricted, and a cold sweat coated my skin. Panic clawed at me, making my hands shake as I crouched beside her. Her eyes fluttered. Her lips parted, a ragged breath escaping, and I felt something inside me shatter.
I pressed my hands against her, feeling the warmth still radiating beneath my fingers, even though her body trembled from the shock. My mind raced. How did this happen?
Sabrina’s voice cut through the haze, shrill and taunting even in this moment. “Oh my God, Benedict. I tried to stop her. I tried to make her see reason but she was adamant.”
I didn’t even look at her. My vision narrowed to Louisa, to her trembling body, to the way she clutched her stomach instinctively. My chest tightened further. I cursed myself for every second of hesitation, for every split moment I had spent worrying about Sabrina instead of Louisa.
Time slowed in a way that made no sense. My lungs seized. My chest felt like it had been hollowed out.
“Louisa!” I screamed. Blood had started trickling down her side, her hands instinctively pressing against her belly. My heart lurched violently. My stomach clenched with a cold, gutting fear that something had happened to our child.
The world around me blurred as all I could see and feel was her body against mine. I scooped her up in my arms as best I could and bolted toward the car.. My hands trembled as I fumbled with the seatbelt, every nerve screaming at me that I was too slow.
“Stay with me, Louisa! Please… stay with me!” My voice cracked with terror.
Sabrina had appeared behind me in a blur, her presence almost surreal that I barely registered it. I wasn’t looking at her. All I could see was Louisa and the blood that stained her dress.
The ride to the hospital was chaotic. My hands were slick with sweat and blood, gripping the wheel like my life depended on it. By the time we screeched into the emergency bay, I was almost hysterical. I slammed the car door, scooped Louisa into my arms, and shouted for help. “She’s hurt! My wife is bleeding!”
Nurses swarmed us instantly, grabbing Louisa and whisking her away. I followed, my hands still trembling uncontrollably. The sight of her being carried down the hall tore me apart.
Only then did I notice Sabrina strangely composed. My stomach turned, and I felt a surge of anger I couldn’t yet fully process. What happened? The thought gnawed at me. She was there when it happened. She… My head spun, but I shoved it aside. I couldn’t deal with her now. Not when Louisa’s life, and the life of our child was hanging in the balance.
I didn’t speak to Sabrina. I followed the nurses to the ICU, pacing like a caged animal. I slammed my fists against the wall, cursed under my breath, my body taut with guilt and fear. This is my fault. It’s my fault. I should have stayed even when she screamed at me to leave.
Then, Sabrina approached me slowly, like she wanted to make sure I noticed every step. My chest tightened, and I turned away sharply. I didn’t want to look at her, I wasn’t in the mood to hear anything.
“Benedict, I need you to understand,” she said, her voice frail. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Louisa admitted to hearing our conversation, and I was just trying to make her see reason. But she was too stubborn.”
My jaw tightened, fury sparking along every nerve. “You what? You caused this?!”
Her hands rose defensively. “No! I didn’t mean to hurt her. You have to believe me. I only wanted her to understand that even if you still have feelings for me, I could never be with you because I was engaged to Justin and you are married to her. But Louisa was convinced that you were leaving her for me. I don’t know where she got the idea that you would get rid of her and raise her child with me. She… she said she would rather get rid of the child than have you take it from her.” Sabrina said, pausing as she took my head. “Benedict, I grabbed her hand because she was hurting herself. She was trying to get rid of the child. She wanted to take it away from you.”
My blood ran cold, but not in the way she intended. Before I could respond, talk less of digesting her words, the doctor emerged from the ICU. The words he spoke next cut through me like a blade:
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Blackwood… we couldn’t save the baby. Louisa lost the pregnancy.”
The world seemed to stop. My chest constricted so tightly I could barely breathe. The walls of the hospital blurred around me. Panic collided into me, crushing weight that made my knees threaten to give way.
“No… no, it’s not possible… it can’t be…” I whispered, my voice shaking uncontrollably. I turned to Louisa’s room, my chest searing with a desperate need to see her, to hold her, to somehow undo the horror that had unfolded.
Sabrina’s voice drifted toward me again, weakly pleading. “Benedict… I—”
I cut her off with a glare so sharp it could have cut glass. “You caused this.”
She flinched, but didn’t back away. Instead, her expression twisting. “I only wanted her to see reason. She said if she doesn’t have you… no one else would.”
I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. My head was spinning, my body shaking with the impossible weight of grief and rage. My thoughts tumbled over themselves. This is my fault. I failed them. I should have protected her.
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