Chapter 354: Her Face Is Completely Destroyed

Chapter 354: Her Face Is Completely Destroyed
[Sarah]

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my Manhattan penthouse as I carefully folded tiny onesies and sleepers, arranging them in the mahogany dresser Theodore had insisted on having delivered last week. Each piece of clothing felt impossibly small in my hands, a tangible reminder that our baby would be here soon.

"I still can't believe you're planning to do all this yourself," Olivia said from her perch on the bedroom's velvet chaise lounge, watching me organize the baby clothes with an amused expression. "Sarah, you know you can afford a full-time nanny, right? Actually, you can afford a whole team of nannies."

I smoothed out a soft cotton romper, considering her words. "I want to be hands-on with this baby, Liv. I've already missed so much time with Emma and William when she was small because of work. I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

"But you're also running a company and pregnant with what might be the most watched baby in New York," she pointed out, gesturing toward the stack of tabloid magazines on my nightstand that my security team had intercepted before they could reach me. "Plus, didn't Theodore say he was moving in here? That's going to be... an adjustment."

The question caught me mid-fold. Theodore had mentioned it during our shopping trip yesterday, but his exact words had been carefully vague. "He said he wanted to be here for the baby," I replied, placing the romper in the drawer with perhaps more precision than necessary. "He is planning to move in, at least that's what he indicated."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up. "Sarah Sullivan, are you telling me that Theodore Pierce—the man who owns half of Manhattan—is giving up his penthouse to play house with you?"

I felt my cheeks warm. "It's not playing house. It's co-parenting."

"Uh-huh." Olivia's grin was insufferable. "And the fact that you've let him stay here three nights in a row is also just co-parenting?"

Before I could formulate a response that didn't sound completely unconvincing, Olivia's expression shifted to something more serious. "Sarah, I have to ask—are you sure about the whole surname thing? I mean, letting all three kids have the Sullivan name? That's pretty huge. Theodore must really love you to agree to that."

I paused in my folding, my hands stilling on a pale yellow sleeper. "I think..." I started, then stopped. The truth was, I wasn't entirely sure what Theodore's motivations were. "I think he wants to make things right between us. But honestly, Liv, I'm a little worried that he hasn't called or texted in the past few days. Maybe he's having second thoughts about the name situation."

Olivia stretched and stood up from the chaise. "Speaking of the future, what do you say we get out of here? I'm starving, and there's this new BBQ place that's supposed to have the most amazing organic ice cream for dessert."

The suggestion made me laugh. "Liv, you know I can't eat ice cream right now. I've been avoiding cold foods throughout this pregnancy."

"But you can definitely handle some premium wagyu beef," she countered with a mischievous smile. "Come on, when's the last time we had a proper girls' lunch?"

The reference to the hotel incident made me wince slightly, but Olivia was right. We both needed some normalcy. "Okay, but if anyone tries to take photos of us, we're leaving immediately."

"Deal."

---

An hour later, we were seated at a sleek table in the BBQ restaurant, the sizzling sounds of cooking meat filling the air around us. The atmosphere was lively but not overwhelming, and I found myself relaxing for the first time in weeks.

"Just one tiny spoonful," Olivia coaxed, holding out a spoon of the organic vanilla ice cream she'd ordered. "For the baby's cultural education."

I laughed despite myself. "That's not how prenatal development works, Liv."

"You don't know that," she insisted. "Maybe this baby will come out with an advanced palate."

I was about to respond when my phone buzzed against the table. The caller ID showed Nathan's name, and something about the timing made my stomach tighten with unease.

"I should take this," I said to Olivia, who nodded and continued enjoying her ice cream.

"Sarah?" Nathan's voice was shaky, almost panicked. "Sarah, thank God you answered."

"Nathan, what's wrong? You sound—"

"I'm at Le Bernardin with Nora," he interrupted, his words tumbling over each other. "We were having dinner, and this guy in all black just appeared out of nowhere. He threw something at her face—some kind of acid or chemical. Sarah, her face..." His voice broke. "Her face is completely destroyed."

"What do you mean destroyed?" I managed to ask, though my voice sounded strange and distant to my own ears.

"She's screaming, Sarah. The skin on her face is red and bubbling and... God, it's horrible. People are running away from our table. The whole restaurant is in chaos." Nathan's breathing was ragged. "This is about Victoria, isn't it? Nora kept saying Victoria would protect her, but where is she now?"

I felt a cold satisfaction settle in my chest, even as I maintained a concerned tone. "Nathan, you need to call an ambulance. Get her to a hospital immediately."

"I already did, they're on their way. But Sarah, you need to be careful. This was meant for you, wasn't it? Nora was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because the guy looked right at her and said your name before he threw the stuff. He thought she was you." Nathan's voice dropped to a frightened whisper. "Sarah, in just a few minutes, her face went from perfect to... to completely ruined. I can't even look at her without feeling sick."

I ended the call and set my phone down with deliberate calm. Olivia was staring at me with wide eyes.

"What the hell was that about?" she demanded. "You look like you just heard someone died."

I took a sip of my water, buying myself a moment to think. "Someone threw acid at Nora's face. She's been taken to the hospital."

"Jesus Christ." Olivia's face went pale. "Is she...?"

"Nathan says her face is destroyed," I said simply. "Apparently, the attacker thought she was me."

Olivia leaned forward, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper. "Sarah, that's insane. Victoria must be completely unhinged. You need security around the clock. You need—"

"Liv," I interrupted gently, "I arranged for that to happen."

The words hung in the air between us like a physical thing. Olivia's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, her spoon hovering halfway to her mouth.

"You... what?"

"The attacker wasn't trying to find me," I explained, my voice steady and calm. "He knew exactly who Nora was. I made sure of it."

Olivia set down her spoon with shaking hands. "Sarah, what are you saying? You hired someone to throw acid at Nora's face?"

I felt my phone buzzing again against the table, but I ignored it. The shocked expression on my best friend's face was worth more attention than whatever crisis was calling this time.