Chapter 2: The Woman in White
Chapter 1: The Truth Beneath the Surface
The villa fell into a suffocating silence.
Water dripped from Ethan's clothes as he carried his unconscious wife through the marble hallway. The bouquet of white lilies he had bought for her anniversary lay abandoned beside the pool.
"Call an ambulance!" he shouted.
Their little boy, Noah, clung to his father's leg, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Daddy... Aunt Claire pushed Mommy..."
Every guest froze.
Claire's smile trembled.
"It wasn't like that," she said quickly. "She slipped. Everyone saw it."
But not everyone agreed.
An elderly housekeeper stepped forward.
"I saw Miss Claire place both hands on Madam Olivia's back," she whispered. "I was too shocked to speak."
"You liar!" Claire snapped.
Ethan slowly turned toward her.
His expression held no anger.
That frightened Claire more than rage ever could.
"If Olivia and the baby suffer because of this," he said quietly, "you'll answer for it."
The ambulance arrived within minutes.
Doctors rushed Olivia into the emergency room while Ethan waited outside, his son asleep against his shoulder.
Hours later, the doctor emerged.
"The mother is stable," he said. "But the pregnancy is high-risk now. She'll need complete rest."
Ethan closed his eyes.
For the first time that night, his hands shook.
May you like
He almost lost them both.
And someone he had trusted had nearly destroyed his family.
