Page 107 of The Call She Made That He Never Answered
"We need to go," the senior attorney said sternly nearby. "Mr. Rockefeller, for your safety, we need to leave."
Lucas nodded.
We were chased every step of the way. The already steep stairs became even narrower. Lucas and I were forced into a single file, me in front. Countless camera flashes pursued from behind, blinding me so I could barely see the steps.
Then a scream suddenly pierced the crowd.
Before I could process what was happening, someone shoved me hard from behind.
The force was massive. I lost my balance completely. My foot missed the step, and I pitched forward. I heard myself screaming, the sound sharp and piercing.
I felt Lucas tug lightly at my clothes, but it was too late.
I slammed hard onto the steps. First my knees, then my arms, finally my stomach. My whole body rolled down like a log. Excruciating pain exploded from my lower abdomen, spreading through every nerve ending in my body.
I lay sprawled on the cold stone steps, my vision blurring. I could feel something warm flowing from between my legs, trickling down my inner thighs.
People were screaming.
"Oh my God, she's bleeding!"
"Call an ambulance!"
"Someone pushed her! I saw it! That woman!"
I struggled to lift my head. The crowd parted, and I saw Vivian standing there. Black coat, hair disheveled, makeup running down her face. She looked at me with pure madness in her eyes.
"It's all you," she shrieked like a blade. "You ruined everything! My job! My reputation! And the position of Mrs. Rockefeller that should have been mine!"
I couldn't hear what she said after that. My ears were filled with buzzing, my vision darkening. All I could feel was pain—searing pain, like someone carving out my womb with a knife.
Then Lucas's face appeared in my field of vision.
He knelt beside me, hands cradling my face. His eyes held fear I'd never seen before.
"Ella, look at me." His shout was raw. "Don't close your eyes. Please, look at me."
I wanted to answer but couldn't speak. My lips moved, producing only a moan.
"The baby..." I finally squeezed out the word through broken breaths. "Our baby."
"It'll be okay, Ella. The baby will be fine!" His voice broke into a roar, but tears were already streaming down his face, hot droplets splashing onto my cheeks. "I'll get the best doctors in the world. Listen—no matter what it costs, I'll save you both!"
He didn't dare move my body, could only half-kneel in the pool of blood, holding me carefully. I pressed my face against his sweat-soaked shirt, hearing his heartbeat in total disarray. His whole body trembled violently, the tremors spreading through me.
"Where's the ambulance?" He roared like a desperate caged animal, the sound painful against my eardrums. "Goddammit! Where is the fucking ambulance?"
The world began to spin violently. Pain like a rising tide crashed over my nerves in waves, each one more brutal than the last, trying to drown my consciousness completely.
Finally, the ambulance's piercing siren sounded in the distance. I was quickly lifted onto a stretcher. I couldn't even open my eyelids.
In a field of blinding white light, the last thing I saw was Lucas's hands—covered in blood but still gripping the stretcher rail, refusing to let go.
Then darkness swallowed me like a wave.
When I opened my eyes again, the ceiling had changed. Not the blinding white of an operating room, but a soft beige. Curtains drawn, letting in a little gray light.
I blinked. My throat was dry as sand, my body heavy as lead.
