Chapter 4 - The Damage Assessment
I found Clara exactly where she had fallen, clutching her stomach, her face pale and drenched in cold sweat. Maya was crying in the crib, safe but distressed.
I dropped to my knees, gently wrapping my arms around my wife. "I'm here, baby. I'm here. She's leaving. She's never coming back."
Clara couldn't even speak; she just buried her face in my chest, trembling violently. I checked her incision.
The bandages were intact, but there was a faint trace of red seeping through the gauze. The sudden jerk had strained her sutures. My heart pounded.
Downstairs, the front door slammed shut. Eleanor was gone. But the damage she left in her wake was profound.
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I immediately called Clara's obstetrician, explaining what happened without holding back the brutal details. The doctor ordered us to the emergency room immediately.
I carefully lifted Clara into my arms, carried her to the car, and secured Maya in her car seat. My sanctuary had been breached, but I vowed to build a fortress around them.
