Chapter 1 - The Locked Doors
The heavy wooden doors of my hospital suite remained firmly locked.
I sat in the dim light, watching the steady rise and fall of my tiny son's chest through the live video feed from the NICU.
My phone vibrated relentlessly on the bedside table.
It was Ryan, calling for the fifteenth time since he realized his golden ticket had been revoked.
I finally picked it up, not to answer, but to block his number entirely.
Downstairs in the main lobby, according to the head of hospital security, my husband was currently throwing a massive tantrum.
He had arrived straight from the airport, sunburned and furious, dragging his expensive luggage across the polished floors.
His mother, Brenda, was right behind him, loudly demanding to speak to the hospital administrator.
They thought they could just waltz back into my life after leaving me bleeding and broken.
They were wrong.
The nurse on duty, a stern woman named Martha who had been my absolute rock, stepped into the room.
"Your husband is threatening to call the police," Martha said, her arms crossed defensively.
I took a slow, deep breath, feeling the sharp sting of my stitches.
"Let him call them," I replied calmly.
"He has no legal right to be on this floor, and my father's security team is already on their way."
Ten minutes later, I watched from the window as two imposing security guards escorted Ryan and Brenda out of the hospital entrance.
Ryan looked up, scanning the windows, his face red with a mixture of embarrassment and rage.
He pointed a finger at the building, screaming something I couldn't hear through the thick glass.
I turned my back to the window and looked at the monitor displaying my son, Leo.
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"It is just you and me now, little one," I whispered to the screen.
"I will never let anyone hurt you, especially not the man who was supposed to protect us."
