Chapter 2 - The Hospital Visit
The flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers faded into the distance, taking Doña Victoria away into the cold, dark night.
Alejandro immediately dropped to his knees in front of my chair, his strong hands gently resting on my trembling knees.
"Elena, look at me, please look right at me," he whispered desperately, his calm military facade finally cracking to reveal his profound terror.
"Are you hurt anywhere, did she burn you, is the baby okay?"
I shook my head slowly, fresh tears of pure relief finally spilling over my eyelashes and running down my cheeks.
"She didn't touch me, you walked in right before she could," I sobbed, throwing my arms around his broad, muscular neck.
He held me so tightly I could hear his heart hammering violently against his ribs.
"We are going to the hospital right now to get you and the baby checked out," he announced, effortlessly lifting me into his arms.
I didn't argue, simply resting my head against his shoulder as he carried me out to his truck.
The emergency room was bright and sterile, a stark contrast to the suffocating nightmare of our dining room.
A kind, soft-spoken obstetrician quickly hooked me up to a fetal monitor to check the baby's vital signs.
The rapid, steady thumping of our little girl's heartbeat filled the small hospital room, instantly washing away the lingering dread.
"Your blood pressure is slightly elevated from the sheer stress, but the baby is perfectly healthy," the doctor smiled warmly.
Alejandro exhaled a massive, shaky breath, burying his face in his hands as he sat beside my hospital bed.
"I thought I had lost you both," he admitted, his voice cracking with immense emotion.
"When I got back to base, my commanding officer told me my mother had claimed I was missing in action."
"She intercepted all of my letters, blocked my emails, and deliberately cut off all communication channels."
I reached out and gently stroked his short, dark hair, my heart aching for the hell he had also endured.
"She hired doctors to write fake psychiatric evaluations about me," I told him, the terrifying realization finally setting in completely.
"She wanted to have me declared legally insane so she could take absolute custody of our daughter the moment she was born."
Alejandro's dark eyes instantly flashed with a dangerous, protective fury.
"She is going to rot in a prison cell for the rest of her natural life," he vowed quietly.
"I am going to tear apart her entire life, piece by piece, until there is absolutely nothing left of her empire."
Just then, a sharp knock on the hospital door interrupted our conversation.
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A stern-faced detective in a gray suit stepped into the room, holding a small digital recorder.
"Mr. and Mrs. Vargas, I am Detective Miller, and I need you to tell me absolutely everything."
