Chapter 9 Marcian's Move

The ambulance arrives in minutes.He's pale.

Pacing around.

I'm on the stretcher, breath shallow, arms clutching my stomach like I can hold the pain back.

The medics move fast ,flashing lights.

Questions I can't answer,Adrian stays by my side.

He doesn't speak.

His jaw is clenched too tightly.

I reach for his hand.

He squeezes mine hard.

Like he's afraid I'll vanish.

The hospital is cold.White ceilings.

Sterile walls.

Machines beeping.

A nurse pulls him back.

"Wait here."He refuses.

They don't listen.

I'm alone again.

I hate this part.They check the baby.The heartbeat was fast.

Too fast.

My own feels like it's stalling.

A doctor enters.

Young. Stern eyes.

"Stress-induced contractions," he says.

"Too early."I nodded.

"I need to keep her safe."

"We'll try. But you need rest. Absolute rest."

They give me something to calm me down.

I drift.

In and out.

When I woke up, he's there again.

Adrian.

Sitting beside me.

Holding my hand like it's the only thing he trusts.

"They're keeping you overnight," he says.

"I'm not leaving your side."

" But you're supposed to be in meetings." I said lightly

"Screw the meetings."

That made me smile.

Just a little.

But it's enough.

He brushes my hair back.

"You scared me."

"I scared myself."I wouldn't put it past her."

We don't say her name.We don't have to.

The next morning, I was discharged.

Strict bed rest.

No excitement. No visitors.

But the media doesn't care.

By the time we reached the lake house, there were drones above the trees.

Someone leaked my hospital visit.

Again.

He's furious. He files a restraining order.

Calls his father.

Threatens to disappear with me and the baby until it's over.

I almost wish he would.Instead, we stayed.

Inside.

Hiding.

Healing.

The pain fades, but the fear stays.

He reads to me again.

Same stories. New meanings.

We fell asleep on the couch one night, his head resting lightly against my bump.

And I realize I want this.

I want him.

Not just for the child.

But for me.

I want this life we're building-quiet, messy, ours.

Vanessa visits during the day.

Brings groceries. Mail. Updates.

"Marcian's been arrested," she says. "Tax fraud and embezzlement."

"That's two down," Adrian mutters.

"Your brother's next," she adds.He nods grimly.

"And Eliora?" I ask.

Vanessa frowns."She's quiet."

"Too quiet."

A week later, the silence breaks.Then we receive a court summons.

Custody hearing has been expedited.

Sooner than we expected.No time to plan.No time to breathe.

Adrian curses under his breath."She's forcing us into a corner."

"What if we lose?"

"We won't."

I want to believe that.

But she has money.

Lawyers.

Leverage.

The onesie still haunts me.

Red. Violent. A threat stitched into fabric.

The night before the hearing, I couldn't sleep.

Neither could he

We lie in bed, facing each other.

His hand on my belly.

I whispered, "Promise me something."

"Anything."

"If I don't make it...."

"Don't."

"Just listen."

He closes his eyes.

Nods.

"Raise the baby right."

"I will."i said with a faded smile

"Love them like no one else could."

"I already do."

"Even if..."

"I won't lose you."

He pulls me close.

Hold me like I might vanish.

I believe him.

But I still cry myself to sleep.

Morning comes like a warning bell.

We dress in silence.

He helps me down the stairs.

The car is waiting.

His father is already at the courthouse.

Our lawyer meets us at the gate.

"Be calm. Be honest. Don't lose your temper."

That last part is for Adrian.

He glares but doesn't argue.

Inside, it's chaos.

Reporters. Flashes. Questions.

We walk past them like ghosts.

In the courtroom, she's waiting.

Eliora.

Dressed like me.Hair curled the same.Same shoes.Same earrings.

I felt sick.

She smirks when she sees me.

Her lawyer stands.

"Your honor, we believe the plaintiff is mentally unfit to raise a child conceived under fraudulent conditions"

Our lawyer cuts in.

"She's the legal wife."

"That's still in dispute."

"And the biological mother."

"Also in dispute."

They argue.

Loud. Heated.

The judge silences them both.

He turns to me.

"Mrs.Eliana, are you prepared to confirm your identity under oath?"

I stand.

My knees shake.

But I spoke.

"I am Eliana Montclair. I married Adrian under my father's arrangement. I carried this child. I love this child. And I will raise this child."

"Even if that means testifying against your sister?"

I hesitate.

Adrian reaches for my hand.

I nod.

"Yes."

Eliora's face hardens.

She stands.

"I have proof she lied. That she used me. That she betrayed me."

"She saved your family," Adrian snaps.

"She stole mine!"

The judge pounds the gavel.

"Order!"

The tension in the room crackles.

They present documents.

DNA tests.

Photos.

It becomes a battle of records.

He said. She said,

But then Adrian stands.

He doesn't speak to the judge.

He speaks to Eliora.

"You may be her sister, but you are not this baby's mother."

"I gave you your heir," she sneers.

"No. You gave me pain. She gave me purpose."

He turns to the judge.

"I'm asking the court to grant full custody to my wife. And to issue a no-contact order against her sister."

There's a pause.

A long one.

The judge nods slowly.

"I'll deliberate. Ruling in two weeks."

We exhale.Not victory.Not yet.But there's still hope.

Outside the courtroom, she catches me.

Grabs my arm.

"Enjoy it while you can," Eliora hisses.

"This isn't over."

"It should've never started."

"You think he loves you?"

I say nothing.

But my silence is louder than her screams.

Adrian pulls me away.

We drove home.

Quiet. Heavy.

Two weeks.

Fourteen days of wandering.

Waiting.

But that night, he gave me something.

A tiny pair of baby shoes.

Soft leather.

Monogrammed initials.

E.M.

I cried.

Not out of fear this time.But because someone finally gave me something without expecting it back.

I look at him.

And for once, I say it first.

"I love you."

He kisses me like he never wants to stop.

And for a moment, I believed this storm might finally end.

Until the phone rings and Vanessa's voice breaks through

"She's gone, Eliana. Eliora disappeared."