Chapter 2: His Blood

ONE YEAR EARLIER

VERA

I stirred, my body aching, exhaustion weighing me down like a heavy chain. The room was too bright and unfamiliar, and I felt a rush of panic before it hit me: I was in the hospital and had just given birth.

A wave of emotion washed over me, and I turned my head, expecting to see my baby nearby. But the crib was empty.

My breath hitched, and my arms instinctively reached out to search, but before I could call for help, a low voice drifted through the room.

“She just had the baby. This is the best time to do it. Don’t give me that crap! I want this freaking baby gone... and I don’t have time to wait for tomorrow,” someone said. “If my father got word of this, everything would go to shit!” he added, and just then, I caught a glimpse of him, and froze: Logan.

He was going to take my baby away. Just then, he spoke again, telling the person that the next day would be fine, but they needed to come in the morning, and that he would give me sleeping pills to keep me from getting in the way.

My hand instinctively pressed over my mouth as my heart hammered so loudly that I could barely hear anything else. He wanted to take him away.

Just then, he went quiet, and I knew he was coming. My stomach tightened in terror as footsteps echoed. A moment later, he stepped inside with an unreadable expression.

"You're awake," he said casually, as if he had not just conspired to give away my baby, which he denied and threatened to harm my family if I revealed it was his.

“Where’s my baby?” A second of silence passed between us before he nodded toward the door. Almost on cue, a nurse entered, cradling a small bundle wrapped in a soft blue blanket, and my heart stuttered.

Tears blurred my vision as I reached out, and the nurse gently placed him in my arms, softly announcing that he was a boy since I had passed right after birth.

A fierce love clenched my chest so hard that it hurt as I ran a shaking finger over his soft, downy hair and kissed his forehead.

Logan still stood over us, but he wasn’t looking at us as I glanced up at him, asking myself how he could want to give our baby away. He was his flesh.

He clarified that he wanted nothing to do with him, and I had promised not to tell anyone. My thoughts raced as I wondered whether he would listen if I tried to reason with him again.

I opened my mouth, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak, but then something inside me said no. A voice said it was too risky and I should pretend I didn’t hear his conversation instead.

I had planned to flee with my baby after giving birth. I had my belongings and the baby's belongings hidden in the woods behind my house, and that was precisely what I intended to do. Even with that resolution, however, it hurt that he wouldn’t even so much as glance at our son.

Before I could work out my plan, a shift in the room made my pulse spike. Logan's men, dressed in pristine suits, entered, causing him to turn toward the door. One moved closer as if waiting for something, and my stomach twisted with confusion. “What’s going on?”

Logan exhaled impatiently. “It’s time to go home.” My eyes widened. “What?” I was expecting to spend a few more hours in the hospital before being released.

“I’ve hired a nurse. She’ll take care of you and the baby.” His tone was clipped and businesslike, and I stared at him, my mind spinning. I couldn’t go home with him. “Logan, I-?” He didn’t wait and gestured, and his men moved.

One of them reached for my baby. “No!” My grip tightened, and panic rushed through me. The man paused, but Logan's cold gaze turned to him, and my baby was whisked away from my arms. A strangled cry erupted from my throat, my body still too weak to fight. Then another man slid his arm beneath my legs and back, lifting me before I could protest.

“Wait!” I gasped, struggling against him, but my limbs were weak, and he didn’t listen.

They carried me through the hospital corridors, my heart pounding with terror and desperation. Logan walked ahead, his face set like a stone, and I had never felt so powerless.

There was a light breeze as the man carried me outside. And my heart raced even faster as I took in the sight in front of me: three black SUVs lined up, their engines humming, and their tinted windows glowing eerily.

I barely had time to process anything before being slid into the back seat.

“Please, my baby."

Logan stood just outside the car, his dark eyes meeting mine for a fleeting moment before giving a small nod. The man holding my child obeyed without delay and lowered my son into my waiting arms.

The car lurched forward, and the world outside blurred as I contemplated what I would do, how to get out of this.

Maybe my stepmother would help. Maybe my father would change his mind if he saw his grandson; perhaps I should take my chances with them.

But then that voice within me returned, the one that had been whispering since I overheard Logan's chilling words. "Calm down. Don’t let him know you heard. You have all night.“ I swallowed hard, wiping my tears with one hand as they flowed. “Make your play then. Escape while he sleeps.“

The idea sounded good, but there was one problem: I had no idea what Logan's place looked like. What if he had security? What if the doors were locked? What if I couldn’t get past them?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the terrifying possibilities as the road stretched endlessly ahead, the motion of the car only increasing my anxiety. But just as I was about to close my eyes, my baby began squirming, and I opened them to see him wriggling slightly, his fists waving in the air. He must have been hungry.

My heart clenched, and a new sense of helplessness washed over me. I had no idea where to start feeding him.

My throat tightened as I looked at the men sitting on either side of me. Their faces were expressionless, their posture stiff, and I could not try with them next to me. “It’s okay, my love. All will be well, sweetheart,” I whispered, my lips getting numb as everything blurred. The stress, the fear, the exhaustion, it was all crashing down on me, all over again, mixing with the anxiety and making my vision swim.

I was losing control, despite knowing I needed to keep it together for my baby.

It didn't matter how much security he had or how many precautions he had taken; I would find a way.