Chapter 24
Hazel
Valentina's body tilted backward under gravity's pull.
No attempt to protect herself. Her arms flailed once, then her back slammed hard against the unforgiving steps.
"No—"
I reached out instinctively, trying to catch her. My body lurched forward, fingers stretching desperately, trying to grab her sleeve before she fell.
But it was useless.
Three feet separated us. Three feet that became an impossible chasm in that instant.
Valentina tumbled down the long staircase, terrifyingly fast.
I froze, my outstretched hand suspended mid-air, fingers trembling violently.
Everything happened too fast.
I watched it all unfold right in front of me, powerless to react.
Shrill screams erupted from the maids downstairs.
"Oh God! Miss Rossi!"
Everyone rushed toward the bottom of the stairs from every direction at the sound.
Valentina lay crumpled at the first-floor landing.
She curled into herself, hands pressed desperately against her forehead. Bright red blood gushed through her fingers, spreading rapidly across the floor.
Evelyn, the housekeeper, came tearing out of the side hall, dropping to her knees to check Valentina's condition.
"Miss Rossi! Can you hear me?" Evelyn shouted, then spun toward the security behind her. "We can't handle this here! Get a stretcher now and get her to the hospital! Move!"
Valentina let out an agonized moan. Her face twisted in pain, the wound on her forehead still bleeding. She tried to sit up, but the moment she moved, a bloodcurdling scream tore from her throat.
I dragged my heavy legs down the stairs, step by step. With each step, my knees buckled.
Several guards scrambled forward, trying to lift Valentina by her shoulders. At their touch, she broke into painful sobs.
"Don't touch me... it hurts..."
Then Valentina turned her head. Her gaze cut through the crowd and landed directly on me.
It was a look filled with hatred and accusation.
She stared at me like that, tears mixing with blood sliding down her face. Her lips trembled, her eyes burning with such deep loathing that I stood there frozen, not knowing what to do.
"Hazel..." Valentina gasped for breath, her voice shaking. "I just love Viktor... Please, leave me alone. All I want is to be near him. I swear I'd never come between you two. Why are you doing this to me?"
Every pair of eyes in the room turned on me instantly.
I stood there helpless, my mind blank.
"I didn't mean it like that," I said in a panic, descending the last few steps, instinctively moving closer to explain, to check her injuries. "You're badly hurt. We need to stop the bleeding..."
"Stay away from me!" Valentina began shaking violently as I approached. She scrambled backward, her injuries scraping against the marble floor. "Don't come near me! I know you hate me—just don't touch me again!"
Her reaction was so extreme, so real. As if I really were some monster, a murderer who'd just tried to kill her.
I could only step back, standing there watching her tremble with fear.
"Step back, Miss Brooks." A tall security guard drew his gun, blocking my path. The barrel pointed down, but his killing intent locked entirely on me. "Back up."
He was one of Valentina's personal guards. The look in his eyes held genuine murder, as if one more step from me would make him pull the trigger without hesitation.
I was forced to stop, watching helplessly as they worked.
Then one of the maids kneeling beside Valentina let out a distorted scream.
"Blood! She's bleeding!"
The maid pointed at Valentina's skirt. I followed her finger. A massive amount of blood poured from between her thighs, streaming down her calves.
And Valentina was pregnant.
Absolute terror swallowed me whole. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the bottom step, gasping for air.
Evelyn's face went white. Finally realizing the emergency, she abandoned her usual elegance and barked into her radio. "Dammit, get the car to the front entrance now!"
The stretcher wheels shrieked across the floor. Evelyn ran alongside the medical team all the way out.
I sat on the step, watching the stretcher being rushed away. That pool of garish blood on the floor reeked of rust, hitting my nostrils and causing my stomach to spasm violently. I covered my mouth, dry heaving twice as tears spilled uncontrollably down my face.
But I had to go.
No matter what happened, no matter what anyone thought of me, I had to get to the hospital. I had to make sure Valentina was okay. I had to make sure her baby was okay.
The emergency room light glowed red.
I waited outside with the others. My hands clasped together so tightly my nails dug into the backs of my hands, leaving deep bloody marks in the skin. But I felt no pain.
Four full hours.
No movement from the emergency room doors. Nurses came and went with blood bags. Each time the doors opened, I could hear the urgent beeping of machines inside.
Those four hours felt longer than four centuries. The baby in my belly kept moving restlessly. I rubbed my stomach gently, trying to soothe the child and myself.
After what felt like an eternity, the emergency room doors finally opened.
The attending physician walked out, pulling down his mask. His green scrubs were covered in dark red bloodstains, his forehead drenched in sweat.
I stood up, dragging my heavy body toward him.
"Doctor, how is she?" I grabbed his arm with both hands.
The doctor looked at me and shook his head gravely.
"The patient's vital signs are stable." He paused, his tone becoming brutally serious.
"But the impact from the fall was too severe.
Her uterus ruptured badly. The fetus had no heartbeat when she arrived.
To save her life and prevent sepsis, we had no choice but to perform an emergency hysterectomy. "
With each sentence the doctor spoke, my heart clenched tighter.
"She's permanently lost the ability to become a mother." The doctor delivered his final verdict.
Those words echoed through the corridor.
I staggered back a step, my back slamming hard against the hallway wall.
Lost her child. Lost all rights to motherhood. For a woman, this was absolute devastation.
I looked down at my own swollen belly, feeling the steady heartbeat of the little life inside.
Overwhelming panic, guilt, and helplessness consumed me entirely.
How did it come to this?
No matter how cruel Valentina had been, no matter that she'd taken my studio and my seat at dinner, I never wanted this for her.
I couldn't accept this outcome. No one deserved this kind of pain.
A crisp ding sounded at the end of the corridor.
The elevator doors slid open, and Viktor strode out.
His jaw was clenched tight, those ice-blue eyes roiling with storms of fury. Everyone under that gaze held their breath and lowered their heads. Everyone knew that provoking this beast right now would be monumentally unwise.
Viktor crossed the corridor in long strides, heading straight for the emergency room. Jack and several armed guards followed close behind.
The doctor gestured to Viktor from a distance, repeating the diagnosis word for word.
Viktor listened, a muscle in his jaw twitching violently. His hands clenched into fists. He turned, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone in the corridor.
"What the hell happened?"
Before I could speak, Valentina's personal guard stepped forward, finger pointing straight at me.
"She did it!" The guard spoke through gritted teeth, hand on his holstered gun, as if ready to draw and shoot me on Viktor's command.
"Miss Rossi was fine this morning. She just ran into this woman at the second-floor landing. We heard them arguing. Seconds later, Miss Rossi fell!"
Viktor's brows drew together sharply, his gaze cutting to me.
"Hazel," he said, looking down at me, his voice ice-cold. "Talk. What happened between you two?"
I looked up at him. His breath washed over my face. Those eyes held none of their usual warmth—only coldness and scrutiny.
"We were arguing," I answered truthfully, my voice cracking from dryness. "She said some horrible things to me. So did I. We got emotional. But I didn't touch her. I don't know why she suddenly fell."
"Bullshit!"
A shrill female voice exploded from the crowd.
Sarah, the maid who'd helped move things from the studio, pushed forward. Face flushed with indignation, she broke through the security line and pointed at my nose.
"You're lying! I saw it! Sir, I swear I saw it!" Sarah's face turned red, her voice ringing through the corridor. "I was carrying clothes upstairs. I saw Hazel and Miss Rossi standing at the landing. Hazel was completely out of control, screaming. I'm certain Miss Rossi was pushed by Hazel!"
"What are you talking about?" I stared at Sarah in disbelief.
"What am I talking about?" Sarah laughed coldly, looking Viktor straight in the eye. "Who at the manor doesn't know you're jealous of Miss Rossi?"
"Enough!"
Viktor's roar was deafening.
The corridor went instantly silent. No one dared say another word. Only heavy breathing filled the air.
Viktor reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him.
His eyes held no warmth—only deep disappointment, exhaustion, and a chilling coldness I'd never seen before.
"I already told you Valentina can't threaten your position," Viktor said, each word deliberate. "What more could you possibly want? Why did you have to be so vicious?"
I opened my mouth to explain, but looking at Viktor's cold eyes, I realized there was no point.
His gaze was so icy, filled with judgment and fury. His stance made it clear.
Viktor didn't believe me.
In his mind, I was already a murderer—someone willing to kill another pregnant woman for power, for my child's future.
"Viktor." My voice came out strangely calm. "I'll say this one last time. I didn't push her."
Viktor stared at me for a long time. Everyone around us watched tensely, waiting for his judgment.
But Viktor only released my chin, sighing with disappointment, then turned away without looking back.
"Jack," his voice was low. "Escort her back to the manor."
"I want to wait until Valentina comes out," I said. "I want to make sure she's okay."
Viktor didn't respond.
He walked toward the hospital room without looking back, pushing through the door and leaving me alone in the corridor.
Jack stepped forward, gently taking my arm.
"Come on, Hazel." His voice carried a trace of barely perceptible sympathy.
I looked back anxiously, watching Viktor's back disappear behind the door.
That door closed in front of me with a dull thud.
Nothing remained in my heart but desolate emptiness.