Chapter 5 - The Awakening and the Wall of Fear
By dawn, Catherine had been moved to the presidential medical suite at the Metropolitan Private Pavilion. A private team of nurses monitored her vitals, while IV bags replenished her severely depleted nutrients and pumped targeted antibiotics into her bloodstream.
Annie had been bathed, dressed in soft cotton pajamas, and was asleep on a broad leather sofa beside the bed, clutching a teddy bear Brian had purchased for her.
Victor had not slept. He sat in a chair beside Catherine’s bed, his unshaven face gaunt, his eyes bloodshot.
A weak groan broke the quiet hum of the heart monitor. Catherine’s eyelids fluttered, heavy and dry, before opening slowly. Her gaze darted around the luxurious room, taking in the mahogany accents, the soft lighting, and the digital displays. Panic flashed across her sunken features.
“Annie…” she gasped, her hand instinctively reaching out, pulling against the IV lines. “Where is my baby? Annie!”
“Catherine, be calm. She’s right here. She’s safe,” Victor said softly, standing up.
Catherine froze. Her eyes met his, and the color drained completely from her face. She shrank back against the pillows, pulling the duvet up to her neck like a shield.
“Victor…?” Her voice trembled with sheer terror. “No… no, how did you find us? Please, Victor, don’t take her. Don’t let your mother take Annie! I signed the papers! I left everything behind! Please, I beg you, let me keep my daughter!”
The sheer dread in her eyes broke whatever remained of Victor’s composure. He fell to his knees beside the bed, grasping the edge of the mattress, not daring to touch her without permission.
“Catherine, listen to me,” Victor sobbed, tears spilling unchecked. “No one is taking Annie. No one is ever hurting you again. Maris lied. She lied to me, and she tortured you. I know everything. I saw the room. I read the letters. I found Annie at the gala… she was looking for food.”
Catherine blinked through her confusion, her cracked lips trembling. “You… you found her? But your mother said… she said you hated me. She said you paid her to get rid of us so you could marry an heiress.”
“Never,” Victor cried, kissing her frail, trembling knuckles. “I have spent three years living in a cemetery of my own regrets. I sent fifty thousand dollars every single month, thinking you had moved away to start fresh. Maris stole every dollar. She starved you. But it ends today, Catherine. I am here. Your husband is here.”
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Catherine looked into his eyes and saw the boy she had fallen in love with—not the arrogant titan of industry, but the man who had once promised to protect her from the world. A soft, shuddering breath escaped her, and she began to weep, releasing three years of suppressed terror into his embrace.
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