Chapter 10 - Life in the Fortress
The morning brought a strange, deceptive calm.
Dr. Silva arrived at the estate with a portable ultrasound unit for my 32-week checkup. The bruising on my stomach had faded from a grotesque dark purple to a dull, sickly yellow, and for the first time in five days, the continuous dull ache had receded.
As the cold gel was spread across my skin, the rhythmic, thunderous galloping sound of the fetal heartbeat filled the sunlit bedroom.
*Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.*
Suddenly, a distinct, sharp pressure nudged against the lower right side of my abdomen—a firm, deliberate kick that pushed against the ultrasound probe.
"He's strong," Dr. Silva smiled, pointing to the monitor. "A survivor. No signs of placental abruption. He’s growing right on schedule."
I looked over at the doorway. Victoria was standing there, leaning against the doorframe. She wasn't wearing her armored trench coat or her black gloves today. She wore a simple cashmere sweater, but her posture remained vigilant, her eyes scanning the room as if checking for snipers behind the lace curtains.
"Come here," I said softly.
Victoria hesitated—the woman who had ordered the economic execution of a seventy-million-dollar empire looked momentarily paralyzed by a simple invitation. Slowly, she crossed the room and stood beside the bed.
I took her hand and pressed her bare palm against the warm, rounded side of my stomach.
A second later, the baby kicked again, hard and distinct, right into her hand.
Victoria's breath hitched. A tremor passed through her fingers, and for a fleeting, unguarded second, the ruthless matriarch vanished. A tear slipped down her cheek, landing softly against the silk sheets.
"He knows his grandmother," I whispered.
"He will never know fear," Victoria answered, her voice fierce and thick with emotion. "I will burn this entire country to ashes before anyone touches a hair on his head."
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She stayed by my side for an hour, talking about my father, about the quiet village where she was born, about the life she had dreamed for me before the underworld pulled her under. For a moment, the world felt whole again.
Then, the red perimeter alarm on the wall began to scream.
