Janet's POV

I did't know how long I lay there in that basement.

The blood kept coming, pooling beneath me until my dress was soaked through.

My vision was starting to blur at the edges when the door finally swung open.

It wasn't Ashley. And it wasn't one of the guards.

It was the Martinez family physician—Dr. Miller.

The moment he saw me, all the color drained from his face.

"Mrs. Martinez? What the hell are you doing down here?"

"Mr. Martinez said you were resting in the VIP suite."

I tried to speak, but nothing came out.

All I could do was point at my stomach, tears streaming down my face.

Dr. Miller rushed over and dropped to his knees beside me. The second his hand touched my belly, he sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're fully dilated—and your water's already broken!"

"We need to get you into surgery—now."

He tried to lift me, but the moment I moved, a gush of warmth spilled out from between my legs.

Blood. A lot of blood.

Dr. Miller's hands were shaking as he screamed toward the hallway:

"Someone—anyone! We've got a hemorrhaging mother down here!"

The corridor was empty.

This private hospital was bankrolled by the Martinez family. Tonight, they'd cleared the entire floor for Rachel's delivery.

Every single nurse and doctor was stationed on the third floor, on standby for her.

Dr. Miller fumbled for his phone—then cursed. No signal in the basement.

"I'm carrying you up. Hold on, just hold on."

He gritted his teeth and lifted me, staggering toward the stairs.

Every step jarred my body, sending white-hot agony through my spine.

I could feel my baby descending, but she wouldn't come out.

The drug was still fighting my contractions, making them weak and erratic.

The most dangerous kind of labor.

"Dr. Miller..." I grabbed his collar, my voice barely a whisper. "Save the baby. Please."

"Don't say that—you're both going to be fine."

He finally burst through the first-floor door and sprinted toward the OR.

But when we got there, we both froze.

The doors were wide open.

Inside was nothing.

The surgical light—gone.

The operating table—gone.

The monitors, the oxygen machines, every single piece of medical equipment—all gone.

Just an empty room with a few electrical outlets staring back at us from the walls.

Dr. Miller stood there, paralyzed.

I could hear this strangled sound coming from his throat, like someone had their hand wrapped around it.

"How is this possible..."

"I checked the equipment this afternoon..."

Footsteps echoed from the end of the hall.

Ashley strolled over with two nurses in tow. She raised an eyebrow when she saw us.

"Dr. Miller? What are you doing down here?"

"Rachel's on the third floor. Why aren't you up there?"

Dr. Miller pointed at the empty OR, his voice cracking:

"Where's the equipment? What happened to all of it?"

Ashley blinked, all innocence.

"We moved it upstairs."

"Rachel's having a C-section. She needs the best equipment—God forbid anything goes wrong, the standard OR just wouldn't cut it."

She let her gaze drift down to me, and her lips curved.

"Oh—Janet's in labor?"

"Well, you're gonna have to wait a minute. Rachel's not done yet."

"Just hang in there a little longer, okay?"

I stared at her perfectly made-up face.

And suddenly I remembered—six months ago, she'd hooked her arm through mine while we were shopping, all sweet and smiley, saying:

"Janet, you're the best. You're like a real sister to me."

Back then, I dropped over a hundred thousand on a bag for her.

Looking back now?

What a joke.

Janet's POV

Dr. Miller went berserk, charging into the nurses' station and tearing through the cabinets.

But they were empty.

Not even basic forceps or gauze.

"What about meds? Hemostatics? Uterine stimulants?"

The nurse whispered back, "Everything's been sent to the third floor."

"Mr. Martinez ordered all resources prioritized for Ms. Rachel."

Dr. Miller slammed his fist against the cabinet.

He turned to me, eyes bloodshot, lips trembling.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mrs. Martinez."

"There's nothing I can do."

Ashley walked over and patted his shoulder.

"Dr. Miller, relax."

"Janet hasn't even delivered yet. Once Rachel's done, the equipment will be brought right back down."

I locked my eyes on her.

On the woman I'd treated like a little sister for three years.

Then, with every ounce of strength I had left, I forced out two words:

"You monster."

Ashley's face went cold.

She bent down, leaned in close to my ear, and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Go ahead. Say whatever you want."

"I honestly don't know what my brother sees in you."

"The Martinez family's seat should've been Rachel's from the start."

Dr. Miller couldn't take it anymore.

"Miss Martinez! This is murder!"

"Murder?" Ashley let out a scoff. "Watch your mouth, Doctor."

"All I gave her was a little shot to delay things. Three hours, tops."

"And besides, this is Martinez family business. You're an outsider. Who do you think you are to interfere?"

She waved at the guards.

"Take Dr. Miller to get some rest."

"I'll personally look after Janet."

Two guards grabbed Dr. Miller by the arms and dragged him out.

He fought them, screaming over his shoulder:

"Mrs. Martinez! Don't give up! Your baby can still be saved!"

His voice faded into the distance.

I grabbed Ashley's clothes, begging her. "Please—please, save my baby. I don't want any inheritance. I just want my baby to be safe!"

"I'm the eldest daughter of the Rizzo family. I don't need to fight for some inheritance!"

Ashley shoved me off. "You'll say anything now, won't you? I'm telling you—impossible."

Then she closed the nurse's station door and turned to look at me.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a video call.She pulled out her phone and dialed a video call.

"Hey, bro. Janet's about to deliver. You want to see?"

Jason's face appeared on the screen.

He was outside the delivery room, with busy medical staff rushing around in the background.

"Janet, stop it."

"Rachel's condition isn't good. The fetal heart rate is dropping."

"You take care of things there. I can't leave right now."

The call ended.

Ashley shrugged and pocketed her phone.

"You heard him, right?"

"In my brother's heart, Rachel comes first."

"You? You're just a broodmare."

"And once a broodmare's done her job, she gets put out to pasture."

I closed my eyes and stopped looking at her.

My hand moved quietly behind my back, feeling for the lining of my dress.

Sewn into it was a button-sized device.

My father had given it to me.

He said, "Janet, the Martinez family runs deep. If anything ever goes wrong, press this."

Back then, I laughed at him for worrying too much.

"Dad, Jason treats me well. Everyone in the Martinez family treats me well."

Now, thinking back? I was a fool.

I used my fingernail to pry open the protective cap.

And pressed down gently.

No sound. No light.

But I knew the signal had been sent.

My father said that once I pressed that button, someone would come within half an hour.

But half an hour...

Could my baby hold on that long?

Janet's POV

My vision was fading in and out.

Ashley sat in a chair scrolling through her phone, glancing up at me every now and then like I was some lab rat she was observing.

"Janet, tell me something. Why did you even marry into this family in the first place?"

"For my brother's looks? For the Martinez money?"

"But you've gotta think. You came from nothing. What made you think you deserved to walk through those doors?"

I didn't answer.

I just kept pressing the spots Dr. Miller had told me about.

Pressing as hard as I could.

Even if the hope was razor thin.

Ashley kept going.

"If you hadn't gotten pregnant early, my brother never would've married you."

"The plan was for you to pop out a son, at least make yourself useful."

"But then the ultrasound came back. A girl. The old man's face went black."

"Thank God Rachel's carrying a boy. Otherwise the Martinez line would've died out this generation."

She stood up, walked over, and nudged my leg with her foot.

"So here's the thing. You need to know your place."

"Don't go chasing what isn't yours."

"Once Rachel has her baby, you sign the divorce papers, take the money, and walk."

"You can still find some regular guy to settle down with. That's not a bad deal."

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

"Does Jason know you're talking to me like this?"

Ashley smiled.

"Of course he knows."

"He's the one who asked me to talk to you."

"He said you're stubborn and he was worried you'd take it hard. Told me to be gentle with you."

I tried to curl my lips into a smile.

Couldn't manage it.

Another wave of pain ripped through my abdomen. Stronger than anything before.

The drug had completely worn off. The baby was coming.

"Ahhh!"

I couldn't hold back the scream.

Ashley stepped back, frowning.

"What a pain."

She opened the door and called out, "Someone get in here. Check if she's ready to push."

A nurse crept in nervously, took one look at me, and went pale.

"Fully dilated. I can see the head."

"But there's too much bleeding. We need to deliver right now."

Ashley waved her off impatiently.

"Then do it."

She gave the order and left to find Jason, not giving a damn about whether I lived or died.

The nurse didn't dare say a word. She crouched down and tried to help me dilate manually.

But I had nothing left to give.

Too much blood loss. My strength was completely gone.

The baby was stuck. Neither coming out nor going back in.

Seconds dragged into minutes. Every one of them pure agony.

Then, suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed from down the hall.

A lot of them.

Boots hitting the floor in perfect sync.

The nurse's face went white. "Who's there?"

The door flew open.

A team of men in black tactical gear stormed in, all armed.

The man in front ripped off his helmet, revealing a sharp, angular face.

The moment he saw me, his eyes turned red.

"Miss!"

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

I just reached for him.

The nurse panicked and started shrieking.

"Who are you! How did you get in! Guards! Someone call the guards!"

The man didn't even look at her. He rushed to my side and dropped to one knee.

"I'm late. Forgive me, Miss."

He lifted me in his arms and barked orders over his shoulder.

"Clear the area. Get the medical kit. Now."

"Yes, sir."

The black-clad team moved fast.

The nurse tried to slip away and got slammed to the ground. She thrashed and yelled:

"You can't touch me! This is the Martinez family hospital!"

The man turned his head and looked at her.

His eyes were cold as ice.

"The Martinez family?"

"You dare lay a hand on my daughter? There won't be a Martinez family for much longer."