The Billionaire’s Wedding Trap - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

My hands shook violently as I watched them scramble out of the bed, their eyes wide with shock when they saw me. For one endless moment, we all stood frozen in silence.
Then Cain's lips twisted into that arrogant smirk I knew too well. "Elle. What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice dripping with false calm.
"Today's our anniversary," I choked out. "You didn't come home, so I came looking for you."
Aliya tilted her chin up, barely containing her amusement. "Cain and I were just going over some company business," she purred.
The knife in my heart twisted deeper. I knew it was a lie but couldn't find my voice. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forced a smile.
"You should know better than to eavesdrop, Elle," Cain snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut glass.
Nausea rolled through me. "Sorry," I whispered.
"Let's go home," he commanded, steering me toward the door.
As I followed him out, I caught Aliya's glare - her face contorted with pure hatred. That's when the awful truth hit me: Cain never loved me. That rescue at the church? Just a play for my father's fortune. He'd used me, just like James had.
Before I could process this betrayal, my phone buzzed. The hospital caller ID made my blood run cold.
"Mrs. Blackwood," the voice said urgently. "Your father's in the ICU. Heart attack. You need to come now."
"No," I breathed, the word barely audible. Suddenly, Cain and Aliya didn't matter. Tears blurred my vision as I turned and ran.
The hospital corridors swarmed with activity when I burst in. I charged toward ICU, my panic rising with each step.
A nurse intercepted me at the door. "He doesn't have much time," she said quickly.
I shoved past her. The sight of my father - pale, fragile, tangled in tubes - shattered me.
"Dad," I choked out.
His eyelids fluttered open. "Elle," he rasped, reaching weakly. I clutched his hand to my cheek.
"Don't talk," I whispered through tears. "Just rest. You'll be okay."
"I'm...so sorry," he breathed.
"For wha-"
The heart monitor's shrill alarm cut me off. "No! NO!" I screamed as nurses rushed in. I shook him desperately, but he was already gone.
Stumbling into the hallway, I gasped for air, my world collapsing. Leaning against the wall, I suddenly heard Aliya's voice from a nearby room.
"She's onto us," she hissed into her phone. "We need to deal with her before-"
"Relax," Cain's voice crackled through the speaker. "Her father's dead. Our plan's working."
They were celebrating his death. It was always about the money.
"We need to eliminate her," Aliya muttered. "Before she turns on us."
Cain sighed audibly. "She's harmless."
Aliya hung up angrily. "He doesn't even know she's pregnant," she muttered. "I won't let her have his heir."
My breath hitched. How did she-?
"How do you know about my pregnancy?" I demanded, stepping into view.
Aliya whirled around, her surprise quickly twisting into venom. "I overheard your doctor. Months of trying, finally pregnant - thinking this brat will save you?" She laughed coldly. "Think again."
I backed toward the door, but my foot caught. As I turned to run, Aliya lunged, her nails digging into my wrist.
"Where do you think you're going?" she snarled.
"Let me go!" I thrashed against her grip.
Her smile turned predatory. "You should've stayed away, stepsister."
I twisted toward the railing, but Aliya shoved me hard. The world tilted violently as I tumbled down the stairs, my head cracking against concrete before darkness swallowed me.
The steady beep of machines pulled me back. Pain exploded through my abdomen as I groaned awake. Fragments returned - Aliya's hands, the railing, the fall.
I tried sitting up, but white-hot agony ripped through me. A nurse rushed in, her pitying look confirming my worst fear before she spoke.
"You're lucky to be alive," she said softly. "We saved you, but..." Her gaze dropped to my stomach. "We couldn't save the baby."
The scream building in my throat turned to ashes. My baby. Gone. Another piece of my heart turned to dust.