Twice Betrayed- Reborn in Flames - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
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Blood surged from my mouth as I coughed violently, staining my lips crimson.
Gerald jolted back to reality, his face twisted in panic. He grabbed my shoulders, his voice frantic. "Eleanor, who's the father of this baby? Tell me! Who is it?" My only response was another gush of blood, spilling over my chin like a broken faucet.
Sweat beaded on the director's forehead as he slammed the emergency button. "Patient in Bed 32 is hemorrhaging! I need every department—internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, anesthesiology, critical care, and emergency—in OR 1001 now!"
Gerald froze, his lips moving soundlessly, as if the words had lodged in his throat.
Then—smack—he slapped himself hard, trying to snap out of his daze. His voice cracked as he begged, "Director, I… I'm the head of emergency. Let me handle this—"
He sounded desperate, like a rookie salesman scrambling to close a deal.
"Please," he pleaded, "just give me a chance—"
The director's expression darkened. "Gerald, do you even know Eleanor has a blood clotting disorder? That thirty minutes ago, we nearly lost her? That the baby inside her is five months along?" His voice turned razor-sharp. "If you were half the husband you claim to be, you wouldn't have laid a hand on her." He jabbed a finger toward the door. "There are other doctors here. You're fired. Get out."
The medical team swarmed in, hooking me up to monitors. The steady beep-beep-beep of the heart rate machine filled the tense silence.
Gerald, looking like a man who'd just been gutted, grabbed the director's arm. "You can't fire me—I still have the right to operate on my wife! Cedar Hospital isn't yours to—"
"He can't, but I can."
The OR doors swung open again. Alma sat in a wheelchair, her presence commanding even in her weakened state. "As the owner of Cedar Hospital and heiress of the Barren family, I, Alma Barren, hereby terminate you, Gerald Riverton. You are banned from touching Eleanor again."
Gerald staggered back as if struck. His wide, disbelieving eyes flickered between Alma and me, his mind struggling to catch up.
He slumped against the wall like a puppet with its strings cut, his bloodied hands trembling.
"What… what have I done—" Before he could finish, security and nurses dragged him out.
Alma, pale but determined, forced herself up from the wheelchair and gripped my hand. "Eleanor, stay with me. I won't let you go."
My weak smile fogged the oxygen mask. "Miss Barren… I saw my brother. He said even the ruby pendant couldn't protect me."
A tear splashed onto my palm. I wiped Alma's cheek gently. "Don't cry… You just gave birth. It's bad for your health."
Her eyes reddened further, her voice thick.
The world blurred. I drifted into memories—my brother's car crash, my desperate calls to Gerald, his cold dismissals. Only after the doctors pronounced my brother dead had he texted:
[It's Joanne's birthday. Don't bother me unless it's important.]
Regret clawed at me. If only I'd seen the truth sooner.
Tears slid down my temples as I squeezed Alma's hand. "Miss Barren… my brother didn't just die in that crash. Joanne killed him."
Alma's breath hitched, her grip tightening. "Eleanor, I swear, I'll make sure she pays. But is there… anything else you need?"
I knew what she meant. She wasn't sure I'd make it.
Turning my head toward the door, I whispered, "If I survive… tell everyone I died on the operating table."
I wanted nothing to do with Gerald—not in this life, not in the next.
The Barren family pulled every string, every resource, dragging me back from death's edge. But the baby was gone.
Running a hand over my flat stomach, I felt… relief.
Alma arranged for me to recover beside her at an exclusive postpartum center, under the watch of private physicians.
Gerald jolted back to reality, his face twisted in panic. He grabbed my shoulders, his voice frantic. "Eleanor, who's the father of this baby? Tell me! Who is it?" My only response was another gush of blood, spilling over my chin like a broken faucet.
Sweat beaded on the director's forehead as he slammed the emergency button. "Patient in Bed 32 is hemorrhaging! I need every department—internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, anesthesiology, critical care, and emergency—in OR 1001 now!"
Gerald froze, his lips moving soundlessly, as if the words had lodged in his throat.
Then—smack—he slapped himself hard, trying to snap out of his daze. His voice cracked as he begged, "Director, I… I'm the head of emergency. Let me handle this—"
He sounded desperate, like a rookie salesman scrambling to close a deal.
"Please," he pleaded, "just give me a chance—"
The director's expression darkened. "Gerald, do you even know Eleanor has a blood clotting disorder? That thirty minutes ago, we nearly lost her? That the baby inside her is five months along?" His voice turned razor-sharp. "If you were half the husband you claim to be, you wouldn't have laid a hand on her." He jabbed a finger toward the door. "There are other doctors here. You're fired. Get out."
The medical team swarmed in, hooking me up to monitors. The steady beep-beep-beep of the heart rate machine filled the tense silence.
Gerald, looking like a man who'd just been gutted, grabbed the director's arm. "You can't fire me—I still have the right to operate on my wife! Cedar Hospital isn't yours to—"
"He can't, but I can."
The OR doors swung open again. Alma sat in a wheelchair, her presence commanding even in her weakened state. "As the owner of Cedar Hospital and heiress of the Barren family, I, Alma Barren, hereby terminate you, Gerald Riverton. You are banned from touching Eleanor again."
Gerald staggered back as if struck. His wide, disbelieving eyes flickered between Alma and me, his mind struggling to catch up.
He slumped against the wall like a puppet with its strings cut, his bloodied hands trembling.
"What… what have I done—" Before he could finish, security and nurses dragged him out.
Alma, pale but determined, forced herself up from the wheelchair and gripped my hand. "Eleanor, stay with me. I won't let you go."
My weak smile fogged the oxygen mask. "Miss Barren… I saw my brother. He said even the ruby pendant couldn't protect me."
A tear splashed onto my palm. I wiped Alma's cheek gently. "Don't cry… You just gave birth. It's bad for your health."
Her eyes reddened further, her voice thick.
The world blurred. I drifted into memories—my brother's car crash, my desperate calls to Gerald, his cold dismissals. Only after the doctors pronounced my brother dead had he texted:
[It's Joanne's birthday. Don't bother me unless it's important.]
Regret clawed at me. If only I'd seen the truth sooner.
Tears slid down my temples as I squeezed Alma's hand. "Miss Barren… my brother didn't just die in that crash. Joanne killed him."
Alma's breath hitched, her grip tightening. "Eleanor, I swear, I'll make sure she pays. But is there… anything else you need?"
I knew what she meant. She wasn't sure I'd make it.
Turning my head toward the door, I whispered, "If I survive… tell everyone I died on the operating table."
I wanted nothing to do with Gerald—not in this life, not in the next.
The Barren family pulled every string, every resource, dragging me back from death's edge. But the baby was gone.
Running a hand over my flat stomach, I felt… relief.
Alma arranged for me to recover beside her at an exclusive postpartum center, under the watch of private physicians.
End of Twice Betrayed- Reborn in Flames Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to Twice Betrayed- Reborn in Flames book page.