Tania stirred, her eyelids fluttering open against the harsh light of the hospital room. Disoriented, she squinted, taking in the sterile surroundings, the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor. Her mind felt foggy, as if she were emerging from a dream or perhaps a nightmare.
She turned her head slightly, seeing a nurse standing nearby. Panic flared in her eyes as she suddenly remembered the fall, the pain in her abdomen, the court. Her hand went to her stomach instinctively, and she stared at the nurse, her voice hoarse. “My baby… what happened to my baby?”
The nurse looked at her with a kind, but sad expression. “I’m very sorry, Ms. Tania . You lost the baby.”
The words hit Tania like a punch to the chest. “No…” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. Her hand dropped to her stomach, gripping the hospital gown as she tried to process the loss. Her face contorted in agony, and her whispered denial grew louder. “No… no, no, no!”
Although she did not love the child, she felt an attachment to the child.
The nurse took a small step back, unsure how to comfort her as Tania’s anguish turned into fury. She sat up, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face. She remembered Ethan’s cold stare, his dismissive indifference as she fell. And then, as if the fire in her heart had turned to ice, a chilling determination settled in her eyes.
“They’ll pay for this,” she muttered through clenched teeth. Her hands shook as they gripped the bedrails, her knuckles white. “Ethan… Ella… all of them. They think they’ve won. They think they’ve taken everything from me.” Her voice rose, and the nurse looked nervously toward the door. “I’ll make them pay for this. I swear on my life, I’ll hit them where it hurts the most.”
The nurse attempted to calm her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Ms. Tania , please. You need to rest, your body has been through a trauma”
“Get away from me!” Tania snapped, pulling away from the nurse’s touch, her eyes wild with rage. She drew a shuddering breath, trying to regain her composure as her mind raced through every wrong she believed had been done to her. Her entire life had spiraled out of control because of Ethan, Ella, and everyone who’d dared to cross her.
As the nurse quietly left the room to give her space, Tania’s thoughts intensified, bitterness darkening her gaze. She thought back to the beginning of it all, when Ethan had left her. In her mind, that was the moment her life had started to crumble. She’d built everything around him, and then he had turned his back on her for Ella. And now… even the baby she had been counting on to secure her future was gone. Everything she’d hoped to manipulate to her advantage had slipped through her fingers.
“They think they can break me…” she whispered, a dark smile curling on her lips. “But they don’t know who they’re dealing with.”
In the hallway, Ethan and Victor lingered, speaking quietly. Victor placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, his voice calm but firm. “You did the right thing today, Ethan. I know it wasn’t easy to watch her fall, but none of this is your fault. Tania… she made her choices.”
Ethan nodded, though his expression remained troubled. “I know. But it still feels surreal. She was the mother of my daughter, after all.” He looked down, his mind flicking to the years of manipulation, the guilt Tania had wielded like a weapon, and the toll it had taken on him. “I just want to move on, Victor. I want to build a stable life for Grace.”
Victor gave him a reassuring pat. “You will. Today was a big step in the right direction. You’re finally free from Tania’s hold over you. She can’t take anything more from you.”
Ethan took a deep breath, nodding. “Thank you, Victor. For everything.”
They walked toward the exit, their footsteps echoing down the quiet hallway. Ethan felt a strange sense of liberation a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. For the first time, he could imagine a future free from Tania’s relentless schemes.
But back in her hospital room, Tania’s mind was moving in the opposite direction. She began plotting, her mind conjuring up ways to reach the people Ethan held most dear. She knew she couldn’t face him directly he had grown strong, and with Victor by his side, he was nearly untouchable in court. But there were other ways to cause pain, other ways to make him suffer.
Her gaze drifted to the ceiling as she whispered, “I will take everything you love, Ethan. You, Ella… I’ll destroy you both.”
She let herself lie back against the pillows, her breathing steadying as her heart hardened. She knew it would take time, but time was something she was willing to bide. In her mind, she saw herself victorious, holding all the power she had once wielded and this time, she vowed, it would be unbreakable.
Her thoughts wandered to Ella. She had always despised the woman even if she was her sister, she feels Ella came her and Ethan. Ella, with her calm grace and unbreakable bond with Ethan. The way they seemed to share something deep and unspoken, something that Tania had never been able to penetrate. The mere thought of Ella fueled Tania’s rage further.
“She won’t know what hit her,” Tania whispered, a cruel glint in her eyes.
Back in the waiting room, Gia stood by, deep in thought. She had just witnessed the collapse of everything she and Tania had built in court. Although she had initially believed in Tania’s case, today’s proceedings had made Gia question everything. She wondered if she had been blindsided, if she’d allowed herself to believe in Tania’s innocence simply because of her client’s charisma and persistence.
As Gia watched the nurse enter Tania’s room with a soft knock, a part of her felt pity for her client not for the fall, or the loss of the baby, but for the twisted obsession she had seen brewing in Tania’s eyes.
Gia resolved to keep her distance. She had a career to protect, a reputation she couldn’t afford to risk. Tania’s vendetta would only spiral further into darkness, and Gia knew she wanted no part of it.
After spending a few more minutes observing the hallway outside Tania’s room, Gia turned and walked away, leaving her former client to her anger and revenge.
As Ethan and Victor finally stepped outside, they shared a look of quiet understanding. Despite the tragedy that had just unfolded, they both knew this day had marked a turning point. Tania’s grasp on Ethan’s life was finally severed, freeing him to focus on Grace and the future he envisioned for her.
The sun was setting, casting warm orange hues over the courthouse steps. Victor shook Ethan’s hand firmly before saying goodbye. “Go home, Ethan. Hold Grace tight and let her know she’s safe.”
Ethan nodded, a soft smile forming on his lips. “That’s all I’ve wanted, Victor. Thank you.” He turned and walked away, feeling a renewed sense of purpose.
But as he drove home, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over. The look in Tania’s eyes had been filled with a darkness that warned of trouble ahead. Yet he held onto the hope that with the law on his side, she would never be able to touch him or Grace again.
Back in her hospital bed, Tania lay awake, the shadows lengthening around her. She whispered one final promise to herself, the words filled with venom and conviction.
“This isn’t over. I’ll be back… and I’ll make you all pay.”