—It wasn’t an accident, Maria. She cut the brakes.
Ice ran down my spine.
—You’ve been out here… with the babies… for three days? —I whispered.
—Crawling… dragging myself —he corrected. As he shifted, I saw his right leg bent at an impossible angle inside his boot. I nearly vomited. —I had to get them out before the explosion. If she knows we’re alive… she finishes the job.
A cry—pure hunger—cut through the air. Alexander went pale and glanced toward the house.
—Please… stop them —he begged, panic in his voice. —The guards… they’re close.
That’s when I stopped seeing a billionaire.
I saw a father who would die without hesitation if it meant protecting his children.
I touched one baby’s forehead. Burning hot and ice-cold at the same time—dehydration, exposure, starvation.
—They need milk and warmth. And you need a hospital. Now.
Alexander grabbed my arm, his nails digging into my uniform.
—You don’t understand —he gasped. —Eleanor bought the coroner. Bought half the town. If they see us… they’ll bury us under the new swimming pool. My children are worth more dead than alive to her.
That’s when we heard an engine.
Headlights swept through the trees. A security SUV rolled down the dirt road.