Chapter 4 - The Enemy Who Wanted My Baby
The first thing I did after the call ended was run.
Not because I knew where I was going.
Not because I had a plan.
But because every instinct inside me screamed that staying still was dangerous.
The diner that had felt ordinary moments before suddenly felt like a trap.
The laughing couple near the window.
The old man reading his newspaper.
The waitress carrying coffee between tables.
Any one of them could have been watching me.
Any one of them could have known who I was.
I grabbed my bag and rushed outside.
The cold Pennsylvania air hit my face as I stepped into the parking lot.
My hands were shaking.
I looked at the phone screen again.
The unknown number was gone.
No trace.
No name.
Nothing.
Just those words repeating in my mind.
The files.
The truth about your husband.
And the reason your baby is already in danger.
I hated that part of me believed him.
I hated it because I wanted to believe Grant was different.
I wanted to believe there was an explanation.
I wanted to believe that the man who kissed my forehead every morning and held me when I cried wasn't the same man whose enemies could find me within hours.
But the truth was becoming impossible to ignore.
Grant Mercer had secrets.
And those secrets had finally found me.
I returned to the motel as quickly as possible.
I didn't pack.
I didn't organize anything.
I simply grabbed what mattered.
My documents.
My mother's necklace.
The small envelope of cash.
And the only picture I had brought with me.
A picture of Grant and me from our wedding day.
I stared at it longer than I should have.
In the photograph, he was smiling.
A real smile.
The kind almost nobody ever saw.
His hand was wrapped around mine.
His eyes were only on me.
That was the man I married.
That was the man I was trying to forget.
I placed the picture back into my bag.
Then I heard something.
A car door closing outside.
My body froze.
I turned toward the window.
A black SUV sat near the entrance.
My heart stopped.
For a second, I thought it was Grant.
A part of me wanted it to be.
That scared me more than anything.
Then the passenger door opened.
A man stepped out.
Not Grant.
He was older.
Maybe in his fifties.
Gray hair.
Expensive coat.
The kind of confidence that came from having people obey him.
He looked directly toward my room.
I didn't wait to find out why.
I grabbed my bag and went through the back exit.
The moment I stepped into the alley, my phone vibrated.
A message.
From the same unknown number.
Running is exactly what Grant taught you to do.
I stopped.
How did he know?
A second message appeared.
You have his instincts.
His fear.
His child.
But you don't have his protection.
My breathing became uneven.
I deleted the messages.
Then I kept moving.
I didn't know who was chasing me.
But I knew one thing.
I couldn't let them find me.
Not now.
Not when my baby depended on me.
Across the state, Grant Mercer was sitting in his office staring at the same security footage over and over again.
Elena leaving.
Elena walking away.
Elena carrying a bag.
Elena touching her stomach.
That final moment was all he could see.
Daniel entered quietly.
"We found another lead."
Grant didn't look up.
"Tell me."
"The person who accessed your office three weeks ago wasn't random."
Grant finally turned.
"Who was it?"
Daniel placed a photograph on the desk.
Grant looked down.
The face immediately changed everything.
His expression hardened.
"No."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
Grant picked up the photograph.
A man he had spent years trying to bury.
A man who should have been gone.
A man who had every reason to destroy him.
"Victor Hale."
The name felt like poison.
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"He's alive."
Grant stared at the picture.
For years, Victor Hale had been one of the most dangerous figures connected to his world.
Not because he was stronger.
Not because he had more power.
Because he was patient.
People like Victor didn't attack quickly.
They waited.
They watched.
They collected weaknesses.
And Grant had just realized what his greatest weakness was.
Elena.
Their child.
"He knows," Grant whispered.
Daniel looked at him.
"About Elena?"
Grant shook his head slowly.
"About everything."
The documents.
The plan to leave.
The transfer of his empire.
The baby.
Someone had been watching them.
Someone had known about their future before Elena ever left.
Grant stood.
"Find her."
Daniel nodded.
"We're already trying."
Grant looked toward the window.
"No."
Daniel paused.
Grant's voice became colder.
"Find Victor first."
Because if Victor Hale was involved, this was no longer about a marriage falling apart.
This was war.
I spent the next several hours moving from place to place.
A bus station.
A small bookstore.
A crowded street.
Anywhere with people.
Anywhere I could disappear.
But the problem with fear was that it followed you.
Even when nobody was there.
Even when you were safe.
I kept hearing footsteps behind me.
I kept checking reflections in windows.
I kept wondering if every black car belonged to someone searching for me.
By sunset, exhaustion took over.
I sat on a bench outside a small park.
My hand rested over my stomach.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
The words surprised me.
Because I wasn't sure who I was apologizing to.
My baby.
Grant.
Or myself.
"I'm sorry you have to be scared because of choices your parents made."
A tear fell.
"I just wanted you to have a normal life."
Then a voice behind me answered.
"Your child was never going to have a normal life."
I immediately stood.
The man from the motel parking lot stood several feet away.
The older man.
The expensive coat.
The calm expression.
My heart raced.
"Who are you?"
He smiled slightly.
"You know who I am."
I shook my head.
"No."
"You know my name."
Silence.
Then I understood.
The phone call.
The files.
The person who knew everything.
"Victor Hale."
His smile widened.
"Good."
I stepped back.
"What do you want?"
Victor looked at me carefully.
Not like a man looking at a person.
Like a man looking at something valuable.
"I want what belongs to me."
My stomach tightened.
"What are you talking about?"
He took a slow step forward.
"Grant never told you, did he?"
I said nothing.
Victor laughed softly.
"Of course he didn't."
"He wanted to protect you."
The way he said it made my skin crawl.
"You know nothing about my husband."
Victor tilted his head.
"Actually, I know more about your husband than you do."
I hated that those words hurt.
Because some part of me feared they were true.
Victor continued.
"The anniversary party wasn't just a celebration."
"I know."
His expression changed.
"You don't know anything."
The confidence in his voice made me nervous.
"Grant was planning to disappear."
I froze.
"He was planning to leave his empire behind."
My heart stopped.
Because that was impossible.
Unless...
Unless the files were real.
Unless everything Grant had been hiding was exactly what Victor claimed.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Victor looked at my stomach.
And that single glance made me feel sick.
"Because the child you're carrying changes everything."
I immediately stepped back.
"Stay away from me."
For the first time, his calm expression disappeared.
"You don't understand."
"No, I understand perfectly."
"You think Grant can protect you."
Victor's voice became colder.
"He couldn't even protect you from himself."
The words hit like a knife.
Because they sounded like my own fears.
Before I could answer, headlights appeared at the end of the street.
Several black vehicles turned the corner.
Victor looked over.
For the first time, he seemed surprised.
Then he smiled.
"Your husband is faster than I expected."
My heart raced.
Grant.
A part of me wanted to run toward him.
A part of me wanted to hide.
The SUVs stopped.
The doors opened.
Men stepped out.
Then Grant appeared.
No suit.
No business image.
No powerful man everyone feared.
Just a husband who looked like he hadn't slept since I left.
His eyes found mine immediately.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then his gaze shifted to Victor.
And everything changed.
The warmth disappeared.
The danger returned.
"Move away from my wife."
Victor smiled.
"There he is."
Grant stepped forward.
"You're done."
Victor looked between us.
Then at my stomach.
"Are you sure?"
Grant's expression darkened.
Victor continued.
"Because if Elena knew what was inside those files..."
He paused.
"She might not be standing beside you."
I looked at Grant.
My heart sank.
Because I saw it.
The hesitation.
The fear.
Grant Mercer was afraid of what Victor was about to reveal.
And that was when I realized something.
I had run from Grant because I believed he was hiding a monster.
May you like
But maybe the truth was worse.
Maybe he had been hiding the reason the monster was coming after us.
