Chapter 9 - The Pain and the Penthouse
With Richard gone, the adrenaline that had been keeping Claire upright completely evaporated.
A sudden, agonizing cramp seized her entire abdomen. It was a sharp, tearing pain that stole the oxygen directly from her lungs. Her knees buckled beneath her.
"Evie!" Eleanor cried out, catching Claire in her arms before she could hit the marble.
"It hurts..." Claire gasped, clutching her stomach in terror. "The baby..."
"Get the private medical team to the penthouse immediately! Lock down the elevators!" Eleanor screamed, barking orders at Marcus, who was now frantically sprinting to obey.
Within minutes, Claire was being rushed up the private golden elevator, supported entirely by the mother she had never known. The doors opened directly into a sprawling, multi-million-dollar penthouse that looked out over the glittering Chicago skyline.
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She was laid gently onto a massive, plush king-sized bed. A team of private concierges and nurses, permanently on call for the Crawford estate, swarmed the room.
Claire was terrified. She was only thirty-two weeks along. It was too early. If she lost the baby now, after losing everything else, she knew she would not survive it.
