PART 2: THE WIFE HE ABANDONED WAS FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE — AND THE SECRET THAT DESTROYED HIM WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING

The hospital corridor seemed to stop breathing.

Vincent Moretti stood frozen as the doctor stared at him.

“Mr. Moretti, I need you to understand something. Your wife has suffered serious abdominal trauma. We’re doing everything possible to stabilize her, but the next few hours are critical.”

Vincent’s lips parted.

“Her baby?”

The doctor hesitated.

“We’ve detected a heartbeat, but the pregnancy is extremely fragile. We need to act quickly.”

Vincent gripped the edge of the counter.

“How far along is she?”

“Approximately twelve weeks.”

Twelve weeks.

He did the calculation in his head.

Twelve weeks ago, Claire had come into his office holding a small white envelope. She had looked nervous, almost hopeful.

He remembered barely looking up from his paperwork.

“What is it, Claire?”

“Something important. Can we talk tonight?”

“I have a meeting.”

She had smiled faintly and walked away.

Now he understood.

She had been trying to tell him he was going to be a father.

And he had been too busy to listen.

“Can I see her?” he asked.

“Not yet. The medical team needs space.”

Sophia appeared behind him.

“Vincent, darling, let’s go. There’s nothing you can do here.”

He slowly turned.

“Don’t call me darling.”

Sophia blinked.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She reached for his hand.

“I’m just worried about you. You know Claire has always been dramatic. Perhaps she’s using this situation to—”

“STOP.”

His voice echoed through the corridor.

For the first time in years, Sophia looked genuinely frightened.

Before she could respond, a nurse rushed out of the treatment area.

“Mr. Moretti?”

Vincent immediately stepped forward.

“Yes?”

“Your wife has been asking for someone.”

“Me?”

The nurse looked uncomfortable.

“She asked whether her parents had been contacted.”

Vincent’s expression changed.

“Tell her I’m here. Tell her I want to see her.”

The nurse shook her head.

“She specifically asked that we contact her parents, not you.”

Those words hurt him more than he expected.

Claire had always waited for him.

Even when he was late, even when he forgot their anniversary, even when Sophia interrupted their plans, Claire had always left a light on.

But now she didn’t want him.

And he had earned that.

Twenty minutes later, Claire’s parents arrived.

Her mother, Margaret, ran toward the treatment room, tears streaming down her face.

“Where is my daughter?”

Vincent stepped forward.

“Margaret, I—”

She slapped him across the face.

The sound silenced everyone nearby.

“You did this!”

Vincent didn’t move.

Margaret’s husband caught her arm before she could strike him again.

“Where is Claire?” she demanded.

A doctor approached.

“She’s stable for the moment, but we’re monitoring her closely. The baby is still at risk.”

Margaret covered her mouth.

Then she looked at Vincent with an expression he would never forget.

“My daughter wanted a child for ten years. She waited for you. She begged you to build a family with her.”

Vincent lowered his eyes.

“She never told me she was pregnant.”

Margaret gave a bitter laugh.

“Of course she didn’t. You never gave her a chance to speak.”

She reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded document.

“Do you know what this is?”

Vincent shook his head.

“Her transfer approval. She was leaving Chicago. She was coming home to us.”

His eyes widened.

“Leaving?”

“She had finally decided to stop begging you to love her.”

The words landed like a sentence.

Meanwhile, Sophia was sitting alone in the hospital waiting area.

She had been watching Vincent for nearly an hour.

He hadn’t looked at her once.

Finally, she approached him.

“Vincent, we need to talk.”

He didn’t respond.

“About what happened today…”

He slowly lifted his head.

“What happened today?”

Sophia swallowed.

“Claire provoked you. You know how she gets when she’s upset.”

Vincent stared at her.

“Did you know she was pregnant?”

A brief silence followed.

It was brief, but he noticed.

“Sophia?”

She looked away.

“I… suspected something.”

His expression hardened.

“How long?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a few weeks.”

Vincent stood.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“You never wanted children! I thought you’d be angry!”

He stared at her as if seeing a stranger.

Then another thought struck him.

“Why did you come shopping with me today?”

Sophia’s eyes filled with tears.

“Because I needed you.”

“No. Why did you need me to leave the house?”

She said nothing.

Vincent pulled out his phone.

“Get my security chief on the line.”

Sophia’s face changed.

“Vincent, please. Don’t do this.”

“Find out exactly what happened while I was away from the house. And get the camera footage.”

“Those cameras don’t work!”

Vincent went completely still.

“What did you just say?”

Sophia realized her mistake.

For months, she had told him the cameras near the living room were being repaired.

But Vincent had never authorized any repairs.

He looked at her coldly.

“Why do you know that?”

She stepped backward.

“I’m tired. I need to go home.”

“You’re not going anywhere until I understand what you’ve been hiding.”

At 9:47 p.m., the doctor finally came out.

Vincent and Claire’s parents stood immediately.

“She’s awake,” he announced. “Her condition is still serious, but we’ve managed to stabilize her for now. We’ll continue monitoring the pregnancy very carefully.”

Margaret began crying with relief.

Vincent approached.

“Can I see her now?”

The doctor studied him.

“Your wife has requested to see her parents first.”

Vincent nodded.

He had no right to argue.

Through the small window in the hospital door, he could see Claire lying in bed, pale and exhausted.

Her mother held her hand.

Her father stood beside her.

Vincent watched Claire whisper something.

Margaret immediately began crying again.

Then Claire turned her face toward the door.

Their eyes met.

For one second, Vincent thought she might ask for him.

Instead, she looked away.

A nurse stepped outside a moment later.

“Mr. Moretti, your wife has a message for you.”

Vincent stepped closer.

“What is it?”

The nurse handed him a small envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

He recognized Claire’s handwriting immediately.

Vincent,

I spent ten years believing that if I loved you enough, one day you would choose me.

Today, I finally understood that I was wrong.

I don’t know what will happen to our baby. But if our child survives, I want them to grow up knowing that love should never hurt.

Don’t come looking for me.

I’m leaving.

And this time, I won’t come back.

Vincent read the letter twice.

Then his phone vibrated.

A message from his security chief appeared.

Boss, we recovered the missing living-room footage. You need to see this immediately. There’s something else. Sophia wasn’t just aware of your wife’s pregnancy. She had been planning something for weeks.

Vincent stared at the screen.

Another message arrived.

And sir… the footage shows that Sophia knew exactly what she was doing before you struck Claire. But that’s not the worst part. We found a second recording from your private office.

His blood ran cold.

Because the second recording had been made three days before the incident.

And the person speaking in it was Sophia.

Her words were unmistakable:

“Once Claire is gone, Vincent, you’ll finally have the life we were supposed to have.”

Vincent slowly raised his eyes toward the end of the corridor.

Sophia was no longer there.

And for the first time in ten years, Vincent Moretti realized that the woman he had trusted most might have been the one manipulating his entire marriage.

But what he was about to discover about the secret behind Claire’s pregnancy would be even more devastating.

Because Claire had not been planning to leave alone.

And someone else had known about her departure long before Vincent did…