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Victoria steered me toward the service wing while Evan trailed behind at a distance, offering zero help. I barely made it past the doorway before another contraction ripped through me. At only thirty-four weeks, raw panic finally took over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d I said, all panicked. \u201cThe baby\u2019s coming early. I need a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Victoria opened the door to a private bridal bathroom, forced me down onto a velvet vanity chair, and gave my shoulder a patronizing pat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust sit for a moment and take some deep breaths,\u201d she sighed. \u201cWe\u2019ll be right back. It will be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then she locked the door from the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t even breath from the pain I was in. All I could do was scream for help. But help never actually arrived. Instead, Evan got near the door and said, \u201cJust a few minutes, Claire. Try to stay calm and stop making a fuss.\u201d He then left and there was dead silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That family hated me, I could always sense that, but I had no idea that could be so cruel towards someone who was about to give birth. They always mocked me. I wore off-the-rack clothes, drove a dented sedan, and pulled a standard government paycheck, so they looked at me like I was some kind of charity case. Victoria loved calling me \u201cthe little accountant\u201d just to put me down in front of guests, and Celeste thought she was hilarious joking that I spent my days in a gray cubicle counting grapes. Evan? Evan would just laugh right along with them, then pull me aside later with some lame excuse like, \u201cYou know how they are, don\u2019t take it personally.\u201d<\/em> As if a pathetic little pat on the back erased the public humiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not once did it cross their minds to actually ask what I did for a living. And Evan definitely didn\u2019t care enough to dig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I wasn\u2019t some boring, low-level bean counter. I\u2019m a senior forensic auditor for the state attorney general\u2019s organized crime unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two weeks ago, finding his digital signature on those emptied accounts was bad enough. But then, right in the middle of a wedding surrounded by the very people I was investigating, my body decided it had had enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trembling, I grabbed the encrypted burner phone from my bag and dialed the only number on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cClaire?\u201d Mara answered right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m in the east bridal bathroom at Bellacourt Vineyard,\u201d I gasped, fighting back a wave of pain. \u201cMy water just broke. I need a medic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a pause, then Mara shifted straight into commander mode. \u201cAre you safe? Where are they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m alone in a room by the main terrace,\u201d I whispered, staring at the door. \u201cAlone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t move,\u201d she said. \u201cThe paramedics are on the way. And Claire? The tactical squad is right behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The line clicked dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let them dance while they still could. The police wasn\u2019t just coming for a baby, they were coming for the whole family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few minutes later, I heard Evan. He told me to open the door, but it was his mother who had the key. Then Victoria chimed in, venomous as ever, shaking the locked knob from the outside. \u201cStop being so theatrical, Claire! You always pull this crap when all eyes aren\u2019t on you. Keep it quiet before you ruin the reception.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that moment, sirens drowned out the music, and the party chatter died instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat the hell is that?\u201d Evan asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSecurity, most likely,\u201d Victoria snapped. \u201cGo see what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evan bolted into the hallway and shoved open the service door, right into a wall of tactical boots and federal gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFederal agents! Clear the hallway!\u201d Mara Voss shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet her on the stretcher,\u201d Mara ordered, giving my hand a firm squeeze. \u201cCan you walk, Claire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/boreddaddy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-292.png\")
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