Chapter 2 His Blood

• ONE YEAR EARLIER
• VERA
• I stirred, my body aching, exhaustion weighing me down like a heavy chain. The room was too bright and unfamiliar, and I felt a rush of panic before it hit me, I was in the hospital and had just given birth.
• A wave of emotion washed over me, and I turned my head, expecting to see my baby nearby. But the crib was empty.
• My breath hitched and my arms instinctively reached out to search, but before I could call for help, a low voice drifted through the room.
• “She just had the baby. This is the best time to do it. Don’t give me that b*llsh*t! I want this freaking baby gone... and I don’t have time to wait for tomorrow,” someone said. “If my father got word of this, everything would go to sh*t!” he added, and just then, I caught a glimpse of him, and I froze: Logan.
• He was going to take my baby away. Just then, he spoke again, telling the person that the next day would be fine, but they needed to come in the morning, and that he would give me sleeping pills to keep me from getting in the way.
• My hand instinctively pressed over my mouth, muffled my gasp as my heart hammered so loudly that I could barely hear anything else. He wanted to take him away.
• Just then, he went quiet, and I knew he was coming. My stomach tightened in terror, and my limbs froze as footsteps echoed. A moment later, the door creaked open, and he stepped inside with an unreadable expression. "Hey," he said innocently, as if nothing had happened, as if he had not just conspired to give away my baby, which he denied and threatened to harm my family if I revealed was his.
• “You’re awake,” he added before I could even attempt to find words or master the courage to look up at him, and I swallowed hard, my voice shaking.
• “Where’s my baby?” He hadn’t given him away yet, and I wanted to know where he was. A second of silence passed between us before he nodded toward the door. Almost on cue, a nurse entered, cradling a small bundle wrapped in a soft blue blanket, and my heart stuttered.
• Tears blurred my vision as I reached out, and the nurse gently placed him in my arms, softly announcing that he was a boy since I had passed right after birth. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, his little hands curling as he stretched slightly.
• A fierce love clenched my chest so hard that it hurt as I ran a shaking finger over his soft, downy hair and kissed his forehead. I had to find a way out. Nobody would give him up, and tears flowed freely as I held him close and inhaled his warm baby scent.
• Logan still stood over us, but he wasn’t looking at us as I glanced up at him, asking myself how he could want to do this. He was his flesh, his blood, and he wanted to rip him away from me and give him away like he meant nothing to him.
• He made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with him, and I promised not to tell anyone. My thoughts raced as I wondered whether he would listen if I tried to reason with him again. I opened my mouth, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak, but then something inside me said no. A voice said it was too risky to try to speak with him and that I should pretend like I didn’t hear his conversation.
• It was right; I would pretend like I didn’t know, and then the moment he left, I would leave and disappear. I had planned to flee with my baby after giving birth. I had my belongings and the baby's belongings hidden in the woods behind my house, and that was exactly what I intended to do. Even with that resolution, however, it hurt that he wouldn’t even so much as glance at our son.
• Before I could work out my plan, a shift in the room made my pulse spike. Logan's men, dressed in pristine suits, entered, causing him to turn toward the door. One of them took a step closer as if waiting for something, and my stomach twisted with confusion. “What’s going on?”
• Logan exhaled impatiently. “It’s time to go home.” My eyes widened. “What?” I was expecting to spend a few more hours in the hospital before being released. That was what I had been told would happen once I had given birth. I tried to tell him that, but he would not let me finish.
• “I’ve hired a nurse. She’ll take care of you and the baby.” His tone was clipped and businesslike, and I stared at him, my mind spinning. I couldn’t go home with him. “Logan, I—?” He didn’t wait and simply gestured, and his men moved.
• One of them reached for my baby. “No!” My grip tightened, and panic rushed through me. The man paused, but Logan's cold gaze turned to him, and my baby was whisked away from my arms. A strangled cry erupted from my throat, my body still too weak to fight. Then another man slid his arm beneath my legs and back, lifting me before I could protest.
• “Wait!” I gasped, struggling against him, but my limbs were weak and he didn’t listen.
• They carried me through the hospital corridors, my heart pounding with terror and desperation. Logan walked ahead, his face set like a stone, and I had never felt so powerless in my life. All I could do was focus my attention on the man who had my baby.
• There was a light breeze as the man carried me outside. And my heart raced even faster as I took in the sight in front of me: three black SUVs lined up, their engines humming, and their tinted windows glowing eerily.
• I barely had time to process before being slid into the back seat of the middle vehicle. The leather was cold against my skin but I didn’t even have time to dwell on it. Instead, I turned sharply, my lips trembling as I whispered, "Please, my baby."
• Logan stood just outside the car, his dark eyes meeting mine for a fleeting moment before giving a small nod. The man holding my child obeyed without delay, stepping forward and lowering my son into my waiting arms, eliciting a muffled sob as he returned to my chest.
• Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, landing on his soft blanket as I cradled him while the doors shut with a loud thud, sealing us inside. The car lurched forward, and the world outside blurred as I contemplated what I would do. My mind raced, trying to figure out how to get out of this.
• Maybe my stepmother would help. Maybe my father would change his mind if he saw his grandson; perhaps I should take my chances with them.
• But then that voice within me returned, the one that had been whispering since I overheard Logan's chilling words. "Calm down. Don’t let him know you heard. You have all night.“ I swallowed hard, wiping my tears with one hand as they continued to flow. “Make your play then. Escape while he sleeps.“
• The idea sounded good, but there was one problem: I had no idea how Logan's place looked. What if he had security? What if the doors were locked? What if I couldn’t get past them?
• I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the terrifying possibilities as the road stretched endlessly ahead, the motion of the car only increasing my anxiety. But just as I was about to close my eyes, my baby began squirming, and I opened them to see him wriggling slightly, his fists waving in the air. He must have been hungry.
• My heart clenched, and a new sense of helplessness washed over me. I had no idea where to start feeding him.
• My throat tightened as I looked at the men sitting on either side of me. Their faces were expressionless, their posture stiff, and I would not be able to try with them next to me. “It’s okay, my love. All will be well, sweetheart,” I whispered, my lips getting numb as everything blurred. The stress, the fear, the exhaustion, it was all crashing down on me, all over again, mixing with the anxiety and making my vision swim.
• I was losing control, despite knowing I needed to keep it together for my baby.
• It didn't matter how much security he had or how many precautions he had put in place; I would find a way. I had to.