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Talia kicked the edge of the coffee table, sending a vase crashing to the floor. Shards scattered across the tiles, but she didn’t care. She picked up a ss next and threw it hard against the wall. It shattered, spraying fragments like glittering confetti.
“Talia! Stop!” her manager yelled as he stepped inside the hotel suite. He dodged a flying bottle and mmed the door shut behind him. “I already talked to the management of the hospital, don’t worry they will- ”
She ignored him and threw the nearest throw pillow across the room. Her breathing was fast. Her arms trembled as she gripped the back of a chair.
“He pushed me,” she said, staring nkly at the wall. “He threw me to the ground like I was trash. I am suing him and that damn bitch!”
Her manager moved carefully, hands raised. “We need to calm down. Sit down, please. You’re still healing.”
Talia spun around. “He didn’t evene to check on me. Did you see that? Not a word. Not a nce.”
“You were causing a scene. The guards had to step in.”
“Where is he?” she snapped. Her eyes darted toward the door. “Samuel. Where is he? Why isn’t he here?”
The manager hesitated. “He left. After they confirmed your vitals were stable.”
Talia went still.
Then her head slowly turned. “He left?”
The manager nodded cautiously. “Yes. He said you were fine. And that he needed to clear his head.”
Talia let out a sound that was almost augh. Her hand twitched at her side. “He’s with her.”
The manager opened his mouth to object, but Talia was already pacing.
“He’s with that woman. That snake. That homewrecker. I knew it. I knew the moment I saw her face in that hallway.”
“Talia-”
“She stole everything from me! My family secured his father’s failing business. I lost a child! And now he’s running after her like nothing ever happened?”
Her voice broke off, and she grabbed amp off the end table. Her manager rushed forward.
“Don’t-”
Toote. Themp smashed into the floor. Another mess<b>. </b>
She backed away, holding her head. Her fingers dug into her scalp.
<b>12:19 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>11
“This isn’t over. She thinks this <b>is </b>over? She has no idea what I’m capable of.”
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Her manager stepped forward, speaking carefully. “You need to rest. You just got discharged. This isn’t good for you.”
Talia shook her head, her eyes wild. “No. I’m not resting. Not until she’s gone.”
The manager swallowed hard and stepped back.
Talia turned toward the window. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“She’s going to pay for everything. And Samuel… if he thinks he can walk away from this like none of it matters, he’s wrong. He’s <b>so</b>, so wrong.”
She didn’t move again.
And her manager, wisely, said nothing.
But then, after a while, Talia suddenly startedughing.
Not the amused kind. The kind that made her shoulders shake as she stood by the window, one hand pressed against the ss. Her reflection in the pane didn’t look like her. Her skin looked pale. Her mouth was pulled into a wide grin, but her eyes were still wet.
Then theughter broke off. A sharp sob cut through it. Her knees gave way, and she copsed onto the floor. Her hands clutched at her stomach like she could still feel something there. Her breathing turned erratic.
“I was going to name her the same name as my grandmother,” she whispered. “I had names. I bought the crib. I bought everything.”
Her manager
stood frozen near the door, watching as she rocked back and forth on the floor. His phone was already in his hand. He hesitated for half a second, then dialed.
“Yes, I need immediate assistance. Psychiatric. It’s urgent. Patient is Talia Arden. She’s just been discharged today from St. Felix, post–miscarriage trauma. She’s showing signs of acute stress response. No, not safe to leave her alone. We’re at the La Valencia penthouse. Please send someone immediately. And I need you to keep it a secret. Lock down all news about this. Yes, I will take care of her family.”
He hung up. Talia was still curled up on the carpet, mumbling something he couldn’t make out. Her makeup had smeared, tears streaking down her cheeks, and herugh–sob hybrid started again. She dug her fingers into the carpet like she was trying to hold herself to the floor.
“She took everything,” she said. “She took my baby. She took Samuel.”
Her manager took a step forward, crouching nearby without getting too close. “Help ising, Talia. Just breathe. That’s all you have to do. Just breathe.”
Talia didn’t answer. Her gaze stayed locked on the wall as if she wasn’t in the room anymore.
<b>12:19 </b>Thu, <b>Sep </b><b>11 </b>
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“I just got a call. Talia’s being rushed to-” Vanessa stopped mid–sentence as soon as she saw the look on her son’s face. His eyes were wide, his movements frantic as he stormed to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of
water.
“Samuel,” she said, frowning. “What happened? Did something else happen to Talia?”
He twisted the cap off and took a long drink before answering. “I think… Emery is pregnant.”
Vanessa blinked. “What?”
“She’s pregnant,” he said again. “Emery is pregnant with my child.”
He didn’t even flinch as he said it.
Vanessa stared at him. “What did you just say?”
“I said she’s pregnant. Emery <b>is-</b>”
“No,” she interrupted, her voice sharper now. “You’re telling me that that girl–that maniptive whore–is suddenly carrying your child?”
Samuel hesitated, but then nodded. “I think so, yes. And I’m going to—”
“You’re going to what?” Vanessa snapped. “Fall for it? Again? She’s ying you, Samuel! Don’t be so naive.”
“Mom-”
“She’s lying! That girl has always been trouble,” Vanessa said. “You don’t remember how she inserted herself into our lives, how she clung to you like a parasite the moment you looked at her? And now, conveniently, she’s pregnant the second Talia is out of the picture?”
“She’s not like that.”
“She’s exactly like that,” Vanessa hissed. “She’s been nothing but a stain on our name since the beginning. She was never good enough. Not for you, not for this family.”
Samuel rubbed his forehead, but Vanessa wasn’t done.
“She’s not pregnant with your child. She’s lying. It’s probably some other man’s baby, and she’s trying to pass it off as yours so she can crawl her way back into our house.<b>” </b>
“Stop.”
“No, you need to hear this,” she said. “Women like her–scheming, low–ss gold diggers–they use whatever they can to survive. Now she’s using a baby. Do you really think it’s a coincidence? After all this time, she reappears with that smug look and now she’s carrying your baby? Please.”
“Mom, it’s not like that,” Samuel said through clenched teeth.
“Oh, it’s exactly like that,” Vanessa snapped. “And if you fall for this–if you bring her back into our lives–I swear, Samuel, you’ll regret it.”
“She’s the mother of my child.”
“She’s a mistake,” Vanessa shot back. “One that you’re about to repeat.”
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