The steady rhythm of machines filled the dim hospital room.
Soft beeps.
A slow, mechanical breath.
The distant shuffle of nurses outside.
Lynn lay still, pale as the white sheets beneath her, her small frame swallowed by wires and tubes. She hadn't moved in days.
Samantha hadn't left her side once.
Her hair was tied back loosely, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion. She sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair with perfect posture, hands folded, gaze fixed on the woman who had once brought her coffee, schedules, and soft smiles every morning.
Now Lynn looked like a ghost the world tried to erase.
Jake stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching her silently.
"You need to sleep," he said softly.
Samantha didn't look at him. "I will. When she wakes up."
"That could take days, Sam."
"It could take minutes," she replied calmly. "And if she wakes up and I'm not here…"
Her voice thinned.
"…she'll panic."
Jake walked closer. "You're not responsible for what happened to her."
Samantha blinked slowly. "Yes, I am."
The lights above hummed.
Jake crouched down in front of her, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"You didn't pull the trigger."
"No," she whispered. "But the bullet was meant for me."
Jake swallowed hard.
She rarely broke.
But tonight, there was a crack — thin but real.
Jake placed a hand gently on her knee. "Sam, if you break, everything falls apart. Marcus wins."
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
That was enough.
Jake exhaled in relief. She was still in there.
Before either could speak again, Samantha's security detail stepped into the doorway.
"Miss Bradley… Marcus Reed is here."
Samantha's entire posture changed — straightening, sharpening, freezing.
Jake stepped protectively in front of her, but Samantha rose with a controlled calm.
"Let him in."
Marcus Arrives
Marcus Reed walked into the room with the confidence of a man who belonged everywhere he wasn't welcome.
Dark suit. Impeccable tie. Hands in his pockets.
Eyes too calm for someone visiting an "injured employee."
He glanced at Lynn briefly, then at Samantha, assessing her like she was a chessboard waiting for his next move.
"I heard a member of your staff was attacked," Marcus said smoothly. "Terrible. Thought I'd check in."
"Thoughtful of you," Samantha replied, voice icy. "Especially since you never met her."
"True." Marcus smiled faintly. "But loyalty is rare these days. Always good to see who you're willing to bleed for."
Jake stiffened beside her. Samantha didn't move.
Marcus stepped closer, pretending to examine the heart monitor beside Lynn.
"She's fragile," he murmured.
Samantha's jaw tightened. "She's stronger than you think."
Marcus turned to her.
Eyes narrowing.
Cold. Calculating.
"You are losing control, Samantha."
The words slipped through the room like poison.
Samantha smiled — slow, dangerous.
"No," she said softly. "I'm finally seeing who's been pulling the strings."
For the first time, Marcus's smile faltered, barely.
Jake stepped forward, fury in his voice. "You should leave."
Marcus didn't look at him. "I wasn't talking to you."
Jake moved anyway, placing himself between Samantha and Marcus.
Samantha touched Jake's arm lightly — a silent order.
"Marcus," she said, stepping closer so only he could hear, "if I find out you touched my people… even once… I won't take you to court. I'll burn you alive.."
She leaned in.
"I'll take everything you love. And make your life feel like hell"
Marcus's smirk returned.
"I look forward to your attempt."
He turned and walked out, his footsteps echoing down the long corridor.
Jake touched Samantha's shoulder. "He's provoking you. He wants you reckless."
"He won't get it," she said, though her hands trembled slightly. "But he just told me one thing."
Jake frowned. "What?"
"That I'm getting close."
*******
Kate Makes a Deal With the Devil.
Across town, in Marcus Reed's penthouse suite, Kate Carter paced anxiously.
Her hair was messier than usual, her eyes red, her hands trembling.
Marcus poured himself a drink, watching her like a scientist observing a mouse in a maze.
"You asked to see me," he said casually. "Not something your husband would approve of."
Kate stopped pacing.
"Nick… Nick is slipping away from me," she said breathlessly. "He barely talks to me anymore. He keeps—"
Her voice tightened.
"He keeps looking at her."
Marcus raised a brow. "Samantha Bradley?"
Kate swallowed.
"She's dangerous, Marcus. She's ruining everything."
Marcus sipped his drink.
"Or maybe you're ruining everything, Kate. From what I hear, you've been sloppy."
Kate's face went pale. "…You don't know anything."
"Oh, I know enough," Marcus said, amused. "I know about the blackmail money. The missing files. Your late-night calls."
Kate's breath hitched.
He continued, voice smooth as silk—
"Help me bring Samantha down, and you'll have your family back."
Kate froze.
Marcus lifted her chin with two fingers, forcing her to look at him.
"You want Nick back? You want your perfect life? Then help me destroy her."
Kate hesitated.
Then she nodded.
A dangerous alliance was born.
---
Sophia's Drawing
Later that afternoon, Samantha stepped into Sophia's private art class, a promise she'd made the little girl weeks ago and refused to break — not even now.
Sophia brightened instantly.
"Auntie Sam!"
Samantha knelt, managing a small smile. "Hi, sweetheart."
The teacher approached, holding a sheet of paper.
"Miss Bradley," she said softly, "Sophia drew something today… I thought you should see."
Sophia ran back to her seat and lifted her drawing proudly.
Samantha's breath caught.
It was a woman in a crimson dress.
Long dark hair.
Soft eyes.
A familiar smile.
Written above in childish handwriting:
Mommy Ally
The room spun slightly.
Sophia hugged Samantha tightly. "You look like Mommy Ally in my dream."
Samantha's heart cracked open — painfully, silently.
Nick stood at the doorway, having come for pickup.
He froze at the sight.
He saw Sophia clinging to Samantha.
He saw the drawing.
He saw the way Samantha's eyes glistened.
And he broke a little inside.
The teacher excused herself discreetly.
"Sophia," Samantha whispered, voice shaking, "why did you draw this?"
"Because I miss her," Sophia said simply. "And because… you feel like her."
A tear escaped Samantha's eye before she could stop it.
Sophia wiped it with her tiny fingers. "Don't cry. Mommy Ally said she'd always come back."
Samantha hugged her tighter, hiding her face in Sophia's small shoulder.
Nick stepped forward, voice barely above a whisper.
"Samantha…"
She stiffened but didn't turn.
"Samantha, please—"
She whispered only one thing.
"Don't."
Nick swallowed hard, a painful ache filling his chest.
Sophia looked up innocently. "Daddy, why are you sad?"
Nick's voice cracked. "Because I don't deserve either of you."
Samantha closed her eyes tightly.
This was too much.
Too close.
Too painful.
Too dangerous.
"We should go," she said quietly.
She stood, placing Sophia's drawing into her handbag.
Nick reached for her arm gently, but she pulled away.
The rejection hit him like a blow.
---
Later – Samantha Alone
That night, Samantha returned to Lynn's hospital bedside.
Sophia's drawing lay folded in her lap.
She stared at it, her breath trembling.
Lynn in a coma.
Marcus circling her like a predator.
Kate turning into a weapon.
Nick getting too close.
And Sophia—
That sweet child unknowingly opening every wound she tried to bury.
Samantha brushed a strand of hair away from Lynn's bandaged forehead.
"I'm not losing anyone else," she whispered.
Her eyes burned with something fierce.
Not revenge.
Not anger.
Something deeper.
A vow.
The door opened softly.
Jake entered, quiet, gentle.
He took one look at her and knew she was seconds away from breaking.
"Sam," he said softly, sitting beside her. "You're not alone in this."
She didn't speak.
She leaned into him slowly—just enough for her forehead to touch his shoulder.
Jake wrapped an arm around her.
And there, in the silent hospital room, between the machines and the shadows and the weight of every secret—
Samantha finally let one tear fall.
Just one.
Jake caught it with his thumb.
And whispered, "We're going to end him. I swear it."