Chapter 2 - THE POISON IN THE VEINS
“She was poisoned,” Dr. Bennett said, the clinical detachment in her voice cracking just enough to let the horror through. “Thallium, introduced slowly over the last several months. It mimics severe fatigue and malnutrition. Someone was trying to induce a miscarriage, Mr. Mercer, or worse.”
Luke’s lungs forgot how to pull in air. The room spun, sharp and vicious, as the timeline clicked into place. Three months ago, he had filed for divorce to distance her from the escalating violence of the Mercer syndicate. He had locked her out of his accounts, his homes, and his life, believing obscurity would be her armor. Instead, he had stripped her of his protection, leaving her exposed to the one enemy who had access to her daily routine before she fled.
His own blood.
His brother, Silas.
“Can you flush it out?” Luke demanded, his voice dropping to a gravelly register that made the doctor take a subconscious step back.
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“We are administering Prussian blue now to bind the toxins. But the pregnancy is precarious.” Dr. Bennett adjusted the IV drip. “If she wakes up, the stress alone could trigger early labor. Keep her calm. And whoever did this to her—keep them far away.”
Luke turned to the doorway where Marco stood, already dialing a burner phone. The air in the room grew instantly colder. The divorce was a shield that had failed. Now, he would be a sword.
