Chapter 5 - The Shadow Returns
The hospital corridors at 3:00 AM were quiet, filled only with the hum of vending machines and the squeak of nurses' shoes. Hannah was finally allowed in a wheelchair, parked beside the glowing incubators in the NICU. She reached through the porthole, letting her tiny son's hand wrap around her index finger.
She felt a chill before she heard the footsteps.
"Well, well. It took some digging, but you always did leave a messy trail, Hannah."
Hannah’s blood ran cold. She slowly turned the wheelchair around. Standing in the doorway of the NICU, ignoring the glaring 'Authorized Personnel Only' sign, was Marcus. Her ex. The loan shark she had borrowed money from to bury her father, who had demanded payment in blood and submission.
"Marcus," she breathed, her hands shaking. "You can't be here."
"I go where my property goes," he sneered, stepping into the room, his eyes flicking to the incubators. "Nice kids. Medical bills are going to be high, though. Good thing you owe me. You're going to come quietly, Hannah, or I'm going to start breaking things. Starting with those expensive little boxes."
He reached into his jacket. Hannah screamed, trying to stand up, but her surgical stitches flared with agonizing pain, dropping her back into the chair.
Suddenly, a hand clamped down on Marcus’s shoulder with bone-crushing force.
Marcus spun around, coming face-to-face with Ethan. The doctor was still in his scrubs, but he looked like murder incarnate. Before Marcus could react, Ethan slammed him against the wall, his forearm pressed sharply against the thug's throat.
"Security is already on their way," Ethan whispered, his voice vibrating with a terrifying calmness. "But before they get here, let me make this clear. You are looking at the man who owns the building you're standing in. I own the police captain you bribe. I have enough money to make sure you are hunted to the ends of the earth if you ever look at this woman again. Do you understand?"
Marcus gasped for air, his eyes wide with sudden panic as he realized the sheer scale of the power standing in front of him. He nodded frantically.
Ethan dropped him just as three armed hospital security guards rushed into the room. "Get this trash out of my hospital. If he comes within a mile of the perimeter, break his legs before you call the cops."
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As they dragged Marcus away, Ethan knelt in front of Hannah’s wheelchair. She was sobbing, trembling violently. He gently took her hands in his.
"He's gone," Ethan promised, his thumbs brushing away her tears. "He is never going to touch you again. No one is."
