---- Chapter 6 6 The drenching from the rainstorm, combined with the emotional devastation, took its toll Maya woke up the next morning shivering, with a raging fever and a cough that rattled her bones. Pneumonia, the doctor later confirmed. Liam, for a brief period, was the picture of concern. He rushed her to the hospital, hovered anxiously, spoke to doctors in hushed, urgent tones. A flicker of the old Liam, the one who had seemed to care so deeply. Or perhaps, just fear of his perfect image being tarnished by a sick wife. She was admitted. Liam stayed until she was settled, then said he had to make an urgent call. He stepped out into the hospital corridor. Maya, drifting in a feverish haze, heard his voice. It wasn't hushed or urgent anymore. It was... excited. Happy. "Yes, 'm on my way now... No, don't worry about a thing... I'll take care of everything... This is fantastic news, absolutely fantastic!" Curiosity, or perhaps a masochistic need to see the full extent of his deceit, pulled Maya from her bed. ---- Weak, trembling, she followed the sound of his voice. She saw him at the end of the hall, near the elevators. He was beaming, talking animatedly on his phone. He hung up, then walked towards the maternity wing. The OB-GYN clinic. Maya followed, a cold dread creeping through her. Ava Sinclair was there. Glowing, radiant, and visibly pregnant. She was laughing as Liam fussed over her, helping her onto an examination table. He held her hand, kissed her forehead. The same tenderness he used to show Maya. Ava saw Maya then, standing in the doorway, a pale ghost in a hospital gown. A triumphant, malicious smile spread across Ava's face. "Oh, look who it is," Ava said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Maya, darling. Fancy meeting you here." Liam whirled around. His face went white when he saw Maya. Panic flashed in his eyes. "Maya! What are you doing out of bed? You're sick!" He rushed towards her, trying to block her view of Ava. "This isn't... it's not what it looks like. Ava... she just fainted. | brought her here as a precaution." A flimsy, pathetic lie. Maya just stared at him, then at Ava, who was practically ---- preening. "Pregnant, Ava?" Maya asked, her voice surprisingly steady. Ava placed a protective hand on her small, rounded belly. "Yes," Ava said, her eyes glinting. "Liam and | are expecting. Isn't it wonderful? He's going to be a father." She looked at Liam adoringly. "He's already bought me the most amazing penthouse. And he's planning a huge party to announce it to the world once the... situation... with you is handled." Liam looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him. "Ava, shut up!" he hissed. "Why, baby?" Ava pouted. "It's the truth. Maya deserves to know." Liam tried to usher Maya away. "Let's go back to your room, Maya. You need to rest." Ava wasn't done. "He even said he was thinking of naming her Hope. Or maybe Maya, if it's a girl. Isn't that sweet?" Maya felt a cold rage, so profound it almost choked her. She pulled her arm from Liam's grasp. She walked back to her room, Liam trailing after her, babbling excuses. She ignored him. Later that day, her phone, the one Liam knew, buzzed. A series of messages from an unknown number. From Ava. Taunting messages. Explicit details of her sexual encounters ---- with Liam. In their marital bed. In their Hamptons house. Photos of expensive gifts Liam had bought her - jewelry, cars, designer clothes. And then, the final, cruelest blow. A crystal-clear copy of a sonogram. "Our baby, Maya. Liam's baby." Underneath it, a picture of Ava wearing the "Maya's Horizon" necklace, smiling triumphantly. "He lets me wear it sometimes. Says it looks better on me." Maya stared at the messages, the photos, the sonogram. The last vestiges of any lingering doubt, any misplaced sentimentality, burned away. There was nothing left but ice and resolve. Liam, oblivious to the fresh hell Ava had unleashed, was still trying to play the concerned husband. He sat by her bed, holding her hand, stroking her hair. "You just focus on getting better, my love," he murmured. Maya looked at him, truly looked at him. And saw a stranger. A monster. She felt him embrace her from behind as she pretended to sleep. His touch was repulsive. She lay there, rigid, planning. He had no idea the storm he had truly unleashed.