Chapter 349

Dominic's fingers tightened around his phone, his knuckles turning white.

Thirty minutes later, his car screeched to a halt outside St. Elizabeth Medical Center.

"Mr. Blackwood, I'm sorry," the doctor said, his voice heavy. "We couldn't save the baby. Miss Montgomery collapsed from grief."

Eleanor Blackwood stood nearby, her face streaked with silent tears. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

Richard Montgomery clutched a small black bag, his expression ashen. Inside lay the lifeless remains of what should have been his grandchild.

"Dominic," Richard spat, his voice trembling with fury. "You couldn't even honor my daughter, but to let someone harm my grandchild? How heartless can you be?"

Dominic's gaze flickered to the bag. "Give me the child."

His emotions were a tangled mess—anger, frustration, but not grief.

Yet the thought of Evelyn being responsible ignited a fire in his chest. A darker voice whispered in his mind—Get a paternity test.

Richard let out a bitter laugh. "Why? So you can pretend to care? This child will never breathe again because of you!" His grip on the bag tightened. "You don’t deserve to be a father. Loving you was the worst mistake my daughter ever made. Even in death, this child will haunt you!"

His words grew more venomous, each syllable dripping with hatred.

A bodyguard stepped forward, trying to intervene. The two men shoved each other, tension crackling in the air.

Then—a nurse's panicked shout cut through the chaos.

"Dr. Shaw! Patient in bed thirty-eight is hemorrhaging!"

Dominic turned. Through the open door, he saw Zoe lying motionless, her skin ghostly pale.

His chest tightened. He strode inside.

The doctor checked her vitals, his expression grim. "She's losing too much blood. We need to stop it—now!"

At Thornfield Industries, Evelyn couldn't focus.

Her phone sat on her desk, silent.

What happened to Zoe?

She had waited all morning for news. There should have been an update by now.

Did the baby survive?

If not, why hadn’t Dominic called to accuse her? She prayed the child was alive. She didn’t need this nightmare.

"Evelyn, lunch?" Michael Sterling poked his head into her office.

She shook her head. "Not hungry. Go ahead."

"I'll bring you something. What do you want?"

"Anything."

Michael frowned. "You okay? You look off." He reached out, pressing a hand to her forehead. "No fever. Who pissed you off?"

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "Eleanor called me this morning—on Zoe's behalf. I was set up."

Then—her phone rang.

Dominic’s name flashed on the screen. Her pulse spiked.

She answered. His voice was deceptively calm.

"Evelyn. Should I come to you, or will you come to the hospital?"

Beneath the icy control, she heard the storm.

She didn’t want to see him. Not now. Not ever.

"I didn’t push Zoe," she said, her voice steady. "I tried to leave. She grabbed me. I shook her off—that’s all. She fell on her own!"

His laugh was cold. "So my mother and everyone else lied?"

Evelyn’s lips curled. "And what if I did push her?" she challenged. "Will you avenge her?"