Chapter 5 - The Woman on the Floor
Claire had never imagined that the courthouse floor would become the place where she would pray.
She pressed one hand against the polished surface.
The other remained on her stomach.
Her cheek hurt.
Her mouth was bleeding.
But the physical pain was not what terrified her.
She was afraid of what might be happening inside her.
"Claire."
She heard Ethan's voice.
She looked up.
He stood several feet away.
His expression was shocked.
She did not know whether he was shocked by what had happened or by the consequences.
She no longer cared.
"Don't come near me."
He stopped.
The words were quiet.
But they carried farther than she expected.
Victoria stood behind him.
Her green suit was immaculate.
Her face was no longer calm.
Claire looked at her.
Then back at Ethan.
The judge remained standing.
"Everyone stay where you are."
The courtroom had changed completely.
Only minutes earlier, Claire had been a wife negotiating the final stage of a marriage.
Now she was an injured pregnant woman lying on the floor while the judge demanded order.
Her attorney rushed toward her.
"Don't move."
"I need to know if the baby—"
"We'll get medical assistance."
Claire nodded.
She closed her eyes.
The baby moved.
A small movement.
Barely noticeable.
But it was enough.
Claire began crying.
Not loudly.
Just silently.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
For months, she had been afraid of becoming a single mother.
Now the fear seemed almost irrelevant.
She had believed the hardest thing she would ever face was raising a child without the man she loved.
She had been wrong.
The hardest thing was realizing that the person she had trusted most could become someone she needed protection from.
Across the room, Ethan looked at her.
Their eyes met.
Claire remembered the man he had once been.
The man who had held her hand.
The man who had promised to protect her.
Then she looked at the blood on her fingers.
The memory disappeared.
The courtroom doors opened.
Two uniformed officers appeared.
May you like
Claire heard their footsteps.
For the first time, she felt that the room was no longer under Ethan's control.
