Chapter 6 - Awakening in the Dark
Down in the freezing, subterranean utility room, Clara slowly regained consciousness under the dim amber glow of the emergency backup lights. Her clothes were soaked through, clinging to her skin, and her body racked with violent shivers. Liam was busy examining the heavy steel exit door, his hands raw and bleeding from the broken glass.
"Liam... my baby... is the baby okay?" Clara whispered, her voice trembling as she pressed both hands against her rounded stomach, tears mixing with the pool water on her cheeks.
Liam rushed to her side, kneeling on the damp concrete and wrapping his jacket around her shoulders. He gently placed his hand over hers on her belly, feeling a faint, reassuring flutter from within. "She's strong, Clara. Just like her mother. She's fighting right along with us," he murmured, though his eyes betrayed a deep, burning concern as he looked back at the sealed steel door.
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"Victoria did this," Clara said, her voice hardening with sudden, bitter realization. "She knew about the trust fund clause. If my child is born before the fiscal audit next month, Richard and Victoria lose everything. That’s why she tried to drown us.
"Then we're going to make sure she pays for every single second of this terror," Liam vowed, his jaw clenched in cold fury. He spotted an emergency maintenance hatch overhead leading into the mansion's primary ventilation shafts. It was their only way out.
