Chapter 620:

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The first thing she saw was a white ceiling. The first thing she smelled was antiseptic. She was in a hospital.

The memories rushed back: the kidnapping, the chase, the crash, the blinding pain.

Her head snapped down. She looked at her stomach.

The proud, round belly was gone. In its place was a flat plane covered by thick gauze bandages.

The baby… where is my baby?

A vast, unspeakable panic seized her.

She tried to sit up, but a tearing pain from the incision made her gasp. She ignored it and used her elbows to push herself up again.

A passing nurse heard the movement and rushed in. “Miss Frye, you’re awake! Please, don’t move. You’ll tear your stitches!”

а𝗱𝖽і𝗰t𝗂𝗏е 𝗇𝘰𝗏𝗲𝗹s 𝘰n 𝗀𝘢𝗅ո𝗈𝗏𝖾ls.с𝘰𝗆

Amelia grabbed the nurse’s arm like a drowning woman grabbing a lifeline. Her voice was a hoarse, panicked whisper. “My baby… where is my baby?”

The nurse tried to soothe her. “Don’t worry, your baby is safe. She’s a beautiful little girl. She was born prematurely, so she needs to stay in an incubator for a few days for observation.”

A girl. Amelia mouthed the word, tears streaming down her face. Her and Garrett’s baby. A girl.

But the nurse’s words didn’t calm her. She hadn’t seen her. She hadn’t touched her. Her heart refused to settle.

“Take me to her,” she begged. “Please, just let me see her. Just for a second.”

The nurse looked pained. “You’re really not in any condition to be moved. Once you’ve recovered a little, the doctor will make arrangements.”

The formulaic, professional response sent Amelia spiraling into a deeper terror. What if they were lying? What if the baby wasn’t safe at all?

A lifetime of betrayal and deception had taught her not to trust anyone’s word.

She looked at the nurse, her eyes suddenly hard and determined. “I want to see my child. Now.”

Ignoring the nurse’s protests, she ripped the IV needle from the back of her hand. Blood welled up at once.

She threw back the covers, ignored the searing pain in her abdomen, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

The nurse was horrified and tried to restrain her. “Miss Frye, you can’t! You’ll hurt yourself!”

Amelia, as if she felt no pain at all, pushed the nurse away. She got to her feet, staggering. Every step was like walking on knives, but she didn’t stop.

She had to find her daughter. It was the only thought in her entire universe.

Amelia pressed one hand against the cold hallway wall, using it to carry her weight as she shuffled forward. The surgical wound and the blood loss made her dizzy, her vision pulsing with black spots.

The nurse followed her, on the verge of tears, too afraid to grab her in case she caused more injury.

“Miss Frye, please, go back to your room! I’ll get the doctor!” she pleaded.

Amelia didn’t hear her. Her world had narrowed to a single destination at the end of the hall: the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The NICU. She remembered the location from a hospital tour months ago.

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