AVA'S POV
"Get out of my hospital room."
The words came out stronger than I felt. Victoria Brennan didn't move. She stood there in her expensive suit, looking at my stomach like it was property she owned.
"I don't think you understand the situation," Victoria said calmly. "That baby you're carrying is my grandson. Thomas Brennan's grandchild. I have rights."
"No, you don't." Dominic stood between us. "That's my child. Ava's child. You have no claim."
"Don't I?" Victoria smiled. "Celeste is my daughter. Thomas's daughter. Which makes this baby Thomas's grandchild through blood. And since Thomas is dead—killed himself because of YOUR family—I'm entitled to be part of this child's life."
My heart hammered. "Celeste isn't biologically related to this baby. Dominic is the father."
"But I am related through Celeste. She was Thomas's daughter, which creates a family connection." Victoria pulled out papers from her briefcase. "My lawyers assure me I have grounds for grandparent visitation rights. Perhaps even custody, given your... unstable situation."
"Unstable?" I sat up in the hospital bed, ignoring the pain. "I was kidnapped by YOUR daughter!"
"My daughter who was raised by a madman who twisted her mind with revenge fantasies." Victoria's voice softened, but her eyes stayed cold. "I left Thomas years ago because he was obsessed with destroying the Kane family. I had no idea he'd adopted Celeste to use her as a weapon. If I had known—"
"You'd have done what?" Dominic challenged. "Stopped him? Or helped him?"
"I'd have protected my daughter from being turned into a monster." Victoria looked at me. "But that's in the past. What matters now is the future. This baby deserves stability. A proper home. Resources. Can you provide that, Miss Chen? A woman with no job, no family support, living on whatever savings you have left?"
The words hit like punches. Because she was right. I had three hundred dollars in my bank account. No job—Dad had made sure I was blacklisted from every tech company in New York after I "betrayed" him. No family except Grace.
How was I going to raise a baby?
"She won't be alone," Dominic said firmly. "I'll provide everything the baby needs."
"Will you? From prison?" Victoria's smile widened. "I've seen the news, Mr. Kane. Federal investigation. Corporate fraud. You confessed to everything. You're looking at five to ten years minimum."
My stomach dropped. Prison. I hadn't thought about that.
Dominic would go to prison, and I'd be alone with a baby and no resources.
"My lawyers are good—" Dominic started.
"Not as good as mine." Victoria handed papers to me. "This is a petition for grandparent visitation. I'm filing it tomorrow. The court will examine your financial situation, your support system, your ability to provide. And when they see you have nothing—"
"She has me," Grace's voice cut in from the doorway. My best friend held three cups of coffee and a murderous expression. "She has a support system. She has resources. Back off, lady."
"And you are?"
"Grace Park. Ava's sister in every way that matters. Also a lawyer." Grace set down the coffee and pulled out her own business card. "Family law specialist. And I'm about to make your petition disappear so fast it'll give you whiplash."
Victoria studied Grace with new interest. "A lawyer? How convenient."
"Isn't it?" Grace moved beside my bed. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to take your grandparent rights petition and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. Because Celeste Chen—your daughter—is currently in police custody for attempted murder. Kidnapping. Conspiracy. Do you really want to claim relation to this baby when your daughter tried to kill its mother?"
"My daughter was mentally unstable due to abuse—"
"Your daughter is a psychopath who tried to murder a pregnant woman." Grace's voice could cut steel. "Any judge who hears that your family tried to kill Ava will laugh you out of court. You have no case."
Victoria's mask cracked. "You think this is over? You think you've won? I have resources you can't imagine. Connections. Power. I will get access to my grandchild, one way or another."
"Why?" I asked suddenly. "Why do you care? You left Thomas. You weren't part of Celeste's life. Why do you suddenly want to be part of this baby's life?"
For a moment, something real flickered across Victoria's face. Pain. Regret.
"Because I failed my daughter," she whispered. "I left her with a monster, and he turned her into one too. This baby—this child—is my chance to do it right. To save one person from the Brennan curse."
The honesty in her voice shocked me.
"Or," Grace said quietly, "you want to control this baby the way you couldn't control Celeste. Use this child to ease your guilt."
Victoria's face hardened again. "Believe what you want. But I will be part of this child's life. The law gives me that right."
"We'll see what the court says," Grace countered.
Victoria turned to leave, then paused at the door. "Miss Chen, I'm not your enemy. I'm offering resources. Money. Security. Stability. Things you desperately need. Why fight me?"
"Because you're trying to use my baby to fix your broken family," I said firmly. "And I won't let anyone use my child. Not you. Not anyone."
Victoria studied me for a long moment. "You're stronger than you look. Good. You'll need that strength for what's coming."
She left.
The room fell silent.
"Can she really get visitation rights?" I asked Grace.
"Honestly? Maybe. Grandparent rights vary by state, and given Dominic's legal troubles, a court might see Victoria as a stabilizing influence." Grace sat on the edge of my bed. "But we'll fight it. I promise."
"I can't fight a custody battle with no money—"
"You're not alone." Dominic squeezed my hand. "Whatever happens with my legal issues, I'll make sure you and the baby are protected. I have trusts. Investments. Ways to provide even if I go to prison."
Prison. The word made everything real.
"How long?" I asked. "How long would you be gone?"
"I don't know. My lawyers are negotiating with the FBI. Maybe three years if we're lucky. Maybe ten if we're not."
Ten years. My baby would be ten years old before meeting their father.
"I'm sorry," Dominic said quietly. "I made such terrible choices. And now you're paying the price."
Before I could respond, my hospital room phone rang.
Grace answered it. Her face went white.
"Ava, it's the police. They need to talk to you. About your father."
My stomach clenched. "What about him?"
Grace's voice shook. "He escaped custody an hour ago. They don't know where he is."
The world tilted.
Dad was free. Dad, who'd tried to kill me. Who blamed me for ruining his revenge plan. Who saw my baby as nothing but Kane blood that deserved to die.
"We need to leave," Dominic said immediately. "Now. It's not safe here."
"She just gave a statement about being kidnapped—" Grace started.
"I don't care. Robert Chen is dangerous. If he's out, he'll come for Ava."
As if summoning him by name, the hospital lights flickered.
Once. Twice. Then went completely dark.
Emergency lights kicked on, bathing everything in red.
An alarm blared. Then cut off suddenly.
Silence.
"That's not normal," Grace whispered.
Through my hospital room window, I saw a figure in the parking lot, looking up at my floor.
Even from here, I recognized the shape.
Dad.
He raised his hand in a wave.
Then pulled out a lighter and dropped it.
Flames exploded across the parking lot—he'd poured gasoline in a line leading toward the hospital.
"Fire!" Someone screamed in the hallway.
Smoke alarms shrieked to life.
Dominic grabbed my arm. "We have to move. Now."
"I'm hooked to an IV—"
He ripped it out. "We don't have time."
Grace threw open the door. The hallway filled with smoke. Nurses ran past, pushing patients in wheelchairs. Chaos everywhere.
"The stairs!" Marcus appeared from somewhere, always reliable. "This way!"
We ran through smoke and screaming. Down three flights of stairs. My hospital gown flapping, bare feet slapping concrete.
Behind us, something exploded.
The building shook.
"He's trying to burn down the whole hospital," Marcus gasped. "To get to you."
We burst out a side exit into the parking lot.
Police cars everywhere. Fire trucks arriving. And there—
Dad, standing in the middle of the chaos, holding a gun.
Pointed right at my stomach.
"Hello, daughter," he said. "Time to finish what I started."
Twenty guns trained on him from every direction.
"Robert Chen, drop the weapon!"
But Dad just smiled. The same terrible smile from the warehouse.
"If I can't have my revenge," he said calmly, "neither can Kane. No baby. No future. No hope."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
And I realized I had no time to run.
No time to hide.
No time to do anything except watch my father prepare to murder his own grandchild.
Time froze.
Then—
A shot rang out.
But it didn't come from Dad's gun.
Someone else fired first.
Dad dropped.
And standing behind him, smoking gun in hand—
Victoria Brennan.
"Nobody," she said coldly, "threatens my grandchild. Nobody."