[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603222E6F78-110":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},110,12,"Chapter 12: The Evidence in the Folder","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Rose? Rose...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Albert and Margaret burst into the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, their faces pale with panic.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Doctor, what happened to my daughter? Why is she in the ICU?\" Margaret’s voice broke as she stared at the figure on the bed. Rose lay there, deathly still, stripped of all the vibrance she once possessed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing their child, once the light of their lives, now reduced to a ghost in a hospital gown, felt like a blade twisting in their guts. If Tiffany Webb hadn’t happened to spot Rose at the hospital by chance, they might never have known. How did things get this bad? Albert stood back, his brow furrowed, his mind racing with grim possibilities.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Doctor,\" Albert urged, his voice tight with desperation. \"Tell us what’s going on.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Please, try to stay calm. You’re the parents, right?\" Dr. Gardner asked, adjusting his glasses.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yes, we are. Please, tell us,\" Margaret pleaded, her eyes watery and frantic.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Follow me to my office. She’s stable for the moment, so you can take a breath,\" the doctor said, sighing as he turned toward his office.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The couple followed, though their eyes were glued to the glass separating them from their daughter. Every step felt like walking through lead.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Once inside the office, Dr. Gardner sat down, his expression grim. \"The situation is severe. Rose was admitted after a miscarriage caused by extreme physical trauma. Then, she—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What? A miscarriage from a beating?\" Albert exploded, cutting the doctor off. His hands trembled as he stared at the physician, his disbelief morphing into a cold, lethal rage. \"Tell me you're lying.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I wish I were. Look at these.\" Dr. Gardner slid a heavy envelope across the desk.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Albert opened it and pulled out a stack of photos. Margaret peered over his shoulder, let out a strangled cry, and burst into tears. \"My poor baby... who was so monstrous? Who did this to her?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"After the trauma,\" the doctor continued, ignoring the emotional outburst, \"she suffered a severe episode of postpartum depression and attempted to take her own life. Fortunately, Nurse Shaw found her in time to save her.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Attempted suicide...\" Margaret’s knees buckled. Her vision blurred, and she collapsed into a heap on the floor.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Margaret!\" Albert shouted, scrambling to lift her up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Quick, get her into an observation room,\" Dr. Gardner ordered, moving quickly. \"She’s just in shock. Get her an IV and some glucose.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Once the chaos subsided and Margaret was stabilized, Albert felt a brief moment of relief, though the image of Rose in that ICU bed continued to haunt him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Doctor,\" Albert said, his voice now dangerously low. \"Can I see her?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yes, but keep it brief. She needs absolute rest.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Inside the room, Albert felt as if he were walking to his own execution. He reached out, his hand shaking as he touched Rose’s cold cheek. \"Rose, what have they done to you? You were my world... who had the audacity to lay a hand on you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He looked around the room, his eyes scanning for any sign of her husband. \"Where is Maximus? Why isn't he here? I will find him, and he will answer for every drop of blood she’s lost. Rose, you have to be strong. The baby is gone, but we can move past that—if you leave us, how are your mother and I supposed to survive?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He let out a heavy, jagged sigh, watching her pale face. \"You fool. Why didn't you come to me? Why bear this alone? Don't worry, Daddy is going to find Maximus and make sure he understands exactly what he’s done.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272921434]