The bright fluorescent lights of the hospital emergency ward buzzed softly overhead. Claire lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to a fetal heart monitor that emitted a steady, comforting rhythm: thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
Mark sat in the vinyl chair beside her, his suit jacket off, his sleeves rolled up as he gently rubbed her knuckles.
Mark: Do you hear that heartbeat? The doctor said she's strong, Claire. Just like her mother.
Claire: I was so terrified, Mark. When she grabbed my hair, I felt so completely helpless.
Mark: You were never helpless, honey. You protected our baby with everything you had until I got through that door.
The curtain drawn around the bed was pulled back, and a tall, silver-haired man in an expensive charcoal suit walked in, carrying a leather document folder.
Mark: Mr. Harrison. Thanks for coming so quickly on a weekend.
Mr. Harrison: Of course, Mark. How is Claire feeling?
Claire: I'm hanging in there, Mr. Harrison. What's happening at the police station?
Mr. Harrison: Chloe was processed at the county jail two hours ago. The magistrate judge denied her bail due to the severity of the charges and the risk of witness intimidation.
Mark: Good. What are the official charges?
Mr. Harrison: Aggravated assault on a pregnant individual, attempted robbery, felony breaking and entering, and extortion. Given the crystal-clear security footage, her criminal defense attorney is already panicking.
Claire: Did she say anything about Dad's trust fund?
Mr. Harrison: She tried to claim that you forged your father's signature on the trust amendment last year. But I brought the original notarized documents directly to the district attorney's office twenty minutes ago.
Mark: And what did the DA say?
Mr. Harrison: The DA was furious when he saw the video of what she did to Claire. He assured me he will not offer any plea bargains that don't involve significant state prison time.
Claire: I can't believe my own sister turned into such a monster over money.
Mr. Harrison: Greed changes people, Claire. When your late father named your baby as the primary beneficiary of his twelve-million-dollar estate, Chloe realized her lavish lifestyle was about to come to an abrupt end.
Mark: She spent the last three years living off company loans that she never intended to pay back, didn't she?
Mr. Harrison: Exactly. And now that the forensic audit is underway, the bank is preparing to seize her penthouse apartment and her luxury vehicles to cover her unpaid debts.
Claire: So she has nothing left?
Mr. Harrison: Absolutely nothing. By Monday afternoon, her accounts will be completely frozen by court order.
Claire closed her eyes, letting out a long, shuddering sigh of relief as the monitor continued its steady beat.
Claire: I don't care about the money, Mr. Harrison. I just want my family to be safe.
Mark: We are safe now, honey. I promise you, no one is ever going to threaten you or our daughter ever again.
Mr. Harrison: I'll leave you two to rest. I have a court hearing at nine in the morning to finalize the emergency protection orders. Get some sleep, Claire.
Claire: Thank you, Mr. Harrison.
The attorney nodded, pulled the curtain shut, and walked out into the corridor, leaving Mark and Claire alone in the quiet hospital room.