Chloe lay motionless at the base of the staircase, her yellow dress crumpled around her as she clutched her stomach in unbearable agony. Every breath was a grueling effort, her gasp echoing in the suffocating silence that had fallen over the grand hall. She whimpered softly, reaching a trembling hand out into the empty air as she cried out for her husband, Ethan. Guests stood frozen in terror, several pulling out phones to dial emergency services, while others looked up at the landing in utter disbelief at the unspeakable act of violence that had just taken place inside the luxury mansion.
From the second-floor study, Ethan heard the sickening thuds and his wife's desperate scream. He burst through the double doors and took in the horrifying sight of his wife lying at the bottom of the stairs. Panic surged through his veins as he charged down the sweeping staircase, taking three steps at a time. He dropped to his knees on the hard marble floor beside Chloe, carefully cradling her head and neck in his hands while trying to stabilize her trembling body. "Chloe! Hold on, I'm right here," Ethan pleaded, his voice cracking with intense fear as he wiped a tear from her pale cheek, praying frantically that his wife and unborn child would survive the fall.