The Daily Injection

Chapter 4 A Risky Act

I kept my fingers over the camera and reached into my pocket with the other hand. The dusting cloth I had picked up on the way in fell to the floor.

I touched my temple and let my knees loosen. “Adrian, I felt dizzy. I was trying to clean the high shelf.”

His eyes left the vent and went straight to my stomach.

“Serena, for God’s sake!” He crossed the room in two strides and lifted me down by the waist. “You shouldn’t be climbing on anything in your condition. What if you had fallen? What about the baby?”

I leaned my weight against him and hid the screwdriver in my palm. “I'm sorry. I wanted everything clean.”

He stroked my hair. “Leave these things to the staff. Your only job is to rest and stay healthy. For him.”

“I will.” I waited until he turned toward the desk, then slipped the screwdriver into my sleeve.

The next morning, he kissed me goodbye and said a crisis at the Singapore office would keep him locked in the study all day.

As soon as the bedroom door closed, I opened the camera feed on my tablet. The study remained empty.

Adrian was in the nursery. He sat on the floor with Lily on his lap and guided her hand as she placed the top block on a castle.

Chloe rested against his shoulder. None of them looked toward the air vent.

That night, Adrian complained about his exhausting meetings and went downstairs. I put in the earpiece paired with the study camera. I heard a glass touch the desk.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Chloe asked. “The doctor said another draw could be risky. What if she loses the baby?”

Adrian answered without lowering his voice.

“Then she loses it. It would be worth it. Honestly, it might even be for the best. A miscarriage would be a clean way to end this phase.”

He set down his glass. “We get what we need, I buy her a new car and some jewelry to mourn with, and we start trying for the next one. A healthy one, this time.”

I saved the recording in two places. Adrian had reduced our son's death to a clean end to one phase. He would buy me jewelry, try for another child, and use my body again.

Just before midnight, the front gate's motion sensor sent an alert. Dr. Evans got out of his car carrying a black insulated medical cooler.

I checked the bedroom camera, the study camera, and the backup upload. All three were running.

Our bedroom door opened. Adrian gave me the patient smile he used before every injection and walked to the bed.

“Darling,” he whispered. “It’s time. For the baby’s health. Just one last check-up.”