The Billionaire's Identical Love

CHAPTER 4: THE THREAT OF LOSS

Cold panic flooded my chest as I stared at the dark red stain spreading across my skirt.

The world tilted around me. The sharp pain in my stomach felt like a hot blade twisting inside my lower abdomen.

"Doctor!" Julian screamed, his voice breaking as he squeezed my trembling fingers. "Do something! Fix this!"

"Prep the emergency ultrasound right now!" Dr. Aris shouted to the nurse, tearing open a fresh package of sterile gloves.

Alexander stepped closer to the exam table, his face completely pale. His usual cold, arrogant mask had completely shattered, replaced by pure terror.

"Chloe..." Alexander whispered, his voice shaking. He reached out to touch my arm, but his hand hovered in the air as if he were afraid to break me.

"Get away from her, Alexander!" Julian growled, glaring at his twin with raw hatred. "You caused this! You did this to her!"

"Shut up, Julian!" Alexander snapped back, his eyes fixed on the blood. "I am not leaving!"

"Both of you need to step back immediately!" Dr. Aris ordered, squeezing a cold gel directly onto my lower belly. "If you cannot keep quiet, security will drag you out!"

I closed my eyes tightly, hot tears streaming down my temples as the doctor pressed the ultrasound transducer against my skin.

"Please..." I sobbed, clutching the edges of the exam table so hard my nails dug into the paper lining. "Please save my babies... please don't let them die..."

"Hold on, Chloe," Julian whispered, leaning down close to my ear. "Listen to my voice. Focus on me."

The monitor clicked on, filling the tense room with a soft, static hum.

Dr. Aris stared intently at the black-and-white screen, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. The silence stretched for several agonizing seconds, each tick of the wall clock sounding like a gunshot.

"Doctor... please speak to us," Alexander demanded, his voice thick with uncharacteristic desperation. "Are they alive?"

Dr. Aris adjusted the machine settings, zooming in on two tiny, glowing shapes inside my uterus.

"Look here," Dr. Aris said, pointing a gloved finger at two distinct flickers of light on the screen. "Do you see those small rhythmic movements?"

I opened my eyes, holding my breath as I stared at the screen.

"Those are two strong, steady heartbeats," Dr. Aris explained, letting out a long breath of relief. "The babies are safe, Miss Bennett. Both heartbeats are perfectly normal."

A loud, shuddering sob escaped my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut again, thanking whatever guardian angel was watching over me.

"Thank God," Julian breathed out, pressing a soft kiss to the back of my hand.

Alexander closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping as he let out a harsh, shaken breath. For a brief second, he looked human.

"Then where did the blood come from?" Alexander asked, his voice still tense as he looked at the doctor.

"It is a subchorionic hematoma," Dr. Aris explained, wiping the gel off my stomach with a clean towel. "A small pool of blood gathered between the uterine wall and the placental membranes. It is relatively common in twin pregnancies, but it is extremely sensitive to stress."

Dr. Aris turned to face both Alexander and Julian, his expression hardening into stone.

"Her body cannot take any more emotional trauma," Dr. Aris said firmly. "If her blood pressure spikes like that again, she could trigger a full placental abruption. That would be fatal for both infants."

"What does she need?" Julian asked immediately. "Name it."

"Complete bed rest," Dr. Aris replied. "Strict rest for at least the next two weeks. No work, no heavy lifting, and absolutely no high-stress confrontations."

"She is coming home with me," Alexander stated coldly, stepping forward and crossing his arms. "My estate has a full private medical wing and round-the-clock nurses."

"Like hell she is," Julian snarled, standing up to block Alexander once again. "She will never be safe in your house. You just threw a check in her face two hours ago!"

"And you are a broke fugitive living out of hotels!" Alexander fired back, his dark eyes flashing with anger. "How are you going to protect her when you cannot even use your real name in public?"

"Stop it!" I shouted, using every bit of strength left in my body.

Both brothers froze, turning their identical faces toward me.

"Neither of you is taking me anywhere," I said, my voice shaking with deep exhaustion and anger. "I am going to my own apartment. Alone."

"Chloe, your apartment is a third-floor walk-up," Alexander said, his tone softening slightly. "You cannot climb stairs in this condition. You heard the doctor."

"He is right, beautiful," Julian added gently, looking at me with concern. "You need proper care right now."

I looked between the two men. They were identical in appearance, yet entirely different in every other way. One had broken my heart with cold cruelty; the other had lied to me and taken advantage of my vulnerability at a dark club.

I could not trust either of them.

"I am going to stay with my best friend, Maya," I said firmly, wiping the remaining tears from my cheeks. "She has a ground-floor apartment. She will take care of me."

Alexander frowned, clearly unhappy with my decision, but he swallowed his protest when he glanced at the monitor.

"Fine," Alexander said quietly. "My driver will take you there in my bulletproof SUV. And my personal physician will check on you every morning."

"I don't need your car, Alexander," I replied coldly.

"You will take the car, Chloe," Alexander insisted, his voice laced with unyielding authority. "Or I will have my legal team place a mandatory medical hold on you right here in this clinic."

I glared at him, realizing he was entirely serious. He was still the ruthless CEO who always got his way.

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Aris cleared me to leave with a prescription for bed rest and progesterone supplements.

Julian helped me sit up on the edge of the bed, gently sliding my shoes back onto my feet.

"I am coming with you to Maya's place," Julian murmured, looking up at me through his dark lashes. "I want to make sure you get inside safely."

"Julian..." I started, feeling overwhelmed.

"Just let me do this, Chloe," Julian pleaded softly. "Please."

Before I could answer, Alexander walked back into the room after finishing a phone call in the hallway. Two heavy black duffel bags were slung over his driver's shoulder behind him.

"The car is waiting at the private back exit," Alexander said, turning his dark gaze onto me. "Let's go."

We walked down the quiet, private corridor toward the rear exit of the clinic. The rain outside had stopped, leaving behind a cold, foggy mist.

Alexander's massive black SUV was idling at the curb, its tinted windows reflecting the dim streetlights.

Julian held my arm gently as we stepped outside into the chilly air.

Suddenly, the silent alleyway was flooded with blinding white lights.

"There she is!" a loud voice shouted from the darkness.

Dozens of camera flashes went off in rapid succession, blinding us instantly. A crowd of eager news reporters and paparazzi surged out from behind parked cars, holding microphones and heavy camera lenses toward us.