He lurched to his feet, eyes wide with panic. “Hadley...fuck...”
But I couldn’t answer.
The pain was blinding.
And the only thing I could think, as chaos erupted around me, was that I’d come here to save us.
Instead, I’d just watched everything die.
Chapter 34
Hadley
The pain hit like a freight train the second my water broke, sharp, unrelenting, wrapping around my middle and squeezing until I couldn’t breathe. I doubled over in the doorway of the green room, one hand braced on the frame, the other clutching my belly as if I could hold the baby in by sheer will. Warm fluid soaked my leggings, my shoes, the concrete floor beneath me. Zariah’s arms were around me before I even registered her moving.
“Hadley, oh God, okay, okay, stay with me.” Her voice was steady even though her eyes were wide with panic. “We need to get you to the hospital. Now.”
Cal was already off the couch, Sydney stumbling back as he shoved past her. His face was a mask of horror and guilt, pupils still blown from whatever he’d taken. “Hadley, fuck, I’m sorry, I....”
“Don’t.” The word tore out of me, raw and ragged. I couldn’t even look at him. Not after what I’d just seen. Not with his hands still smelling like her. “Don’t touch me.”
He froze mid-step, hands outstretched like he didn’t know what to do with them.
Zariah tightened her grip on me. “We’re leaving. Jake!” she barked over her shoulder toward the hallway. “Get your ass in here!”
Jake appeared seconds later, Holland right behind him. Jake’s eyes went straight to the puddle on the floor, then to me. “Shit. Contractions?”
“Started in the car,” I gasped. Another one rolled through me, deeper this time, making my vision tunnel. I gripped Zariah’s arm so hard my nails dug in. “It’s happening fast.”
Cal took another step forward. “I’m coming with you.”
“No.” I shook my head, tears mixing with sweat on my cheeks. “You don’t get to be there. Not after...” My voice cracked. I couldn’t finish the sentence. The image of Sydney on his lap was burned behind my eyelids.
“Hadley, please,” he said hoarsely. “Let me....”
“I said no!” I shouted, the sound echoing down the hallway. The contraction peaked, stealing my breath, forcing me to bend forward. Zariah held me up.
Jake moved between us. “Cal, back off. She’s in labor. She gets to decide who’s in the room.”
Cal’s face crumpled. “She’s my wife. That’s my kid.”
“And you just had another woman on your lap five seconds ago,” Zariah snapped. “Move.”
Holland grabbed Cal’s arm gently but firmly. “Come on, man. Let them go. We’ll follow in the van.”
Cal jerked free, eyes locked on me. “Hadley, I’m sorry. I fucked up. I know I fucked up. But don’t shut me out. Not for this.”
I looked at him...really looked. The man I’d fought for, the man I’d loved through every numb silence and cruel word. And all Icould see was Sydney’s laugh, his hands on her hips, the blissed-out glaze in his eyes while I stood there breaking.
“I can’t do this with you right now,” I whispered. “I can’t.”
Another contraction hit...harder, closer together. I cried out, knees buckling. Zariah and Jake caught me.
“Car,” Zariah ordered. “Now.”
Jake scooped under my other arm. “I’ve got you. Lean on me.”
They half-carried me down the hallway, past crew members who stared, past security who cleared the path. Cal followed at a distance, pleading under his breath.
