Page 106 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

Guilt spreads like poison through my veins.

“The symptoms don’t look like a miscarriage, Your Highness.”

I step back, unsure I heard correctly.

Did someone try to hurt her? Harm my wife and child? It was pure luck my phone was within reach when she called; it was almost dead.

Bile rises in my throat.

I couldn’t live with myself if Adeela lost the baby and I hadn’t been there to protect her.

Except during sex, I’m a man who keeps his emotions in check. Too much joy or grief, or even hatred and love, are dangerous if they’re allowed to run wild.

But right now, I feel like a barbarian. Primitive and cruel. Barely human.

More than anything else, an animal hunting revenge against whoever dared try to take my family from me.

There is no room for mercy in my body or mind.

“Are you telling me that if I hadn’t gotten to her in time, she would have suffered an induced abortion?” I ask the obstetrician overseeing my wife’s pregnancy. I know my voice comes out as a roar because the man flinches, but I am beside myself. Stripped of the civility I usually wear.

“I can only be certain after the tests, but everything points to yes, although . . .” The doctor hesitates, glancing around us.

“What?”

“May I speak freely?”

“Yes. Say what you need to say. Forget for a moment that I’m your sheikh. Standing in front of you is a father and a husband.”

He swallows and nods. “Yes, sir. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve had many patients who miscarried naturally within the first few months. It’s more common than people think, but nothing like what your wife was feeling. Spontaneous miscarriages can even go unnoticed, as many patients don’t know they’re pregnant. Her Highness, however, was in severe pain, clutching her abdomen. If you want an off-the-cuff opinion . . .”

“I do.”

“She was given something to cause an abortion.”

My father gets up and comes closer. “What are you saying? Someone tried to kill my daughter-in-law and grandchild?”

The doctor shakes his head. “Generally, these concoctions are lethal only to the baby. I suspect some kind of herb, but I’ll only know after the lab results.”

I keep my face impassive, but inside I’m howling, consumed by rage. “I want to see her now.”

“She’s sleeping, Your Highness. We had to sedate her because even after she was out of danger, she remained extremely anxious.”

“I won’t wake her, but I need to see her.”

He nods and leaves.

As soon as the door closes, my father embraces me. “I’m so sorry, son.” He’s shaking, and the weight of my responsibility won’t let me break, even though I’m close to the edge.

“I’ll find who did this, Father. I don’t care about the culprit’s name or lineage. If it’s proven they tried to kill my child, I will go to the ends of the earth to punish them.”

The moment I enter the room, my mother-in-law slips out to give me privacy. Her eyes are swollen from crying, and the German doctor who shadows her, Konrad, waits in the hall.

Daisy and I have barely exchanged a dozen words tonight. Some things can’t be said out loud, the absolute terror I’m sure we both felt.

I move to the bed, my heart tight.

My adrenaline hasn’t dropped; my protective mode is still engaged.