I continue to float aimlessly around the pond, staring up into the sky, thinking about everything Carnegie said to me. He’s right; I need to walk away from my past if I don’t want it to follow me.

Hours pass as I enjoy the serene tranquility of my surroundings, and when I see the shimmer of the sun rising through the trees in the distance, its sparkling rays light up the murky water. It’s then that I see my sign. Green bulbs that stick out of the water begin to open, hundreds of them. One by one, lotus flowers bloom, spreading their pure white petals over the muddled water. They’re beautiful, and when I float into the blooms, I have to squint against the bright light that the sun’s glow is creating in this fragrant, white paradise.

DARKNESS.

Nothing but black as I lie here awake, although I’m not awake. I can feel a warm hand stroking my arm as I inhale a familiar smell.

Bennett.

My body aches, throbbing in a dulled pain, but when I try to move, I can’t. When I try to open my eyes, I can’t. But I can feel Bennett’s touch. I can smell him. I can hear the steady beeping of a machine that alerts me to the fact that I’m in a hospital.

The last thing I remember is lying helplessly on my dining room floor while Pike threw kick after violent kick to my stomach.

My stomach!

My baby!

I can’t wake up. But do I even want to? I already miss Carnegie. Do I really want to wake up to find the horror that’s waiting for me? What happened with Pike? Why did he do it?

“Mr. Vanderwal,” a soft, female voice says, but I can’t see anything as I lie here in my comatose state.

“Finally,” he says with an urgency to his voice. “What’s going on? Is she going to be okay?”

“She’s stabilized, but she had a lot of internal bleeding. Unfortunately, there was a fetomaternal hemorrhage and by the time she arrived here by ambulance, she had already lost the baby.”

No! God, no!

With all the strength I have, I try to move, I try to do anything, but nothing happens. I’m stuck, unable to get out a cry, a scream, a movement, something to release the torment that is beginning to flood inside of me.

“Baby?” Bennett questions. “What baby?”

Oh, God.

“Your wife was pregnant.”

“No. There must be some mistake. My wife has endometriosis. She can’t get pregnant,” he refutes.

“I’m so sorry. I know this is a difficult time, but according to her OB/GYN file that was faxed over, it seems the pregnancy was confirmed last week. I have noted that an ultrasound was performed, indicating at that time, she was nearly ten weeks pregnant.”

I don’t hear a response from Bennett, and I can only imagine his shock right now.

Bennett, speak. Say something.

“I’ll give you some time,” she says. “I’ll be back to check in. If you need anything, just hit the call button, okay?”

“Yeah,” he responds on a breath, and when I hear the door click, he removes his hand from my arm, and the room is silent.

I can’t even think about Bennett, all I can think about is my baby. The baby that Pike took away from me. The baby that Pike killed. He knew exactly what he was doing, beating my stomach as violently as he did.

I hate him.

I thrash around like a maniac inside, trying to free myself, but my body doesn’t respond. I’m paralyzed in this bed.

“She’s in the hospital,” Bennett says, but I don’t hear anyone else in the room.

“I need you to get here now,” he demands. “Bring everything you have on her.”

He has to be on the phone, but what the hell is he talking about? Who is he talking to and what do they have on me? Fuck. What’s going on? I need to get out of here. I need to find Declan. I can’t breathe. Oh my God, I’m panicking and I can’t breathe. Machines start to go off, filling the room with loud beeps.

“Nurse!” Bennett yells, and moments later, a cold fluid swims through my veins and I drift out peacefully.

“WHAT THE HELL happened?” I hear a man’s voice say. It sounds familiar, but my head is so fuzzy as I come out of a deep sleep.

“I got a call from Clara. She had come to the penthouse and found Nina beaten and unconscious. I don’t know what happened. I’ve spoken to the police and they’re investigating,” Bennett says. “Tell me what you know.”

“You wanna do this here?” the man questions.

“Yeah.”

“Her name’s not Nina.”

Oh no. No, no, no, no.

“What are you talking about?” Bennett asks.

“Her name is Elizabeth Archer. A runaway foster kid,” he reveals. “It’s all in the file.”

“Archer? Sounds familiar.”

It should, you asshole.

“Her father was arrested for international gun trafficking,” the man says.

“I know her.”

“Looks like she came straight for you. Piece of advice . . . call your lawyer.”

“As soon as you can, I want surveillance set up,” Bennett demands, but there’s no need. I’m done with him, and the only thing I’m guilty of is identity theft.

“The affair you originally suspected, she’s having one. Name is Declan McKinnon.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. “What is she up to?”

“Here’s the file. Everything’s in it.” There’s a long pause before the guy speaks again, saying, “I’ll get security set up. Everything should be in place tomorrow or the next day.”

The door clicks and I know I’m alone with Bennett, and that freaks me out, because I no longer have control. He’s not a stupid man. If he hasn’t already figured it out, it won’t be long before he does.

Fuck! Why can’t I wake up?

“Elizabeth,” he whispers, and I can tell it just clicked by his acknowledging tone. “I always wondered what happened to you.”

Bullshit.

“Rick,” he says, speaking our attorney’s name. “Things could be better. Look, I have something that can’t wait. When can you see me?”

What’s he going to do? Shit. As much as I hate Pike right now, I need him.

“No, that works. I’ll leave right now.”

I listen to the movements around the room when a female voice says, “I need to change a couple of her bandages.”

“That’s fine. I was just leaving,” Bennett responds. “Here’s my card. I want you to call me the second she wakes up, and I mean the second.”

He leaves, and I continue to lie here in my comatose state, unable to react to anything. I don’t know what I’m doing or what’s going to happen to me. I need to run, to go find Pike. I hate that I still need him, but things are headed south, and fast.

I KNOW HE’S here. I can smell lotus blooms, and with that alone, the pinching angst that’s been festering relents and I feel safe. His hand is on my belly, another combing through my hair, and I will myself to open my eyes. To move, to do anything to let him know I can feel him. My body hurts so badly as my muscles start to flex and shift.

That’s it. Come on; wake up. Wake up.

“Nina?” he says, his voice is sad, but I need to hear it. I need that voice to pull me out of this darkness.

“Can you hear me?” he asks, grabbing my hand, and finally, I can feel my fingers move. “Baby, please wake up. Just open your eyes. Show me you’re still with me.”

I cling to his words, and light finally filters in. My eyes blink, responding to my body’s request.

“Thank God,” he sighs in relief as my blurred vision begins to clear. He leans over me, kissing my forehead, and I reach up, grabbing for any part of him.

“I’m here, darling,” he assure as I clench on to his shirt, and his hand covers mine. “I’m here,” he continues to soothe, and when I try to speak, I gag. “Shh, relax. You have a breathing tube down your throat. Just relax, okay?”