The ambulance sirens blared loudly as the emergency vehicle raced through the streets of Dallas toward the medical center.
Inside, Ethan sat beside Maya, gripping her hand tightly while the heart monitor beeped steadily.
Maya: Is Chloe really going to jail, Ethan?
Ethan: She's going straight to the county lockup, Maya. I am pressing full criminal charges against her.
Maya: Your mother is going to hate me for this...
Ethan: My mother enabled Chloe's behavior for thirty years. I don't care what my mother thinks anymore.
Maya: I was so scared... when she stood over me, her eyes looked completely insane...
Ethan: You don't ever have to see her again. I promise you that on my father's memory.
Paramedic Dan: Ultrasound shows both fetal heartbeats are strong, Mr. Vance. The babies appear to be safe from immediate trauma.
Ethan let out a long, shuddering breath, pressing his forehead against Maya's knuckles as tears filled his eyes.
Ethan: Thank God... thank God...
Maya: They're little fighters, Ethan. Just like their dad.
At the mansion, the grand ballroom was in complete chaos as word spread about Chloe's arrest.
Eleanor stood near the hallway entrance with her estate lawyer, Arthur Harrison, who was reviewing his tablet screen.
Eleanor: Arthur, you have to get Chloe out on bail before the morning newspapers print this story!
Arthur: Eleanor, I just watched the security footage Thomas pulled from the hallway server.
Eleanor: Is it really as bad as Ethan claims?
Arthur: It is worse. Chloe clearly pushed Maya from behind, waited for her to fall, and then raised her foot directly over her abdomen[cite: 1].
Eleanor: Dear Lord... she really did it?
Arthur: The audio recording is crystal clear. Chloe said, 'You were supposed to disappear' right before raising her foot.
Eleanor: Why would she say something like that?!
Arthur: Because Chloe hired a private investigator last month to look into Maya's family background, hoping to find blackmail material.
Eleanor: What does that have to do with pushing her?!
Arthur: Chloe found nothing. Maya's record is completely spotless. Chloe realized Ethan was going to officially transfer the family trust management to Maya next month.
Eleanor: Ethan is transferring the estate trust to Maya?!
Arthur: Ethan made Maya the primary trustee three weeks ago. Chloe knew that if Maya had those babies, Chloe's monthly allowance would require Maya's signature.
Eleanor sank onto a leather bench in the hallway, covering her face with her gold-ringed hands.
Eleanor: She ruined her entire life over money...
Arthur: No, Eleanor. She ruined her life because she thought she was above the law. And Ethan isn't going to drop these charges.
Eleanor: What kind of sentence is she looking at?
Arthur: Aggravated assault on a pregnant person carries a mandatory minimum of five to ten years in Texas state prison.