Part 4: A Breath of Life
Ethan didn't hesitate. He used his own linen shirt to wipe the newborn's face, clearing its airway. It was a boy, tiny but fighting, his skin turning from a terrifying blue to a healthy, angry pink as he gasped for his first breath of air. Ethan wrapped him tightly in his cashmere sweater and handed him to a stunned Marcus.
"Hold him close to your chest. Keep him warm," Ethan ordered.
But Grace wasn't done. Her face was contorted in pain, her heart rate spiking dangerously as her frozen body struggled to handle the trauma of a second delivery.
"The next one, Grace. Come on," Ethan urged, his hands covered in blood, his heart pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird.
Grace’s eyes rolled back. She was losing consciousness from blood loss and hypothermia.
"No! Grace, stay with me!" Ethan shouted, slapping her cheek gently. "If you give up now, Derek wins! Do you want that bastard to win?!"
The name Derek acted like a jolt of electricity. Pure, maternal fury flared in Grace’s eyes. She let out a guttural, primal roar, grabbing Ethan’s forearms with a grip that left bruises, and pushed with everything she had left.
The second baby, a girl, arrived into Ethan’s waiting hands just as the sound of distant sirens finally sliced through the night air.
By the time the medical team rushed into the warehouse, Ethan was sitting on the floor, covered in blood and frost, holding a tiny, shivering baby girl against his bare chest to keep her warm, while Marcus held the boy. Grace lay unconscious beside them, her breathing shallow but stable.
The head physician, Dr. Aris, stared at the scene in absolute shock. "Mr. Vance... did you deliver twins in an unheated warehouse?"
"They were locked in a freezer at minus fifty," Ethan said, his voice deadly quiet, his eyes never leaving Grace’s pale face as the paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher. "Treat her. If anything happens to her or those children, I will buy your hospital just to fire every single one of you."
As they wheeled Grace out, Ethan stood up, his body trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands.
"Marcus," Ethan said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, icy register.
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"Yes, sir?"
"Find out where Derek Bennett is. Don't call the police yet. I want to handle this myself."
