Page 63 of Beautiful Agony

"What did this woman look like?" I ask softly, though I have a suspicion who it might be. There are only two people in this world cruel enough to force a mother to choose like this.

"Tall, maybe in her early fifties..." Dr. Chen's voice trembles. "Like a statue come to life. Her hair was dark with streaks ofsilver." She wrings her hands. "But her eyes... they were so cold. It was like looking into two pieces of ice."

My blood runs cold.

"And rings." Dr. Chen stammers. "She wore rings on every finger." Dr. Chen's voice breaks. "I saw them when she grabbed Bianca's chin to make her look up."

Vadim's hand tightens around mine. I know he's reached the same conclusion.

"She kept calling my daughter little dove," Dr. Chen adds. "While she told me what I had to do. I didn't want to. I told her I didn't want to. But she left me no choice."

Dr. Chen shakes her head. "She knew everything about us—Bianca's school schedule, my husband's work route, even which nights I volunteer at the free clinic." Her voice drops to a horrified whisper. "She said they'd been watching us for weeks, waiting for the right moment."

My stomach churns as the full scope of Olga's vileness hits me.

She didn't just target Dr. Chen randomly. She deliberately chose someone we trusted, someone with access to me. She turned a healer into a weapon by exploiting the one thing more precious than a doctor's oath:

A mother's love for her child.

I exchange a look with Vadim, seeing the same determination in his eyes that I feel.

We can't let another child suffer.

"Dr. Chen," I say softly, kneeling beside her despite the burning pain in my hands. "Vadim can help get Bianca back."

She looks up, tears still streaming down her face. "How? The police can't help. She told me that she'd kill her if I went to them."

"My husband has helped others in your position before. He knows how these monsters operate. Trust me."

"Really?" Dr. Chen's voice cracks with desperate hope. Her eyes dart between us. "You can really help get my baby back?"

"Yes," I tell her firmly. "We can."

Her gaze falls to my bleeding hands and fresh tears well up. "Oh god, what have I done? Let me patch those up for you." She starts to rise but hesitates, clearly unsure if she should come near me again.

I instinctively pull back at the thought of letting her touch me after what just happened. But when I glance at Vadim, he gives me a reassuring nod. He'll be right here watching.

And Dr. Chen is still the same person who's cared for me and our baby these past weeks.

"Okay," I whisper, holding out my trembling hands.

Dr. Chen's hands tremble as she wraps gauze around my palm. The sharp sting of antiseptic makes me wince, but I focus on staying still while she works.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers again, taping the bandage in place. "I didn't mean to. The cut isn't too deep. There shouldn't be permanent damage."

Vadim paces behind her, his footsteps measured and deliberate. "Olga is playing a different game here." His voice carries adangerous edge. "She wouldn't expect you to succeed in killing our baby."

"No," I say slowly as I think. "If anything, she'd expect you to kill Dr. Chen in retaliation." My stomach churns at how casually we're discussing murder, but I push through. "That would give her exactly what she wants—another corpse to pin on you."

Vadim's eyes meet mine, sharp with understanding. "Unless there's a third option we hadn't considered."

I watch Dr. Chen's fingers fumbling with the medical tape. "Like what if, against all odds, Dr. Chen succeededandmanaged to escape?"

"Did she give you any instructions?" Vadim asks Dr. Chen. "A way to contact her if you completed your task?"

Dr. Chen nods, finishing the bandage on my other hand. "She said..." Her voice catches. "If I succeeded, I'm supposed to go to the docks tonight at 10PM."

Vadim checks his watch, his jaw tightening. "Eight hours."

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