A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 537

A tight knot formed in Elissa's chest. Perhaps the wind had been too loud on his end, because Rowan clearly hadn't heard what she was about to say. "What did you just say, Nine?"

Elissa took a deep breath, forcing down the sudden, bitter sting in her throat. "Nothing. Have you... made it to your hotel?"

The man on the other end of the line seemed to step indoors. The howling wind was instantly cut off, replaced by the quiet, rhythmic thud of his confident footsteps.

Before they hung up, Elissa asked, "If I need to reach you, should I just call this number?"

"Yes." Rowan's voice was a low, warm hum. "Can you go to sleep now?"

She wasn't entirely sure she could.

But she didn't want to make him worry while he was half a world away, so she murmured an agreement. "I'm going to sleep now."

Right before the line disconnected, she added softly, "You should... get some rest too."

Given the time difference, it was evening where he was.

Rowan paused, sounding as if he wanted to say something more, but ultimately settled for, "I will."

As the screen went dark, Elissa stared at her phone for a long moment, then let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She had clearly been watching too many soap operas.

Hearing a single female voice in the background and immediately letting her mind spin out of control was ridiculous.

He treated her flawlessly.

She needed to give him her unconditional trust.

As the rational thoughts settled in, her exhaustion returned in full force. Curling tightly into the heavy blankets, she finally drifted into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

Staying up late didn't stop her internal clock from waking her up right on schedule.

For the next two days, she maintained her regular shifts at the medical clinic.

On the second morning, she had just sat down at her desk and hadn't even called her first patient when a voice note popped up from Tanya.

It was a dramatic, wailing recording: *"Babe, do you miss me? I miss you so much I'm dying over here!"*

After living together for so long, Tanya was suffering severe withdrawal after just a few days apart.

Elissa laughed out loud. Too lazy to type, she recorded a quick reply: *"Then come sleep over at Rivercross tonight."*

Janice had recovered nicely, and wanting to give the young couple some privacy, she hadn't moved up to the second floor.

With Rowan gone, the entire floor was completely empty at night.

Having Tanya around would be nice.

Tanya immediately shot back: *"Where am I supposed to sleep? Right between you two?"*

*"...Rowan is out of town on a business trip."*

*"Say less! I'm off today. What time do you get off work? I'll come to the clinic, and we can take your car together."*

Elissa smiled softly. *"Around two, probably. But I need to stop at the hospital for an OB/GYN appointment first."*

*"Perfect! I'll come with you! Rowan hasn't even been to one of your appointments yet, so I get to be the first!"*

Elissa chuckled, sent back an 'OK' sticker, and finally called her first patient.

By the time she looked at her phone again, it was almost two in the afternoon. Tanya had already been waiting in the lobby for half an hour.

The two grabbed a quick lunch at a nearby café before heading straight to the hospital.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Tanya glanced at the GPS and blinked in surprise. "You're going to a Murphy Group hospital? Does that mean you've already told Rowan about the baby?"

The apartment was a long-term lease. Who Rowan rented it to was entirely his business.

Because it was a weekday, and the Murphy Group's private hospitals charged a premium, the obstetrics department was pleasantly quiet.

Elissa's checkup went perfectly, and Tanya even came into the room for the ultrasound.

When the rapid, rhythmic sound of the fetal heartbeat filled the quiet room, both women instantly teared up.

Tanya was laughing and crying at the same time, her eyes wide. "Its heart is beating so fast!"

"It's completely normal for the heart rate to be this rapid at this stage," the doctor explained with a warm smile, soothing their anxieties.

After the appointment, Tanya helped Elissa sit up on the examination table. She wiped a tear from her eye. "Babe, you're amazing."

She was actually growing a human being!

Elissa stood up and smoothed out her dress. Just as she was about to reply, her phone buzzed in her purse.

As they walked toward the exit, Tanya fished it out and handed it over, teasing her. "Did your Mr. Murphy already get the notification from the front desk?"

Elissa's lips curled into a sweet smile. But the second she unlocked the screen, her entire body went rigid.

It was a single sentence, followed by a photograph.

*"Dr. Drummond, is the baby in her belly Mr. Murphy's?"*

The photo showed Rowan, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, gently supporting a heavily pregnant, exquisitely beautiful woman who looked to be around his age.

The background was undeniably the obstetrics wing of a foreign hospital.

Elissa stood frozen in the middle of the hallway. She felt an overwhelming urge to laugh, but not a single sound would come out.

Noticing the sudden shift in her demeanor, Tanya leaned over to peek at the screen. She gasped, stumbling over her words. "R-Rowan wouldn't do something like this. Didn't you say he was on a business trip? This has to be photoshopped!"