Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 41

< Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Clara walked over, grabbed the doorknob, and twisted hard. It didn’t budge.

“That’s weird.”

She pressed her ear to the door, heard footsteps outside, then raised a hand and knocked.”Hello? Anyone out there?”

Sophia’s voice came from the other side of the door.”What’s with all the knocking?”

“I don’t have iris authentication. Does that mean I can’t open it from in here?”

Clara frowned.”Um, could you call Olivia and ask her to open the door?”

Sophia hesitated, just for a second.”Alright. Hold on.”

Hey? Olivia, can you get back to Nova AI?

“The R&D lab door is busted. Clara’s locked in. You can’t open it from the inside, only your iris scan will work.”

Olivia was eating downstairs at Nova AI.”Sure, but I’ve got something going on right now. Might take me a bit to get there.”

She hung up. Her eyes narrowed, a smirk tugged at her lips.

Menu

Clara. Because of her, she’d been booted from the Blade project. And now, going back to the Carter Group’s R&D team? God knows how those people would look at her.

Now they wanted her to go open the door for Clara?

She could just wait!

Meanwhile, Sophia called out to Clara through the door, “Olivia will be here in a bit, just wait. I’m heading out now.”

Once her footsteps disappeared, the hallway went completely silent.

Clara checked the time. Seven P.M. Still early. Plenty of time to finish integrating the Blade and Skyline data.

She reassured Lila, “Lila, someone will be here to open the door soon. Will you keep me company for a bit?”

Lila nodded and sat down obediently.

The sky grew darker. Clara uploaded the last bit of data to the terminal, stretched her neck, and glanced at the time.

Only then did she realize three hours had passed, and Olivia still hadn’t shown up.

Clara pulled out her phone to call someone, but then remembered the R&D lab blocked all signals.

She walked to the door and knocked.”Is anyone out there?”

“Could you contact Olivia for me? Tell her to open the door.”

But there was no sound from outside.

Then BAM! The whole room went pitch black in a blink. Even the hum of the ventilation system cut out, leaving only the faint, blinking lights of the equipment.

“Auntie? Where are you?”

Lila, who’d been dozing off on the table, rubbed her eyes and sat up. When she saw the room was pitch black, she jumped.

“Don’t be scared, I’m right here.”

Clara fumbled around for her hand, her fingertips brushing against the little girl’s chilly skin. “It’s probably just a tripped breaker,” she reassured

her. It’ll be back on soon.’

But even as she said it, a knot of worry tightened in her gut.

Nova Al’s power system was always rock-solid. Why would it suddenly go out?

And even if it was a power outage, why were the other devices still blinking?

“Is anyone out there?”

The air grew thick and heavy in the dark. Clara pounded on the door, straining her ears for any noise from beyond.

But her knocks grew weaker, and her voice was already raw from yelling.

Without ventilation, the oxygen in the R&D lab felt like it was slowly running out.

Clara’s chest felt tight, tiny beads of sweat slicking her forehead.

‘Auntie… I can’t… I can’t breathe…”

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Lila’s voice started to tremble, her breathing coming in ragged gasps.

Clara fumbled along the wall, trying to find a window for air, only to find it sealed shut.

‘Lila, don’t be scared. Auntie’s right here.”

Is anyone out there? Open up! We’re trapped!”

Only dead silence answered them.

Mere

Just outside, Olivia stood in the hallway, listening. She pulled her hand from the circuit breaker, a smirk playing on her lips, then turned and walked away.

Minutes ticked by. The room’s temperature climbed, turning it into a suffocating oven.

Clara’s head spun, her consciousness starting to fray.

She could feel Lila’s small body trembling, the girl’s breaths growing faint.

“Lila… hang on…”

Clara’s voice was getting shaky. She fumbled to hug Lila, but her fingers brushed against the little girl’s back and felt a faint warmth. Something was blinking.

She forced her eyes open. In the faint light from the floor-to-ceiling window, she vaguely saw a green dot blinking rhythmically on Lila’s back. Like a tracker.

Clara instinctively pressed it. The blinking green dot turned red, and a piercing alarm blared.

An alarm. That’s what it was. Clara exhaled.

Ryan must have put it on her, worried about Lila’s safety.

They were saved.

Time was a blur. Clara faintly heard banging on the door.

The metallic thuds against the door hammered her eardrums, each more urgent than the last. A man’s shouts joined in.

“Lila! Ms. Bennett! Are you in there?!”

Clara held Lila. The little girl in her arms was barely breathing, her tiny face an unnatural, ashen gray.

She screamed with all her might, “I’m here!”

Ryan heard the weak cry from inside. His gut twisted.”Back up! I’m breaking this door down!”

Clara hugged Lila, scrambling back. The whine of a chainsaw ripped through the air from outside. She patted the girl’s face.

‘Lila, stay awake. Dad’s coming for us.”

Clara’s voice was a raw whisper, barely audible. Her throat felt like sandpaper, her chest a searing pain.

The pounding on the door abruptly changed tune, a metallic shriek ripping through the air, then a loud CRASH as the door burst inward, slamming against the wall.

A tall figure burst through, silhouetted against the light, his eyes blazing as he instantly spotted them huddled in the corner.

Ryan was there in a flash, dropping to his knees.”Are you okay?”

‘Clara! Wake up!”

Clara was out cold, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. Ryan’s chest seized up. He slapped her face, hard.

Was it relief that the door was finally busted open? Or just pure exhaustion? Clara’s lips barely moved, a faint whisper escaping. Ryan’s face blurred, then vanished. Darkness swallowed her whole.

Ryan’s eyes snapped wide. He checked her pulse, then pressed his fingers under her nose. A shaky breath escaped him when he felt a faint flutter. Next, he turned to Lila.

“Lila!”

“D-Dad… Daddy, Auntie…”

Lila barely heard Ryan’s voice. Her eyes fluttered open, a faint smile on her face.

“Lila, don’t be scared. Daddy’s taking you and Auntie to the hospital. Right now,”

No time to hesitate. Ryan called 911, quickly explaining what happened. Then, he bent down, scooping Clara up by her knees, holding her tight.

His other arm went under Lila’s back, securing them both as he carried them out of the research lab.

Passing the shattered door, he paused. He gave the iris scanner a strange look, a flicker of deep thought in his eyes.

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But this wasn’t the time for that. Ryan adjusted the woman and child in his arms, shifting them higher, and headed for the elevator

The sharp smell of antiseptic hit her nostrils. Clara slowly came to

She slowly opened her eyes. White figures blurred in front of her.

Lib

Something clipped her finger, and cold pads were stuck to her skin. A doctor heard Clara’s hoarse whisper and gently pressed her back down when she tried to sit up

“Me Bennett, don’t worry. The little girl who came in with you is out of danger!

Her dad’s with her, resting in the children’s ward.”

He looked at Clara’s face, pale as a ghost. But you, Ms. Bennett, you’re severely anemic. You need to stay put

“We already notified your family. He should be here any minute.”

Clara’s just-relaxed nerves snapped taut.

Family?

Her only official family member right now was Ethan. If he showed up at the hospital and found out about her condition, wouldn’t he know she’d already had the abortion?

The court hadn’t even scheduled the hearing yet. She hadn’t gotten her share of the assets, or her mom’s necklace back from Mason

No, Ethan couldn’t find out she’d had the abortion. Not now!

At that thought, Clara pushed herself, trying to sit up from the bed.

I’m fine. You don’t need to notify anyone.”

“Hey, Ms. Bennett, you really can’t move yet-*

The nurse tried to stop her, but then the room door swung open. Ethan stormed in, a dark look on his face.

Ethan rushed in, bloodshot eyes scanning the room. He saw Clara was awake, paused, then practically lunged for her bedside, grabbing her hand. How are you doing? Anything hurt?

His worry felt real. Clara flinched, pulling her hand away. She started to say she was fine, but he was already turning to the doctor. “Doc, how’s my wife doing? Is the baby okay?”

Clara’s heart seized. This was it. No escape. She just squeezed her eyes shut.

The doctor adjusted his glasses, a grim look on his face. He took a few seconds. Mr. Carter, I’m sorry, but the baby is gone.”

METSI