Alexandra Marsh's POV:

"Mr. Gardner, we need your decision! Your wife is critical!" The doctor's voice cut through my foggy consciousness like a knife — distant, muffled.

Easton stood there, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He didn't move. He didn't speak. His face was as cold as stone. The ER staff swarmed around my bed in a frenzy.

Colette tugged at his arm. "Easton, aren't you going to say something? They're talking about your wife." Her voice was fragile as tissue paper, sounding as if she actually cared. But it was all an act.

Easton shook off her hand. "She's faking it again. Every time she wants something, this is her move. It's her go-to attention-seeking trick. Don't fall for it." He looked at the doctor. "She's not that sick. She's lying."

"Mr. Gardner, this is not a game!" Kim Smith, the officer, stepped between Easton and the medical team. "This woman is fighting for her life — and your child's life."

A nurse rushed to the doctor. "Her blood pressure is plummeting!"

The doctor turned to Easton, his tone grave. "Mr. Gardner, your wife is suffering from severe pregnancy-induced hypertension with massive hemorrhaging. She needs an emergency C-section and a blood transfusion. Without your consent, due to insurance restrictions, we cannot proceed with the surgery."

Easton snorted. "Pregnancy hypertension? Hemorrhaging? What kind of medical scare tactics are these? Trying to frighten me into paying? She's pregnant. Women get sick during pregnancy. It's normal."

"This is NOT normal, Mr. Gardner," the doctor shot back, holding up a medical report. "Her hemoglobin levels are dangerously low. Her blood work is catastrophic. And the baby's heart rate is dropping."

"Lies!" Easton roared, snatching the report and crumpling it into a ball. "She's putting on a performance! She just wants me to pay these outrageous bills. She's always like this — trying to drain my accounts."

"She's dying, Mr. Gardner!" The doctor's voice rose in anger. "Do you understand? Both she and your child could die!"

Easton threw the crumpled report to the floor. "She brought this on herself! Always exaggerating, always spending money like water. If she hadn't tried to steal from me, she wouldn't be in this mess."

Colette stepped forward and gently placed her hand on Easton's arm. "Easton, calm down. Maybe she really does need some treatment. After all, she is pregnant. But these costs are astronomical. And her insurance… I just don't understand why she downgraded it. Didn't you always tell her to keep the best coverage?" Her gaze flicked to me, a flash of triumph in her eyes.

Easton glared at Colette and shook off her hand. "Don't be naive, Colette. She knows exactly what she's doing. This was all planned. She thought she could use this baby to force my hand. Well, not a chance!" He looked at the doctor, then at me. "I refuse to authorize any surgery. Not unless she signs the postnuptial agreement. It clearly states she gets nothing, and she must assume all of Colette's debts."

"Mr. Gardner, this is criminal negligence!" Kim Smith said angrily, stepping forward. "You are deliberately withholding life-saving medical care from your wife and unborn child!"

"Criminal negligence?" Easton laughed. "I'm protecting my property and my future. She tried to steal from me — she's a thief. Why should I pay for a thief's medical bills?" He pulled out his phone. "I'm calling my lawyer. If any of you so much as touches her without my consent, I'll sue this hospital into the ground. I'll take this to the media, and every single one of you will be ruined."

He looked at me, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Alexandra, what little trick did you think you could pull? Did you think you could use this baby against me? You're nothing. You'll die here, and it'll be all your own fault."

A tearing pain ripped through my abdomen. I gasped. "Easton," I breathed, my voice so faint it was almost inaudible. "I want a divorce."

He laughed again. "Divorce? You think you have a choice? You have nothing. You're worthless."

"I'll sign the agreement giving up all property," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. "I don't want anything. Just let me have the surgery. Save our baby."

Something flickered in his eyes. "Nothing? You think that's enough? You'll pay for humiliating me in public. I'll make sure you're prosecuted for theft. You'll lose everything — including any rights to this child."

Colette stepped closer, her voice sickly sweet and utterly false. "Alexandra, dear, Easton just cares so much about his money. You know how he is. Why not just sign? It's what's best for everyone." She reached for my hand.

I used the last of my strength to push her away. Her touch felt like poison — revolting.

A rush of heat flooded from beneath me. The air grew thick with the metallic scent of blood. My vision went black.

"She's hemorrhaging again!" a nurse screamed. "Code blue! She's crashing!"

Alexandra Marsh's POV:

"Hurry, get her into the OR now!" The doctor's voice was a frantic shout. Someone grabbed me, and the bed creaked as it moved fast. The world dissolved into a blur of white and surgical green. My body felt heavy, as though I were detached from myself.

I heard Easton's voice, unnervingly calm: "See? More acting. She's doing this on purpose, just for the spotlight."

"Mr. Gardner, your wife is hemorrhaging!" a nurse shouted, her voice tight with tension. "She's losing consciousness!"

"She's probably faking it again," Easton muttered. "It's what she does best. She probably cut herself on purpose to make it look worse."

The doctor's face was dark with fury, and he ignored Easton entirely. He barked orders: "Prep for emergency C-section! We need blood, now!"

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Easton's voice rose again. "You doctors have all been fooled by her, playing along with her little performance. You just want to milk me for money. I know how you people operate."

No one paid him any mind — they were too busy. I felt a sharp prick as a needle slid into my arm. Cold fluid flooded my veins. I was breathing hard, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Every movement sent a fresh wave of agony through my body. The monitor screamed shrilly.

"Her pulse is weak, blood pressure's at critical levels! Fetal heart rate is barely detectable!" a nurse called out the desperate update.

The doctor turned to Easton, his voice low and dangerous. "Mr. Gardner, we need you to sign the surgical consent form. Now! Every second counts. If you don't sign, we can't operate, and your wife and child will both die."

Easton smirked. "And how much is this 'emergency' surgery going to cost? How much will this little performance of hers set me back this time?"

"We're talking about human lives! Not money, Mr. Gardner!" The doctor finally snapped, roaring. "This is a life! Your wife and child! They are in mortal danger right now!"

"Don't lecture me about lives," Easton shot back, his voice growing shrill. "I'm the one who decides what a life is worth. And right now, hers — especially after she tried to steal from me — isn't worth bankrupting me or ruining Colette's future. Colette's investments are worth far more than this farce."

"You'd watch your wife and child die over money?" Kim Smith's voice was thick with disgust.

"They're not dead yet," Easton shrugged. "And if they do die, that's her own fault. Besides, I already told you — I'm not paying. Not a single cent."

Colette spoke up, her voice surprisingly firm. "Easton, darling, maybe I can help? I have an emergency fund. It's not much, but…" She pulled a thick stack of cash from her designer handbag. "There's about five thousand here. Would that cover part of it?" She looked at the doctor with an expression of false generosity.

The doctor's eyes widened. "Five thousand dollars would be a start, Ms. Russo. We need a deposit for the emergency surgery and blood."

Colette walked toward the doctor, cash in hand. Easton quickly stepped in front of her, blocking the move.

"No, Colette," he said firmly. "You will not give them a single penny. This is Alexandra's problem. Let her solve it. With the money she tried to steal from me." He turned to Kim Smith. "Officer, make her return the money she got from the pawn shop. That's her payment method."

Kim Smith stepped forward, her face twisted with anger. "Mr. Gardner, that money is legally hers now. She pawned something she had in her possession. You reported it as 'grand theft,' but this is a civil matter, not a criminal one — especially when the item turned out to be a counterfeit. Using this during a medical emergency is nothing short of reprehensible."

Easton ignored her. He looked at me, lying there, barely conscious. "Alexandra, if you want this surgery, sign this document. Admit you stole my money. Waive all rights to our property. And assume all of Colette's debts. Those are my terms. Take it or leave it."

My body convulsed violently. A searing pain tore through me. I heard a distant cry — not mine, the baby's. Growing fainter.

"She's coding! We're losing the baby!" a nurse screamed.

Easton just watched coldly, his face expressionless. "Isn't this what she asked for?"