My Husband Tried To Pull The Plug On My Life For $2m. He Didn’t Realize I Could Hear Him Whispering His Plan. Now I’m Awake, And I’m Coming For Everything.
The Arrest
Detective Miller signaled to his partner. “Cuff him.”
“Wait, no! Mom, help me! Rick!” Rick screamed hysterically as the officers moved in on him. He struggled, kicking like a child throwing a tantrum. “This is a misunderstanding. Eleanor’s the crazy one. She fell on her own!”
“You have the right to remain silent,” the officer said, twisting Rick’s arm behind his back.
The metallic click of the handcuffs locking around his wrists was more beautiful than any symphony I had ever heard. Rick was dragged past my bed. His eyes met mine. There was no arrogance left, only pure terror.
I stared straight at him. Then, with what little strength I had, I slowly raised my right hand. My fingers moved weakly, pointing toward the door.
“Get out.”
“You’re a demon, Eleanor! A demon!” Rick shrieked as he was hauled out the door. His voice echoed down the hospital corridor before finally fading away.
Brenda was still standing frozen. She looked at me, then at the door where her stepson had been taken without saying a word, no apology, no remorse. She turned and walked briskly out of the room, the sound of her heels clicking with an arrogant yet empty sound. She chose to save her own reputation rather than defend the son who had just been exposed as a criminal.
My body suddenly felt limp. The adrenaline that had sustained me vanished, replaced by an overwhelming exhaustion. My vision started to blur again, but this time it wasn’t from the coma.
“It’s over, Eleanor. It’s over.” Michael’s gentle voice was in my ear. He held my hand tightly. “You’re safe now. Rick can’t touch you anymore.”
Nurse Jenny was sobbing at the foot of the bed, holding my legs. “I’m so sorry, El. I had no idea you were carrying this all alone.”
I wanted to smile, but my facial muscles were too tired. I just closed my eyes, letting tears roll onto the pillow. The rain outside was still pouring, but the storm inside my life had just subsided. Still, I knew this wasn’t really over. The storm of public opinion was about to begin. But at least for tonight, I was alive. I had won.
Safe at Last
The echo of Rick’s scream calling me a demon slowly faded down the long, cold hospital corridor, but its vibration remained in the air, hanging like toxic smoke in the now silent ICU room. His departure, dragged away by police in handcuffs, should have brought me immense relief. I should have felt free, but what I felt instead was a painful emptiness, as if my own bones had been forcibly ripped out along with the man I once considered the final harbor of my life.
My body finally gave up. The adrenaline that had burned through my blood, forcing me to stay conscious and fight, was now extinguished. The monitor beside me began to beep with a warning tone again. Not because my heart had stopped, but because its rhythm had become weak and erratic.
“Eleanor, stay with me. Eleanor!” Dr. Evans’s voice sounded distant, as if calling from the end of a tunnel.
I felt medical hands working quickly on my body. Nurse Jenny injected something into my IV line. A cold sensation spread through my vein and slowly through my body, bringing a heavy drowsiness with it. But I refused to close my eyes. One thing was not yet finished. One more life was at stake in this deadly chess game.
“Lily…” I whispered, my voice barely audible under the oxygen mask that had been placed back over my face. “Where’s my daughter?”
Michael, who was checking my pupillary response, paused. His tense face softened. He held my hand not as a doctor, but as a friend who understood a mother’s greatest fear.
“Lily’s safe, El. She’s at my parents’ house for now, with my mom and her nanny,” Michael answered gently. “I picked her up quietly yesterday evening as soon as I got suspicious of Rick trying to rush you off life support. He has no idea she’s there.”
Tears streamed from the corners of my eyes, soaking the pillow. Thank God. Lily was safe. Rick couldn’t use her as a pawn. That monster couldn’t touch my little girl.
Detective Miller, the officer who had arrested Rick, approached the bed. He seemed awkward in the midst of the intense medical situation, but his duty demanded resolve. He held the plastic bag containing the burner phone, the only weapon I had.
“Dr. Henderson,” Detective Miller said respectfully. “I know you need to rest, but I need a brief verbal confirmation to officially secure this evidence. Is it correct that this phone is yours and contains evidence of threats made by Mr. Henderson?”
I nodded weakly. “Yes, that’s the proof.”
“Understood. We’ll process it immediately. Mister Henderson will be detained tonight on charges of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery. Please get some rest. A full statement can be taken once your condition improves.”
