Chapter 3 - Lines Drawn in the Sand
By the next morning, news of the triplets' birth and Landon's dramatic exclusion from the maternity wing had leaked to close family and Landon's high-profile circle. Landon's mother, Victoria Pierce, arrived at the hospital in a whirlwind of expensive perfume and tailored silk, demanding to see her granddaughters and accusing Corinne of being irrational.
"Corinne, dear, you're high on hormones and pain medication," Victoria insisted, standing at the foot of Corinne's bed after bypassing the front desk under the guise of an emergency. "Landon made a mistake, yes, but he was stressed! Men handle pressure differently. You cannot keep a father from his children, nor can you keep me from my grandbabies."
Corinne looked at the woman who had spent six years making subtle jabs at her modest upbringing. "Victoria, your son stood in a bar with his mistress while his daughters were nearly asphyxiated by their own umbilical cords. He chose his 'real life.' You can leave voluntarily, or I will have security remove you as well."
Victoria gasped, but the cold determination in Corinne's eyes left no room for debate. Snatching her handbag, Victoria turned on her heel and stormed out.
Later that afternoon, Corinne was wheeled into the NICU for the first time. The room was dark, filled with the rhythmic hum and beep of life-support machinery. Seeing her three babies—so tiny, surrounded by wires and tubes—broke what was left of her heart. But as she reached through the port of the incubator to touch Clara's paper-thin hand, a new strength surged within her.
"I won't let him ruin us," Corinne whispered to the quiet room. "I will protect you."
May you like
While Corinne began her vigil in the NICU, Landon was realizing the catastrophic fallout of his actions. Nurse Tessa had not stayed silent; shocked by what she had overheard on the speakerphone, she had mentioned the incident to several colleagues. Word spread quickly through the hospital, and Tacoma's tight-knit high society began to whisper.
Landon found himself barred from the NICU by hospital security, as Corinne held sole medical power of attorney over the babies due to their legal marriage status and the emergency nature of their care. Panicked about his public image, Landon consulted his corporate legal team, only to realize that Corinne’s family attorney—a sharp, uncompromising woman named Sarah Vance—had already filed for an emergency restraining order and a petition for legal separation.
