Chapter 7 - Poison in the Nursery
The next morning, the sun rose over the Rossi estate with deceptive serenity. The Atlantic waves crashed against the jagged cliffs below, white foam sparkling in the morning light.
Inside the mansion, however, the air was charged with a silent, lethal tension.
Hannah spent the morning feeding Leo, who was now smiling, kicking his little legs, and showing all the bright, curious energy of a healthy two-month-old. Every time he cooed at her, a fierce, protective warmth bloomed in her chest, pushing back the lingering trauma of her own tragic loss.
Around 11:00 AM, a knock sounded at the nursery door.
It wasn't Lorenzo. It was Dr. Julian Halloran, pushing a small stainless-steel medical cart loaded with sterilized bottles, vitamin drops, and prescribed nutritional supplements.
"Good morning, Miss Hayes," Dr. Halloran said with a polite, professional smile as he wheeled the cart into the room. "Mr. Rossi asked me to run a routine nutritional panel on Leo this morning, and to administer his daily iron and vitamin drops."
Hannah smiled, shifting Leo to her shoulder as she burped him gently. "He's doing great, Doctor. Look—he gained three ounces yesterday."
"Remarkable," Dr. Halloran murmured, his eyes scanning the charts. "Truly a miracle of modern biology... and maternal devotion."
The doctor picked up a small glass dropper bottle from the cart, unscrewing the black rubber top. He pulled a small amount of clear liquid into the glass tube, turning toward the bassinet where Leo had just been laid down for a morning nap.
"Let's get his vitamins administered before his next feeding," Dr. Halloran said smoothly, stepping toward the crib.
Hannah watched him for a second, her eyes dropping to the medical cart. Something felt... off.
Dr. Halloran’s hands were shaking slightly. Not much—just a faint tremor in his fingertips. But Dr. Halloran was a world-renowned pediatrician who had performed delicate surgeries on premature infants without a single flinch. Surgeons didn't shake unless they were hiding something.
And then she noticed the bottle.
The vitamin drops prescribed by the estate pharmacy had a distinct amber tint to them.
The liquid in the dropper the doctor was holding... was completely, crystal clear.
Cyanide. Or something equally lethal, tasteless, and fast-acting.
A sudden flash of pure, primal terror surged through Hannah’s veins. The night intruder hadn't been the only threat. The traitor inside the house wasn't a nameless foot soldier—it was the man trusted with Leo's very life.
"Wait!" Hannah gasped, dropping her burp cloth and lunging forward.
Dr. Halloran froze, the dropper hovering inches from the sleeping baby's lips. His professional facade cracked instantly, his eyes widening in sudden, panicked realization.
"Miss Hayes, please don't interrupt—"
"Get away from him!" Hannah screamed, throwing her body between the doctor and the crib, shoving him back with unexpected strength.
The glass dropper slipped from Dr. Halloran’s hand, shattering against the marble floor. A tiny puddle of clear liquid sizzled against the stone, instantly eating a small, smoking circle into the polished finish.
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Dr. Halloran stumbled back, his face draining of all color. He looked at the shattered glass, then up at Hannah, whose eyes were blazing with furious betrayal.
"You..." Hannah choked out, her voice shaking with rage. "You son of a bitch. You were going to poison him."
