I lay on the floor of my room, both hands clutching my bulging stomach. The pain came suddenly, gripping me mercilessly like a wave hitting a rock. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and my breathing was labored. I tried to get up, but my body was too weak.

"Ray... please..." my voice was hoarse, almost a whisper. My hands fumbled with the cell phone beside the bed, hoping Ray would answer this time.

The dial tone sounded several times before the male voice finally appeared on the other side.

"What's wrong, Lea?" his voice sounded lazy, mixed with the party music in the background.

I bit my lip, holding back the scream that wanted to escape my throat. "Ray... I'm in pain... I need you now..." my voice trembled, tears welling up in my eyes. "Please come home..."

For a moment, there was no answer. Just the sound of laughter from the party on the other side, then the soft voice of a woman I knew well followed.

"Ray, who is it?" Sabrina.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed.

Ray chuckles. "Nobody," he says, and the words hit me harder than the pain in my stomach.

"I need you, Ray. I'm... I'm afraid something happened to our baby," I pleaded with all the hope I had left.

Ray snorted sarcastically. "Lea, I'm at the party. Can't you be a little more independent? Why do you always have to trouble me?"

I closed my eyes tightly, the tears flowing without me being able to stop them. "Ray, please..."

"Enough, Lea! I'm busy. No drama." The beeping sound on the cell phone told me that he had hung up.

I stared at the phone screen with trembling hands. "Please..." I whispered, but no one could hear me anymore.

I bit my lip to hold back a scream as another wave of pain hit. Tears continued to flow, soaking into the pillow that had been wet for hours.

Slowly, I tried to crawl to the door, hoping there was someone out there who could help me. However, the world around me felt so quiet, just as my heart was now empty.

At the party, Ray was probably dancing with Sabrina, laughing in his perfect sister's arms, while I struggled alone in the place that was supposed to be our home.

I whispered, almost like a broken prayer. "My child... just hold on... we'll be fine..."

But even I wasn't sure of those words.

The door to the room opened roughly, sending me stumbling and falling to the floor. In the doorway, Ray stood with an annoyed expression, while behind him, Sabrina stepped in elegantly, the scent of her expensive perfume filling the room. I stared at them with a gasp, still trying to endure the pain that hit my stomach mercilessly.

"Lea, what the hell? I'm tired, can't you wait?" Ray grunted in annoyance, walking past me like I was nothing. He immediately sat down on the sofa and opened the bottle of drink he had brought with him from nowhere.

I tried to get up, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Ray... I need you. Our baby..."

Ray gave me a cold look as if I was a burden he wanted to get rid of. "This baby is just an excuse for you to keep bothering me, Lea. I've had enough of your patience."

Sabrina stood in the corner of the room, her eyes looking me up and down like she was looking at something disgusting. "Ray, I don't understand... Are you married to her?"

I turned to Sabrina, feeling a wave of bitterness rising in my chest. Sabrina, my step-sister. Blood relatives, but our worlds were so different.

She was our father's favorite child, living in luxury and love, while I was thrown into an orphanage like unwanted trash. My father preferred to live with Sabrina's mother and himself, leaving me in agonizing loneliness.

Ray chuckled, sipping his drink casually. "Yeah, I'm married to Lea." He glanced at me, an expression full of annoyance. "But that's not important, Sabrina. I'm with Lea only because I have to be. You know, my family told me to marry her."

I'm stunned. "Ray..." my voice was barely audible.

Sabrina looked at me with a mixture of disgust and pity. "Half-brother, huh?" She smiled sarcastically. "I didn't even know you were still in this life, Lea."

I swallowed, trying to stop myself from crying in front of her. "Sabrina... I-"

Ray interrupted with a sharp tone. "Sabrina, I choose you. Lea is nothing." He stood up and walked over to Sabrina, his arm wrapped around my step-sister's waist effortlessly, as if I had never been in her life. "She's just an unimportant past."

I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. "Ray... I'm your wife..."

Ray snorted, looking at me coldly. "Wives are only on paper, Lea. You know I never loved you."

My body was weakening, and the pain in my stomach was getting worse. I wanted to scream, get angry, or even beg, but I knew it wouldn't change anything. Ray had already made his choice, and I could only accept this harsh reality.

Sabrina smiled contentedly, her hand grasping Ray's triumphantly. "Honey, let's go. I can't stand it here."

Ray nodded without hesitation, leaving me still lying on the floor in increasing pain. "I'm not coming home tonight, so don't bother me anymore," he said before closing the door, leaving me alone in the dark.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I fingered my bulging stomach, whispering the same prayer over and over again.

****

The next day.

The atmosphere at Sabrina and I's parents' house was festive. Guests arrived, bringing gifts and congratulations for our parents' anniversary.

I stood in the corner of the room, trying to keep my distance from the center of attention. My sore stomach made it difficult for me to stand for long, but I didn't want to show my weakness in front of them, especially not in front of Sabrina and Ray.

Ray, with a confident smile, strides among the guests, receiving compliment after compliment.

"You are a great husband, Ray," said one of the guests, a business associate of Dad's.

Ray chuckled, patting the man on the shoulder. "Ah, I'm just trying to be the best for Lea. I know she's had a difficult past, so I want to make sure she feels safe with me."

I felt my heart pounding uncomfortably at his words. There was something in his tone that scared me.

"What do you mean, Ray?" asked a woman standing nearby.

Ray smiled smugly, giving me a quick before continuing in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Lea had a... bad experience. She was abused by another man, you know? I ended up saving her from a difficult life."

The whole room was suddenly silent. The guests' gazes slowly shifted to me, some were whispering, and I felt like the entire air in the room disappeared.

"No... That's not true," my voice trembled, but Ray didn't care. He was enjoying the moment, making me look weak before everyone.

Sabrina added in a mocking tone, "You poor thing, Lea. If it wasn't for Ray, I don't know what her life would be now."

I held my breath, staring at our father whose face was already bright red. I knew this was bad.

"Dad, I can explain..." my voice was barely audible.

However, before I could say anything further, dad took a quick step towards me and-

PLAK!

A hard slap landed on my cheek, making my head turn to the side. I felt a stinging heat on my face, but what hurt more was the contempt plastered in my father's eyes.

"You're such a disgrace, Lea! I threw you away years ago, and you still bring this disgrace into my family!" his voice thundered throughout the room.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me destroyed.

Ray, instead of defending me, smiled proudly, accepting compliments from some of the guests who praised him as a wonderful husband for 'accepting' a woman like me.

"Ray is a wonderful man. Not many men would accept a wife with a past like that," someone said in a tone of fake sympathy.

I couldn't take it anymore. With unsteady steps, I ran out of the house, letting the tears I had been holding back just break out. I felt like the world was so cruel.

However, when I returned to retrieve my bag left in the room, I heard a voice that stopped me in my tracks.

Ray's voice.

With slow steps, I approached one of the empty rooms in this house. The door was slightly ajar, and what I saw made me almost lose consciousness.

There, Ray and Sabrina are. Their bodies are tightly intertwined in a disgusting display of lust. They were kissing, Ray's hands clasped possessively around Sabrina's waist, while my step-sister gazed at him passionately.

My body trembled. "Ray..." my voice was barely audible, but they heard it.

Ray turned to me and instead of feeling guilty, he just smiled casually. "Lea, why are you still here? Want to join us?"

I felt my whole blood freeze. Sabrina chuckled softly while caressing Ray's face. "Lea, you should have realized long ago that Ray prefers me. He's only with you out of pity," she said in a dismissive tone.

I stared at them, unable to believe what I was seeing. "Ray... I am your wife."

Ray just shrugged. "Only on paper, Lea. I love Sabrina, and you know it."

I cover my mouth, fighting back the sobs that come with great difficulty. My body felt so weak, my stomach throbbed again, and my tears flowed relentlessly.

Without saying anything more, I turned and left, leaving the two of them who were again immersed in their forbidden passion. My heart was broken into pieces, and for the first time in my life, I felt completely alone.

I hobbled to the door, my tears streaming down my already wet face. My stomach was hurting even more, but I didn't care.

I had to leave here. I can no longer be in this place of betrayal and pain.

However, my steps were halted when Ray's cold voice echoed in the room.

"You think you can just leave, Lea?" his voice was full of mockery. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to contain the turmoil in my chest. "Stay here and watch me and Sabrina make out. You need to know who I want."

I swallowed hard, my knees feeling weak. I turned my head slowly and saw Sabrina standing beside her with a triumphant grin.

"Did you hear that, Sister Lea?" Sabrina said in a mocking tone. "Ray is mine now. You're just an obstacle."

I couldn't answer. Only tears escaped my lips. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but my body felt so weak.

The sound of Ray's cell phone ringing broke the tension between us. He grabbed his phone with an annoyed face.

"What?" his voice sounded lazy, but his expression turned slightly serious. "Wait outside, I'll be right out."

Ray gave Sabrina a quick hug and then took off, leaving me alone with her.

As soon as the door closed, Sabrina's expression instantly changed. Her face was full of hatred as she approached, standing right in front of me with her arms folded across her chest.

"You think you can win Ray over from me?" she whispered sharply. "You're dead wrong. I will make sure your son is never born to inherit Ray's fortune."

I'm wide-eyed, staring at him with a mixture of fear and anger. "You're crazy, Sabrina. He's Ray's son, too!" my voice trembled, but I tried to stay strong.

Sabrina smiled sarcastically. "That's precisely why I had to get rid of him. You'll have nothing. It's all mine."

I shook my head desperately. "No, I won't let you!" I almost shouted. "Stop having anything to do with my husband, Sabrina! You know this is wrong!"

She just laughed. "You're too innocent, Sister Lea. I'm not going to stop. I will stay with Ray, in his bed, in his life, in his heart. And I will carry his child. The child who will have everything."

I felt my anger rising. I could no longer contain myself. With all my might, I slapped him across the face. The sound of the slap echoed in the room, and I could see her cheeks turn red instantly.

"You don't know your limits!" my voice trembled with anger and hurt mixed.

Sabrina gave me a sharp look, then suddenly she pushed me so hard that I fell to the floor. I screamed, my hands automatically clutching my stomach which was in excruciating pain.

I curled up in pain on the floor, my tears flowing even faster. "Help...," I whispered weakly, but Sabrina just smiled contentedly.

As I tried to get up, the sound of footsteps came from outside. I turned my head and saw Ray entering with my father and stepmother.

As soon as they saw me falling on the floor, their faces were immediately full of anger. But before I could speak, Sabrina moved faster. She grabbed a small knife stored in the cupboard and quickly sliced the blade across hen arm.

I gaped at the blood dripping from her hand. Sabrina's face instantly turned into one full of fake panic. "Ray! Sister Lea... she tried to hurt me!" she exclaimed in a trembling voice.

Ray ran towards her, his eyes filled with anger. "What are you doing, Lea?!" he snapped.

I shook my head in panic. "No! I didn't do anything! It was Sabrina who-"

Plak!

A hard slap landed on my cheek. I gasped, feeling the heat radiating across my face. My father looked at me with hateful eyes.

"You're such an ignorant child! Already bringing shame to the family, now trying to hurt your sister!"

My tears welled up, I tried to explain but no one would listen. Ray just stood there, looking at me with disgust.

"You're disgusting, Lea," he said coldly. "I'm sick of looking at you."

My body trembled, and the pain in my stomach intensified. I whimpered softly, hoping for some compassion, but no one cared. Ray just looked at me coldly before turning to Sabrina who was crying pretend in his arms.

I watched it all with teary eyes. I couldn't take it anymore. I want to leave here. I can no longer stay in a place that only gives me wounds.