My billionaire wife was in late pregnancy when she was kidnapped. Her water broke on the spot.

To save her, I was strapped to a drop tower by dozens of men and tortured for three days and nights. By the end, blood poured from my lower body like a river, and the child inside her had died in the womb.

Serena Gilbert collapsed. She rushed me to the hospital like a woman possessed.

After surgery, the doctor delivered the verdict: I would likely never be able to father children again.

She knelt before me, face streaked with tears, voice raw with guilt:

"Alex Harding, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"I promise you—from now on, you're the only man I'll ever have. As for children… having you is enough for me."

Five years later, I returned from an overseas business trip to find Serena in trouble again. I rushed over.

But when I arrived, she was shielding Kyle Mercer—the college student I'd sponsored for five years—behind her. And her belly was just as swollen as it had been back then.

Before I could even open my mouth, she grabbed me.

"Alex, the baby's coming. I won't let him or this child suffer even the slightest harm!"

"They just want me to pay a small price. You can take the hit for us!"

She shoved me forward. My lower body slammed straight into the knife the attacker was holding.

Hot liquid surged from my body.

What Serena didn't know was that today I'd been heading to a checkup. After years of treatment, my azoospermia had finally been cured.

And now, by her own hand, it was destroyed all over again.

——

The moment I hit the ground, familiar arms caught me.

"Alex! How are you? Why is there so much blood!"

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't made so many enemies in business, I wouldn't keep hurting you like this!"

She pressed her hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it just kept coming. She yanked out her phone and screamed, "Doctor! Get a doctor here NOW!"

"If anything happens to him, I will bury your hospital!"

Serena had always been ice-cold, unshakable. The last time I'd seen her lose control like this was five years ago, on the way to the hospital.

But now, watching the veins bulge at her temples, I felt nothing.

Instead, my eyes locked onto her swollen belly.

Panic flickered across her face. She rushed to explain:

"Alex, don't overthink this. My father—he threatened to kill himself if I didn't give him an heir."

"You know how big my business has gotten. Someone has to inherit it eventually. But don't worry—once the baby's born, I'll send him abroad. He won't be anywhere near you."

Before I could respond, Kyle stepped forward, looking pitiful:

"Alex, I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean for this to happen. Ms. Gilbert had too much to drink that night, and then…"

"I apologize. I wronged you!"

He moved to bow, but Serena didn't give him the chance. She stood and pulled him into her arms.

"What are you apologizing for? None of this is your fault!"

"I'm the one who took your virginity and made you a father out of nowhere. If anyone should apologize, it's me!"

Every word was a knife twisting in my chest.

The wound in my body screamed. I couldn't hold back a groan, and only then did Serena notice my face—completely drained of color.

She was about to snap at someone when the ambulance arrived. She bent down to help me up. We hadn't taken a single step when—

Kyle let out a pained moan behind us.

Serena's hands released me instantly.

I slammed into the ground.

The blade edge jolted open in an instant, and the pain made my whole body tremble.

Seeing this, the nurse beside me hurried to stop the stretcher on my side.

But Serena blocked her with one hand. "Save him first!"

"But obviously—"

The nurse was incredulous, but Serena's attitude was forceful, and in the end she could only lift Kyle—who was completely uninjured—onto the stretcher bed.

Because there were so many people, Serena carefully shielded him, but she didn't watch where she was going. When she passed by me, she stepped right on my wound.

Blood sprayed out instantly, splattering all over her white dress.

And I couldn't take it anymore.

I passed out completely.

When I woke again, it was the severe pain coming from below that jolted me awake.

I realized I was lying in the emergency room.

The doctor saw me open my eyes, and his hands paused. "Your wife heard you're doing better, so she told me to give you a vasectomy."

I suddenly lifted my head. "What did you say?"

He handed me a surgery form. I saw it clearly—vasectomy.

And in the lower right corner was Serena's signature.

I couldn't hold back anymore. Tears burst out.

So I was the only one hoping to have a baby with her.

So for Kyle's sake, she wanted to turn me into an incomplete man.

Serena, your heart is so cruel!

I bit down hard on my lip until the taste of blood spread through my mouth.

I grabbed the doctor. "I'm not doing it. Cancel the surgery!"

But he pinned me down hard, then tied all my limbs to the hospital bed and stuffed a blood-stained piece of gauze into my mouth.

"All the anesthesiologists were transferred by Ms. Gilbert to check on Mr. Mercer, so please bear with it. If you don't get sterilized, there'll be life-threatening danger."

Before I could react, huge instruments reached into my body and kept probing.

The pain made my whole body tremble. I clearly felt the changes inside me slipping away bit by bit.

Along with it, the last trace of love in my heart.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the hospital hallway.

On the TV, they were broadcasting the news from two days ago about Serena being kidnapped. They said this was the second time she had been targeted by a rival.

Only I knew it was actually the third time.

Seven years ago, I had just married Serena.

She went back to her hometown to bring her father to North City, and on the way, a rival came seeking revenge—a car speeding toward them.

It was Father who used all his strength to push her aside, while he himself was flung straight through the car window.

Brain-dead on the spot. He became a vegetable.

After I found out, I cried until I fainted at the hospital. Serena knelt outside the ward for three days and three nights, saying she was sorry to me and my father, and swore that in this lifetime she would never let me bleed or shed tears.

But now, not only did she make me bleed and cry, she also had someone strip away my right to be a father.

Tears poured out uncontrollably. With reddened eyes, I called my buddy who studied law and asked him to help me draft a divorce agreement.

As soon as I hung up, I saw Kyle update his feed.

The caption read: "Got a scare today. My wife didn't say a word and got me a pigeon-egg to make it up to me."

In the picture, that blue diamond ring stabbed deep into my eyes.

That was the gift Serena had promised to give me for our seventh wedding anniversary.

But now it was on someone else's hand.

I didn't dare look anymore and blocked him.

Over the next few days, Serena didn't show up even once. Half a month later, I handled the discharge procedures myself.

On the way, I went to the nursing home to sign Father up.

When I pushed open the front door with a pale face, I saw Kyle bare-chested, moving back and forth under Serena.

When he saw me, he covered his chest and let out a startled cry.

Serena immediately turned to look at me, her eyes ice-cold.

"You're back and you didn't even give us a heads up. What if you scared him and the baby!"

"Oh, right—the doctor said I'm about to go into labor and need to rest, so I just brought him home to stay here."

As if afraid I wouldn't agree, she added:

"Don't worry about your father. There are people with him around the clock. Actually, your father is the only reason I came back this time."

So I forced down the nausea in my heart and kept my voice steady.

"Got it."

I headed straight upstairs.

But when I pushed the door open, I found my belongings piled in a mess by the doorway. The sheets in the master bedroom had been changed to the lace style I hated most. Even the huge wedding photo on the wall was gone—lying in the trash can now, replaced by Serena's maternity photos.

In the photo, her belly was huge and round. Kyle was kneeling on the ground, kissing it, his face glowing with the joy of becoming a father for the first time.

The pain sliced through my chest like a knife. My fingers drifted unconsciously to my own flattened abdomen.

In a daze, familiar footsteps approached from behind.

Serena.

She pulled me into her arms.

"Alex, I know I've put you through a lot. Once the baby's born, everything will go back to how it was."

"For the sake of what we've had all these years—promise me you won't make things hard for him, okay?"

I let out a bitter laugh.

So she knew. She knew exactly what she'd put me through, and she still chose this.

Without showing it, I stepped back, pulled the divorce papers from my bag, and handed them to her.

"Serena. Let's get a divorce."

Her head snapped up, disbelief flooding her face.

"What did you say? You want to divorce me?"

"Over this? I told you—I just want a child of my own. What's wrong with that!"

Those few words tore through me. I nodded. "You're right. You're not wrong."

"The one who's wrong is me. If I hadn't saved you back then—if my dad hadn't thrown himself in front of that car for you—then it wouldn't… wouldn't…"

The tears I'd been holding back spilled over first.

Seeing me like this, something in Serena's expression softened.

"Alex, I… I know I hurt you. It's my fault. But I promise—from now on, I'll never make you suffer again, okay?"

I shook my head.

Her expression turned cold instantly.

Before she could speak, Kyle came upstairs first.

"Alex, please don't argue with Ms. Gilbert. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I didn't know what was good for me. You paid for my education, and I…"

"I swear to you—once the baby's born, I'll disappear. She can have the child call you Dad."

"Please! Please don't kick me out!"

He dropped to his knees right in front of me with a thud, eyes brimming with tears, as if he were the one who'd been wronged.

Serena immediately bent down to help him up. When she turned back to me, only ice remained in her gaze.

"Alex! I'm about to give birth—don't you know that!"

"If you have a problem, take it up with me. Why are you making things hard for him? He's just a kid!"

Watching her hold Kyle protectively in her arms, eyes full of wariness toward me, my heart sank to rock bottom.

My voice came out flat.

"Relax. Once I grab my things, I'm gone. I won't disturb you two."

I went into the room, grabbed my ID and passport, and headed downstairs. Just as I was about to walk out the front door, Kyle stopped me.