###Chapter 4

The next morning, just as I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw Cedric coming out of the guest room.

He carefully helped Sandra to the living room sofa and instructed the maid, his voice unusually tense. "Sandra caught a chill after standing in the rain last night. Quickly call Dr. Lane!"

Meanwhile, I hadn't slept a wink, my face ashen from morning sickness, yet he seemed oblivious.

Standing at the turn of the stairs, my eyes locked onto Sandra's. She was dressed in a thin silk nightgown that revealed her fair, dazzling legs, while her neck and collarbone were covered in suggestive red marks.

Although we are the same age, she had been so meticulously cared for and pampered that she looked barely thirty, radiating charm and elegance.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the wall mirror. I didn't realize when my dark hair had begun to turn gray, or when wrinkles had quietly crept onto my face.

I clenched my fists and walked toward them, step by step. I said, "Cedric, I don't want to attend that party."

The man, who was busy peeling an apple for Sandra, suddenly looked grim. "This is a thoughtful gift Sandra prepared for us. Don't let her down," he replied coldly.

A thoughtful gift? Was it including the "thought" that destroyed me?

A dull pain throbbed in my chest as I muttered, "You two can go yourselves."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sandra's eyes reddened, her voice pitiful. "I know you hate me for taking the position of the Lancaster Family's daughter, but wasn't what you did to me back then enough?"

Upon hearing this, Cedric's face grew even colder.

He pulled the pitiful Sandra closer, his gaze like a knife shooting at me. "Macie, are you going to use the same old tricks again? Are you only satisfied with using those despicable methods to drive Sandra away once more?"

"I didn't … "

"Shut up!" His icy gaze pressed against my belly, each word uttered with undeniable pressure. "Tell me you will attend."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I bit my lower lip hard. Under the weight of his stare, I finally gave a difficult nod.

His expression softened slightly at that.

When the family doctor arrived in a hurry, Cedric draped his coat over Sandra's shoulders and turned to me. "From today on, you will stay home and focus on your pregnancy. Sandra will take over your duties as my secretary. She will do a great job."

Before I could object, he had already led Sandra towards the doctor.

I sat alone in the empty living room for a long time, then remembered I had left some personal belongings at the company, so I decided to retrieve them.

When I arrived outside the CEO's office, I found the door slightly ajar. Looking inside, I saw Sandra sitting in Cedric's leather swivel chair, livestreaming on her phone.

She wore a brand-new ruby ​​headband, her smile elegant yet sorrowful. "The position of Mrs. Larkin should have always belonged to me. It was my stepsister who stole my happiness with dirty tricks. I wasn't the 'other woman,' she is."

Sandra lifted her hand to wipe away tears that didn't exist, her eyes full of melancholy. "She married Cedric only for money. As for me? I had already chosen him from a very young age."

I opened my own phone and saw her supporters flooding the screen with heart-wrenching comments. In contrast, others launched a barrage of abuse at me, even demanding I be sent to prison.

Later, Sandra shook her head tolerantly. "But she is still my sister in name, so let's just leave it be."

Her performance was enough to put Oscar-winning actresses to shame.

Just then, Cedric walked out of the private lounge. Sandra immediately ended the livestream, smiled sweetly and naturally sat down on his lap.

Watching their entangled figures, I no longer fled in panic like I had the day before. Instead, I raised my phone, aimed the camera at them and pressed the record button.

###Chapter 5

Suddenly, Cedric's sharp gaze swept over and his expression shifted in an instant. He abruptly pushed Sandra aside and strode toward me, snatching the phone from my hand.

"Password!" that man demanded, his voice low and thick with suppressed rage.

Ever since the day we started our relationship, the password to every device I owned had been the date he proposed to me.

However, I remained silent, my lips pressed firmly together.

He tried several combinations, but after they all failed, his face grew increasingly grim. "Tell me! What is the password?"

"It is the day you first told me 'I love you,'" I replied.

Cedric was stunned. The anger on his face froze, then twisted into a mixture of confusion and a desperate attempt to remember.

It was clear that he had long forgotten it completely.

Strangely, I didn't feel the disappointment I expected. I simply reached out, took my phone back and tapped the screen to unlock it.

Cedric's lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Still, in the end, he grabbed the phone back and roughly deleted the video.

I looked up and stared at him, asking, "Is there nothing you need to explain to me about what you and my adoptive sister were doing in there?"

Cedric's expression shifted, from guilt to anger, finally settling into a harsh tone. "It was just a joke between friends, is it worth making such a fuss about?"

A joke? Was it a joke when she sat on his lap? Was it a joke that he cheated and betrayed me over and over again?

Staring at the man I'd loved for half my life, a bitter sadness welled up inside me. Just then, my brother, William, walked in, unaware that I was behind the door.

He exclaimed, "Congratulations, my dear sister! You're finally going to have a child! I've already prepared the best gift for my future nephew, a castle. He's going to love it."

Of course, his "nephew" wasn't the one in my belly.

William draped an arm around Sandra's shoulders, looking radiant. "After all these years, that woman is finally useful for something. At least her belly … "

My heart tightened again and again.

So, it turned out that my own blood-related brother had known everything all along. Not only did he tacitly allow it, but he even cheered for them.

Noticing the strange atmosphere, William finally sensed something was wrong. He turned his head and saw me standing there. His smile instantly vanished, replaced by undisguised disgust.

"Macie, why aren't you at home resting during your pregnancy? What are you doing here, causing trouble?" he sneered.

Sandra pointed a trembling finger at me, her voice breaking. "I didn't know Macie hated me this much. She was hiding outside the door, secretly filming me. Is she trying to do something to me again?"

William's eyes turned colder. "I have never seen a woman as wicked as you. Apologize to Sandra now!"

At some point, a crowd of employees had gathered at the door, their whispers surging like a tide.

"Can't she keep a little dignity at her age? Back then, she was the one who used dirty tricks to force Sandra away," someone mocked quietly.

"Yeah, I heard it was on the very day Mr. Larkin was supposed to propose to her. Sandra was tormented by two men for a whole day and night. I don't know how she survived," another added.

"You just can't stand seeing Sandra doing well, can you?" another sharp voice interrupted, Cedric's eyes burning with rage. "Twenty-five years! Why won't you let her go?"

Those harsh accusations and contemptuous glances pinned me to the spot, leaving me nowhere to escape. I could barely breathe.

"I didn't. She was the one who orchestrated all of that." I tried to defend myself, but the surging murmurs drowned out my voice.

Cedric's face darkened even more. "Macie, do you think everyone is as shameless as you? You have no dignity, but Sandra does!"

Sandra curled up against my brother's shoulder, looking utterly pitiful as a victim. Meanwhile, I became the only clown and sinner in this whirlpool.

Then, she let out a terrified gasp, though a glint of triumph flashed in her eyes. "I'll get on my knees and beg you, okay? Please don't hurt me anymore! I'll give William and Cedric back to you, Macie."

Her knees buckled as she made a show of kneeling before me.

"Sandra!" Cedric cried out.

As he rushed to catch her, his arm slammed violently into my stomach. Caught off guard, I fell heavily to the ground, yet they did not spare me a single glance.

Cedric quickly scooped up the terrified Sandra and rushed to the hospital with her.

Suddenly, a stabbing pain shot through my lower abdomen and I felt a sudden dampness between my legs.

No, my baby!

I reached out toward Cedric in a desperate plea. "Cedric, my stomach hurts so much."

But he continued carrying the person in his arms, his figure quickly vanishing at the end of the hallway without a single backward glance.

###Chapter 6

No one was willing to help me. So, in the end, I had to call the ambulance myself.

I awoke from my daze and heard the nurse's gentle voice beside me. "Don't worry, the baby is stable for now."

Only then did half my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle.

After the nurse left, hushed footsteps were heard outside the door. Immediately after, I heard Cedric giving orders. "Today, get rid of the thing in her belly."

The doctor hesitated. "Mr. Larkin, at Madam's age, conceiving is truly difficult and her body can't withstand such trauma. Perhaps you could reconsider …"

Still, Cedric interrupted him with a tone that allowed no room for argument. "Sandra is emotionally unstable because this woman provoked her. A child of ours is the best way to comfort her."

The doctor lowered his voice even more, filled with pity. "But Madam has been on medication for years and has undergone multiple surgeries. Her uterus is fragile. If we force an abortion and immediately perform embryo transfer, her body may not be able to handle it."

Cedric's voice remained as cold as a heartless machine. "Use whatever medicine is necessary and whatever means required. I know this will damage her significantly, but this is what she owes Sandra and she should have repaid it long ago. Once the child is born, I will give her a generous sum of money. After all, isn't that exactly what she wants?"

Lying on the hospital bed, I clutched my belly tightly with both hands as silent tears soaked my pillow. After twenty-five years of marriage, it turned out that in Cedric's heart, I was nothing more than a greedy piece of merchandise that could be paid off with cash.

As the conversation outside faded away, I forced myself to sit up and dialed Frank's number. My voice cracked with suppressed sobs, "I can't wait ten days anymore! He wants to destroy everything I have right now!"

The man on the other end was silent for a moment before his steady, reassuring voice came through. "Give me two more days. In two days, I will definitely come to get you."

That promise finally allowed me a small moment to breathe.

Just as I hung up and prepared to run away, the sharp sound of high heels approached.

Sandra, dressed in a champagne-colored haute couture suit, walked in with a smile, carrying a thermos. "Macie, shall we make peace? Look, I personally went to the kitchen to cook some soup for you."

She opened the lid to reveal thick seafood soup. That woman knew that I was severely allergic to seafood. She was doing this on purpose.

"Eat it yourself!" I snapped, angrily slamming the thermos open. With a loud "clatter," the container tumbled to the floor, splashing seafood soup everywhere.

Sandra immediately clutched her hand, pinching it hard with the fingers of her other hand.

Instantly, she appeared to be in pain, her eyes brimming with tears as she cried out and stepped back. "I came here to apologize to you. Why do you still want to hurt me?"

Cedric rushed into the room. The moment he saw the red marks on the back of Sandra's hand, he didn't even stop to think before raising his hand and delivering a harsh slap to my face. "You malicious woman! You brought this on yourself!"

My cheek stung with a burning pain and my ears rang. Before I could even react, a group of people in white coats swarmed into the room and reached for me.

"What are you doing? Let me go! Cedric! You can't do this! This is your child!" I screamed.

An unprecedented terror swallowed me whole. I struggled wildly, crying and shouting. Alas, I was like a moth caught in a spider's web and all resistance was in vain.

Sandra snuggled into Cedric's arms, looking at him with a dependent and sorrowful expression. But when she turned her gaze toward me, a victorious smile played on her lips.

"Madam, we are just giving you a checkup. Please do not get too excited," the lead doctor said, averting his eyes.

"Liars! You are all murderers!" I cried.

As they pinned me down and pushed me toward the surgical gurney, I used every ounce of my strength to grab the hem of Cedric's coat. "Cedric, I beg of you ... for the sake of these twenty-five years."

He looked down at my fingers, which had turned white from gripping so hard. Even so, there wasn't a hint of emotion in his eyes. Then, one by one, he pried my fingers away.

The last bit of warmth vanished as his fingertips detached from mine.

As I was pushed toward the operating room doors at the end of the hallway, desperate tears blurred all the light around me.