###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.

###Chapter 7

I have lost my child forever.

Even as I lay in the hospital ward, the warm sunlight streaming in could not melt the ice around my heart.

At that moment, Cedric paced into the room. "The party the day after tomorrow will proceed as scheduled. After all, it represents the reputation of the Larkin Enterprise and many members of high society will be attending. You cannot be absent."

When I offered no response at all, he reached out to brush a strand of hair from my ear and added, "If you behave yourself, I will find a way to let you conceive another child."

I wanted to laugh. Did Cedric really think I was unaware of the schemes they were plotting?

I looked at him, but my eyes no longer held even a trace of lingering affection; instead, they were filled with deathly indifference.

For some reason, his heart tightened slightly. Just as he was about to say something comforting, the doctor called him out.

A moment later, the familiar sound of high heels entered the room. I closed my eyes and ignored Sandra's presence.

"Look at you, half-dead and barely alive. How pitiful," she mocked.

That woman leaned close to my ear, but no matter what tricks she played, I had decided not to respond. Still, her breath slid into my ear like the hiss of a poisonous snake.

"I think you'd be interested in knowing the truth about your parents' deaths back then," she whispered again.

My head began to throb. Hadn't my parents died in an accidental yacht explosion? Could it be?

The terrifying thought had barely surfaced when Sandra's voice continued in my ears. "Sigh, I didn't want those two old bastards dead either. If you want to blame someone, blame them for discovering that I wasn't their biological daughter."

"They even caught me partying with some guys at a bar and they actually told me to get lost, saying they'd bring you back!"

Sandra continued callously, "Those two old fools ... I called them 'Mom' and 'Dad' for over twenty years, yet they were so heartless. So, I had someone tamper with their yacht. I didn't expect it to actually work. What a pity, the only two old folks in this world who loved you are long gone."

Anger surged through my veins and I could no longer control my rage. I leapt from the bed and lunged at her, grabbing her neck tightly. "I'm going to kill you, you bitch! I will avenge my parents, avenge my child!"

At that moment, Cedric returned, holding a small, palm-sized box. Seeing me trying to strangle Sandra, he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the bathroom without a shred of mercy.

He scoffed, "You never change! I originally wanted to give you something to remember the child by, but now, there is no need."

With those words, he opened the box. My body shuddered violently as I saw it. That was a tiny life that had come out of my own body.

"No, don't do this! Cedric, I beg of you!"

I clung desperately to his legs, pleading in a frenzy. However, my husband did not even look at me. Instead, he turned toward the toilet and, with chilling indifference, flushed that small mass of flesh away.

In that instant, I coughed up blood. My parents, my child, I used to have them all, but now, they are all gone.

Seeing the pool of bright red blood on the floor, Cedric hesitated for a brief moment, shock flashing across his face.

"Macie." He stretched out a hand, seemingly about to pull me up from the floor of my despair.

"My neck hurts so much, I can't breathe!" Sandra cut in, clutching her neck before collapsing into Cedric's arms.

The sight of the vivid red marks on her neck instantly snapped him back to his senses. "Don't be afraid. I'll call a doctor to look at you," he comforted her.

Cedric's gaze turned cold again as he looked at me. Without hesitation, he withdrew his hand, protecting Sandra as they walked away.

Watching their retreating figures, I was no longer disappointed; only hatred filled my chest.

I staggered back to the bedside and dialed Frank's number. I told him everything that had happened, my voice dripping with blood and tears. "I want them to experience a hundred times the pain I have suffered! I want them to pay a price in blood!"

The man replied with absolute certainty, "I swear, I will make them pay back this debt of blood in full."