Katherine walked in from the hallway, smiling sweetly. "Thanks to your designs, Tess, I made it to the finals. Since you're so generous, why not draw my final round designs as well?" she said.

I let out a disbelieving laugh. "In your dreams."

She pretended to be startled, tears welling up in an instant, and fled into Gabriel's arms. "Gabe, I just think that if I could win the design competition, then I'd be more worthy of you," she said.

With that single line, she altered the course of my future.

At a glance from Gabriel, Joshua suddenly grabbed me and dragged me toward the studio. "Ms. Carter, it's only a few more designs. It will not take much of your time," he said.

There were too many of them, and I clearly couldn't take them on by myself.

My C-section incision was tearing as I clung to the doorframe and pleaded, "My postpartum bleeding hasn't even cleared yet. A woman who just gave birth really needs rest."

Gabriel's gaze was calm. "You're an orphan. What are you acting delicate for? You used to harvest wheat in pouring rain for three days and nights just to get a bite to eat, and now you've learned to slack off?"

Katherine, who was pregnant, went out of her way to bring me a stool and spoke in a gentle tone. "Tess, don't be mad at Gabe. He's such a typical guy. He doesn't understand how hard it is for a woman right after giving birth.

"But I really do need your help. The finals are coming up in a few days, and you wouldn't let me down, would you?"

She pressed down hard on my shoulder, her gentle tone laced with a hidden threat.

Gabriel shot me a cold look before comforting Katherine softly. "She's tough and doesn't need rest. You don't need to feel guilty."

Then he bent down and gripped my chin.

"If you design something Kate is satisfied with in the next few days, I'll add another five million dollars to your divorce compensation. If not, I'll make you pay back every cent you've taken," he said.

I fixed my gaze on the man I had once loved. "You may not see me as a person, but my son is still waiting for me at the hospital."

A trace of hesitation flickered in Gabriel's eyes, but Katherine grabbed his hand.

"Gabe, I understand how Tess feels. If she doesn't want to help, maybe we should just let her go. But I might end up banned from the design competition for life, and Mr. Donovan Senior will never acknowledge me again," she said.

Holding her hand, Gabriel turned to me with a warning in his voice. "Tessa Carter, there's a vast gap between our financial situations. If I want to take custody of Adrian, it would be effortless. Think carefully."

It was an outright threat. Fighting back my rage, I stated my condition. "If you want me to design for her, fine. But I want my son with me."

They finally relented and brought Adrian to me.

The studio door was locked, so I couldn't leave. When I realized that all the baby formula in my maternity bag had been replaced with flour, and I could no longer produce milk due to exhaustion, I nearly broke down.

They wanted to starve my son.

How could people be this vicious? How could they push someone step by step into a hopeless situation?

I pounded on the door for a long time, but as expected, no one responded.

With shaking hands, I mixed the flour with water and fed Adrian the thin paste.

"Adrian, don't be scared. Once we get through this, I will find a way to take you out of here," I said.

Officer Rowland said that my parents were coming for me!

…

Katherine stopped by from time to time to check on my progress.

Katherine looked at me with mocking eyes. "You're acting so obedient now. Are you afraid that I'll hurt your son?

"Well, you guessed it right. If you'd given birth to a girl, I might have spared her. Yet he is a boy. Do you really think I'd let him live?"

I clutched my son tightly and backed away step by step. "You already have everything you wanted. Why are you still coming after me and my child?" I asked.

Katherine's face twisted with rage. "If it weren't for you, I never would've gone abroad heartbroken, never would've been drugged and gotten pregnant with this bastard. My whole life was ruined because of you. Do you really think I'd ever let you go?"

She suddenly grabbed a mug from the table and hurled it at me. I dodged, but she let out a sharp scream as she slammed her own head against the wall.

Gabriel rushed in immediately. "Tessa, are you out of your mind?"

Blood trickled down Katherine's forehead as she sagged weakly in Gabriel's arms.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I just thought Tess was exhausted, trying to take care of the baby while working on her designs, so I wanted to come over and help. I didn't expect her to accuse me of ruining her family and try to kill me," she said.

Gabriel gazed at the woman in his arms with concern and ordered someone to snatch my child away.

He glared at me through clenched teeth. "Tessa Carter, have I been too lenient with you? Is that why you can't recognize the situation you're in? If you don't turn in the design on time, you'll never see your son again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly carried Katherine away.

Joshua sighed. "Ms. Carter, it's better if you just focus on your designs. Otherwise, when the time comes—"

Having lost my child, I felt like a puppet. I couldn't get Adrian back, nor could I fight them.

Joshua held my arm. "We'll take good care of Mr. Donovan and won't let anything happen to him. Someone important will be coming tomorrow, so please don't cause any trouble."

My vacant eyes flickered for a moment.

If even Gabriel's assistant considered this guest important, they had to be someone powerful.

Besides, wealthy circles were all interconnected. My parents were said to be well off. If I could get close to this influential guest tomorrow, I might be able to escape, even if I couldn't see my parents yet.

…

The next day, I watched a long Maybach pull up at the gate of the Donovan residence. A couple walked in, surrounded by the crowd. They looked kind and carried themselves with great elegance.

At 12:00 pm, the clock chimed.

The housekeeper, Julia Hopkins, arrived on time with my lunch. I grabbed the ceramic vase beside me and swung it at the back of her head. Taking advantage of her daze, I ran out.

Julia's scream echoed through the entire residence. "Catch her!"

I ran with everything I had until I reached the reception hall and stood before the elegant woman. "Ma'am, please save me and my baby—"

Before I could finish speaking, two male servants seized my arms and covered my mouth, preventing me from making a sound.

Julia rushed over, muttering curses under her breath. "Mrs. Blake, don't believe a word from this shameless woman. She cheated outside, so we locked her up to teach her a lesson!"

Mrs. Blake froze in place, her body trembling slightly as she crouched down. She gently lifted my face with her hands.

When she spoke, her voice was quivering with joy. "You look just like her. So much like her."