Ian’s icy gaze bore into me and I felt like I was sinking into a frozen abyss.

I should have seen it sooner. Love—or the lack of it—was always obvious.

“Ian, don’t you have anything to say about Trish’s illness?”

He didn’t even glance at me. “If you already know she’s sick, then you should be more understanding. You two used to be best friends. Maybe I’ve spoiled you too much and that’s why you’ve turned into such a hateful woman.”

I let out a bitter laugh, about to speak, when Trish let out a weak cough.

“Ian, it hurts… I can’t… breathe.”

Even as her fingers clutched Ian’s arm in a feeble grip, she managed to shoot me a triumphant look.

Jaime immediately stepped forward and scooped her up in his arms. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

He suddenly stopped, turning to Ian with a pointed gaze. “Trish is in this condition because of Zara. She needs to take responsibility for what she’s done. You need to take her to hospital.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Her condition has nothing to do with me.”

I clung to the doorframe, refusing to move. Ian pried my fingers off the handle, his grip bruising my wrist. “If you hadn’t pushed Trish, she wouldn’t have had an episode. You’re coming with me.”

Ignoring the fact that I was eight months pregnant, he dragged me outside.

At the hospital, Ian and Jaime hovered anxiously over Trish’s side, anxiously waiting for her test results. I took the opportunity to slip away, heading straight to the reception desk to pick up an appointment slip—for an abortion.

Without hesitation, I swallowed the pills the doctor prescribed.

As I held the appointment slip, ready to leave, I suddenly heard a familiar voice echoing from the hallway.

“Trish can’t wait any longer. We need to extract the umbilical cord blood from Zara’s baby as soon as possible.”

Ian’s brows furrowed, his expression unreadable.

“But Zara is only eight months along. Extracting the cord blood right now will put her baby at risk.”

Jaime sneered. “Don’t tell me you’ve developed feelings for her. Have you forgotten whose child she’s carrying—or why you married her in the first place?”

Ian shot him a murderous glare. “Like hell I’d fall for that ugly, pregnant cow. I only love Trish. I just don’t want this turning into a bigger mess.”

“The baby’s already fully developed at eight months. It’s strong enough to survive. Nothing will happen to her,” Jaime said indifferently. “But even if something does, isn’t it an honor for the child to save Trish?”

Ian’s gaze hardened. “You’re right. I’ll perform the procedure myself. I’ll extract the cord blood and give it to Trish.”

Terror gripped me. My whole body trembled as I bolted for the exit. I was almost to the parking garage when two tall figures blocked my path.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ian’s voice was eerily calm. “The doctor just told me there’s something wrong with your test results. We need to run more tests. Come back with me.”

He reached for my hand, but I yanked it away.

“My last checkup was a week ago. And now you suddenly claim there’s a problem? Do you really expect me to believe that?”

Ian’s expression darkened. “I’m the head of obstetrics. If I say there’s a problem, then there is one. Now come with me.”

Ian stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said coldly. “If there really is a problem, they would’ve called me. Now let me go. I want to go home and rest.”

Jaime took a step forward and grabbed my wrist tightly before glancing at Ian.

“Why are you even wasting your breath on her? Just drag her back to the hospital. Trish has been texting me nonstop, saying she’s in excruciating pain. She can’t wait any longer."

At the mention of Trish’s suffering, Ian’s expression changed. His concern for her was immediate, almost instinctive.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Trish's life matters, but what about mine? What about my baby’s? Don’t you care that having a C-section right now could put my life at risk?” I screamed at him.

Ian merely scoffed. “I'm the head of obstetrics. Nothing will happen under my care.”

“You’re only saying that because you refuse to save Trish, aren’t you? How could you be so selfish?”

My chest heaved with fury. “I won’t do it. I don’t care what you say—I would rather die than let you use me to save her! That treacherous bitch is better off dead!”

A sharp slap cracked across my face. Jaime had struck me so hard that a metallic taste flooded my mouth.

“You selfish bitch! How dare you insult her!”

My cheek burned, the sting radiating through my skull. I turned to Ian, hoping—praying—he’d stop this madness. But his face was void of sympathy, only filled with disdain.

“I can’t believe I ever married someone so cruel. Marrying you is the worst mistake I’ve ever done in my life.”

The words cut deeper than the slap, deeper than any wound. My breath hitched, my vision blurred with unshed tears. But I wouldn’t let them see me break.

Jaime turned to Ian, his voice sharp. “Enough of this. Tie her hands. We’ll take her to the operating room now. She’s pregnant; she won’t be able to fight us off.”

He tossed a rope to Ian, who caught it without hesitation.

“Don’t you dare—” I tried to pull away, but Ian was stronger.

With ruthless efficiency, he wrapped the rope around my wrists, tightening it until the coarse fibers bit into my skin. Blood welled up around the bindings, but he didn’t stop until I was fully restrained.

Then, they each grabbed one of my arms and began dragging me toward the elevator. My heart pounded wildly as I struggled, but it was no use.

Just as we reached the elevator, the doors slid open, revealing a familiar face.

Marilyn Howlett, a fellow expectant mother whose due date was close to mine, stepped out. Her round belly made her movements slow, but her sharp eyes landed on me immediately.

“Zara, what are you doing here?” She glanced at her watch, “At this hour?”

A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. I opened my mouth to scream for help, but before a single sound could escape, Ian clamped his hand over my mouth.

“My wife wasn’t feeling well,” Ian said smoothly. “She suddenly had stomach pains, so I brought her in for a checkup.”

Marilyn frowned. “That’s strange. She always said her pregnancy was fine. Why the sudden pain?”

I tried to scream again, but Ian covered my mouth tighter, muffling my voice into nothing more than a whimper. Please, please notice something is wrong. If she realizes something is off, she’ll do something. Or at least tell someone.

“She probably ate something bad,” Ian answered smoothly. “Her condition is serious and needs immediate attention. That’s why I brought her here. I’m the head of obstetrics at this hospital. We need to get going.”

Marilyn hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped aside.

“Yeah, of course. The baby’s health comes first. Sorry for standing in your way.”

Hope shattered in an instant and I felt as if I had plunged into a bottomless abyss.

The elevator doors closed. Jaime suddenly kicked me in the legs.

“Bitch, were you trying to rat us out just now? You just can’t stand to see Trish survive, can you?”

The pain shot through my calf and I collapsed to my knees with a dull thud. My stomach clenched, sending a sharp, twisting agony through me.

“Be careful! She’s still pregnant. If the baby dies inside her, the umbilical cord blood will be useless,” Ian snapped at Jaime in annoyance.

Jaime scoffed but complied. “But I can do this, right?” He bent down and pinched my arm—hard. A sharp sting shot through my skin and tears welled in my eyes. Jaime sneered, watching me wince in pain.

Before I could react, Ian's phone rang. He answered immediately, his expression darkening.

“Dr. Seymour, your friend's fever just spiked dangerously high. You need to get here now!”

The call ended and Ian clenched his jaw. “Trish can't wait any longer. We have to do the C-section now.”

As soon as the elevator doors slid open, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, dragging me out.

“Hey, stop!”

A sharp voice cut through the air, making my heart leap with hope. I turned my head and saw Marilyn standing behind us, slightly out of breath.

For the first time in what felt like forever, a flicker of hope reignited in my chest.

“Zara, you left your prenatal checkup booklet with me last time,” Marilyn said with a smile, handing it to Ian. “Good luck with everything.”

“Thank you,” Ian responded politely.

As Marilyn turned to leave, I tried to call out to her. “Mar—”

Before I could get the full word out, Jaime clamped a hand over my mouth. Ian immediately restrained my hands.

“Yes, Honey, I know you’re in pain. Just hold on. We’re almost there. I’m sorry, but we really need to go,” Ian said smoothly.

Only after Marilyn entered the elevator did Ian finally release me. Jaime, on the other hand, dug his nails cruelly into my arm again.

“Bitch, you almost ruined everything.”

Pain seared through my arm, but I was helpless. Outnumbered. Trapped. At their mercy. They dragged me down the hallway, shoving me straight into an operating room.

“Ian, this is a crime! Don’t you know that?” I screamed, thrashing against their grip.

Ian, now dressed in surgical scrubs, barely spared me a glance. “You're my wife and I'm the head of obstetrics. Who’s going to question me for operating on my own wife?”

Without hesitation, he picked up a syringe and injected a sedative into my arm. My limbs immediately felt heavy, but my mind remained agonizingly clear.

“Strap her to the table,” Ian ordered coldly.

Jaime obeyed without question, securing my wrists and ankles with thick leather straps. They dug into my skin as I struggled, my breath coming in frantic gasps.

Jaime smirked. “Aren't you going to numb her first?”

Ian barely glanced at me. “No anesthesiologist is available. Not to mention that this surgery is illegal, calling in another doctor would only cause unnecessary complications. We'll proceed without it.”

A wave of sheer terror washed over me. My blood turned to ice.

“Ian, you're a monster!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.

Ian scoffed. “I’m doing this to save your best friend. Why are you making such a fuss?”

Jaime rolled his eyes. “You just don’t want Trish to get better, do you? You’ve always been a jealous of her, vindictive bitch.”

My eyes locked onto Jaime’s, my voice shaking with rage. “And you—have you lost your damn mind? Do you even remember whose baby this is?”

Jaime smirked, pure contempt in his eyes. “Exactly. And that’s why this is happening. My child was meant to save Trish—it’s his destiny, his purpose.”

He turned to Ian. “Hurry up. Let’s get this over with.”

Ian nodded, grabbing a pen and signing a surgical consent form without a second thought.

“I married you for this moment. Now that I’ve signed the consent form as your husband, you have no legal ground to fight her on the future.”

Even though I had long known the truth, hearing Ian say it out loud shattered me completely.

A searing pain ripped through my body as Ian pressed the scalpel against my abdomen and sliced through my flesh. There was no anesthesia—no relief, no numbness—just raw, unbearable agony. I felt every layer of my skin and muscle being cut open, like a wild animal was tearing me apart from the inside.

My screams filled the cold, sterile operating room, echoing off the walls like a desperate plea for mercy. But there was none.

“You're going to pay for this,” I rasped, my voice barely more than a whisper as I used the last of my strength to curse them.

Ian’s excited voice cut through my haze of pain. “It’s out! The baby is out!”

For a split second, a sliver of hope surfaced in my chest, but then—

“Wait… Why isn’t it breathing?” Ian’s voice trembled.