“Even if you look down on me, how can you ignore the baby’s safety?! If something happens to the child I’m carrying, how will you answer Mrs. Shaw Sr.? Don’t forget. You’re here to take care of me!”

Mrs. Zane finally stopped when she heard my threat. After a moment, her impatient voice came from outside the door.

“I’ll call Mr. Shaw now. If he says you can’t go, it won’t be my fault when Mrs. Shaw Sr. asks.”

I nodded frantically, pressing myself against the door as I waited for her to make the call.

“Mr. Shaw, Mrs. Shaw says she’s bleeding and about to give birth. Should we take her to the hospital?”

Adrian had just finished ordering when he got Mrs. Zane’s call. His expression darkened with irritation as he snapped coldly, “Mrs. Zane, do you not want this job anymore?! I told you to keep an eye on her, not to plead on her behalf!”

Mrs. Zane’s face fell as she was scolded. She shot an annoyed glance at the basement door.

Suddenly, she noticed the blood seeping out through the crack beneath it. Her face turned deathly pale, and she screamed and trembled, “Blood… Blood! Mr. Shaw! She might be telling the truth. She’s bleeding! There’s so much blood coming out from under the door!”

Adrian froze for a moment, his hand clutching the phone frozen. After a tense moment of silence, he finally spoke, though his voice was hesitant.

“Wait for me…”

In a daze, I heard Evan’s childish voice come through the phone, cutting off both what Adrian was about to say and my last thread of hope.

“Dad, I want some ice cream.”

Adrian turned his head.

Sue Riley held the child in her arms and gave him a gentle look. “Adrian, is it Elena?

“Today is Evan’s birthday. Is she upset that you’re celebrating for him, so she’s making excuses to get you to go back? It's just like last time, when she stopped you from attending his parent-teacher meeting.

“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on keeping this child, Evan wouldn’t be mocked at school for not having a father.”

Adrian’s heart softened when he saw Sue on the verge of tears.

Evan ran over and threw himself into his arms, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“Dad, can you stay and celebrate my birthday with me? This is my first birthday with you. Before, it was always just Mom. Everyone laughed at me for not having a dad…”

Adrian bent down and held him tightly. He looked at Sue with eyes filled with tenderness and concern, and said,

“I promised I’d celebrate with you, and I’ll keep that promise. No matter what happens today, nothing is more important than Evan’s birthday.”

Sue broke into a smile through her tears.

“Adrian, thank you.”

…

Outside the door, Mrs. Zane dared not say another word.

As I listened to his voice through the phone, the last bit of strength I had been holding onto finally gave out. My body slid slowly down against the door.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard Adrian’s final instructions to Mrs. Zane.

“Mrs. Zane, I don’t have time to come back. I’ll call Dr. Cady to go to the house and check on her. Elena has a habit of lying. When Dr. Cady arrives, please follow his instructions. I don’t want you letting her go on your own. Make sure she’s properly cared for.”

I had a habit of lying?

The moment before I blacked out, tears slipped from my tightly shut eyes.

This was how I truly appeared in Adrian’s eyes. He did not trust me in the slightest.

At the time of Evan’s parent-teacher meeting, I did call him while he was on his way to school, but that was only because the baby had kicked for the first time. I merely wanted to share the moment with him right away.

Adrian had deliberately kept it from me, so I had no idea he was going to the parent-teacher meeting.

I still remembered how excited he had been when he pressed his hand to my belly to feel the baby move, but in his heart, he had already decided I was lying and competing with a child out of jealousy!

“Mrs. Shaw! Mrs. Shaw! Wake up!”

A pair of large hands shook me violently. My mind felt like a messy, boiling stew—chaotic and foggy—as I struggled to slowly open my eyes.

In front of me was Mrs. Zane. She let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest when she saw me open my eyes.

“Thank goodness you’re alive.”

Then, she complained, “You scared me half to death, Mrs. Shaw.”

I lowered my gaze to my belly, and a shocking red greeted my eyes.

Mrs. Zane’s expression shifted as she followed my gaze. She covered her nose and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Mrs. Shaw, how did you knock over the painter’s bucket by the door? Such a strong smell… It's only because you don't clean the house yourself that you're so reckless.”

I glanced at the corner and saw a tipped-over red paint bucket on the floor. I must have accidentally knocked it over.

The basement was dark, and Mrs. Zane was blocking the light from the door. Her eyes widened as realization dawned, and she said, “Mr. Shaw was right all along! You deliberately tipped over the paint bucket to make it look like you were hurt, hoping I’d call him back!

“Luckily, he didn’t fall for it! Otherwise, you would have ruined Evan’s whole family birthday celebration!”

I glared at her. Pain gripped me so fiercely I could barely speak.

Mrs. Zane flinched at my look, then hurried off to fetch a mop to clean up, forgetting to close the basement door.

The stairs leading out were twisted and turned, but I had no time to think. If I did not save myself, I would die here.

I took a few deep breaths, hugged my belly, and shakily pressed my hands against the wall for support. Step by step, I made my way toward the exit.

I never realized there were so many steps to the stairs. Each contraction stabbed at me like a knife twisting inside my belly.

Adrian took my phone, so I could only leave the villa and seek help outside. By the time I reached the main road, my strength was gone, and I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and disheveled.

People out walking after dinner quickly surrounded me. Some screamed in panic and immediately called emergency services.

Adrian’s business partner recognized me and gasped in surprise.

“Mrs. Shaw! How can a pregnant woman be like this? Was your house robbed?

“I’ll call Mr. Shaw right now!”

…

“Mr. Clarke?”

Adrian looked puzzled when he received the call.

Mr. Clarke immediately replied, “Mr. Shaw, intruders have broken into your home! Your wife is lying at the door, covered in blood! We’ve already called an ambulance. You need to get to the First Hospital immediately!”

Adrian listened to the commotion around him. His brows knitted tightly as he instinctively rose to his feet.

A slender hand grasped his wrist, hesitantly raising the phone. “Adrian, look at what Mrs. Zane said.”

Adrian saw the chat on the screen. His pupils constricted, and his expression darkened. His voice turned sharp.

“Mr. Clarke, you’re mistaken. There were no intruders. My wife got angry and spilled some red paint on herself. Please cancel the ambulance. I’ve already called our family doctor. He’ll be there shortly.”

Mr. Clarke’s eyes widened as he scanned my bloodied body. He asked hesitantly,

“Are you sure that’s red paint?”

Adrian’s voice was firm and unwavering.

“I’m sure. Hand the phone to my wife. I’d like to say a few words to her.”

Mr. Clarke crouched down and brought the phone to my ear, looking at me with sympathy.

Adrian’s voice came through.

“Elena, I’ve had enough of your theatrics. Don’t even talk about giving birth today. You’d better hold it in!

“You don’t care about the baby’s safety and took medicine to induce early labor on your own, but the baby will never share a birthday with Evan. The baby's place will always be beneath Evan’s. Do you understand what I’m saying?

“Now, go back home obediently and don’t embarrass yourself by showing up in public again!”

His words cut through my heart like knives. Not only was I inferior to Sue, but even my child was no match for hers!

Tears mingled with blood slid down my cheeks, falling to the floor with a soft, sickening thud.

“Medicine…” I croaked hoarsely. “Adrian, so this is the extent of your misunderstanding of me. All these years of what I thought was love turn out to be nothing but a cruel joke.”

Adrian paced back and forth. Agitation was written all over him. His hand tightened around the phone as he prepared to scold me when a faint, drifting voice reached his ears.

“Adrian, let’s never see each other again.”

…

Mr. Clarke was kind-hearted enough to ignore what Adrian said about canceling the ambulance and brought me to the hospital.

A cold injection coursed through my body, easing the pain slightly, but a wave of sorrow swept through me. I could feel my child’s life slowly slipping away from me. I was losing her.

When I first discovered I was pregnant, I was overwhelmed with confusion and joy. The baby had been with me for eight months, slowly helping me grow into a mother. The baby shared my blood, and whenever I was sad, it would gently kick inside me as though it was trying to comfort me.

It had not even seen the world yet. It was so close to surviving, so close.

A warm hand gently wiped my tears with a piece of medical gauze, as the doctor above me asked urgently, “Have we contacted the patient’s husband? The pregnant woman’s condition is critical. She needs immediate surgery!”

A nurse chimed in, “Dr. Lane, her husband’s phone was reachable a moment ago, but the call was cut off. Now it’s switched off. We can’t reach him!”

“What about the surgery consent form? Who can sign it?”

“No one. We can’t operate without consent!”

Just as everyone was growing increasingly anxious, the doctor above me let out a heavy sigh and said,

“I remember Professor Quay has a surgery in progress. Ethan, check if it’s over. If it is, make sure he comes here immediately.”

In my haze, I felt the cold surgical instruments moving inside me. Then, faintly, I heard a baby’s cry. My eyes flew open in panic.

“Baby!”

A warm hand grasped my wrist, holding me firmly on the bed. A hoarse voice said, “Don’t move. The IV will come out.”

I turned around, and my eyes instantly turned red. I stared at the figure in front of me in disbelief and murmured, “Jerome…”

Jerome, my second elder brother, looked exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot. He could not hold back tears when he saw my pale face. He turned away, choking back a sob.

“Esmond is on his way.”

I broke down completely, crying like a child.

“Jerome, I was wrong.”

At last, he turned back, pulled me into his arms, and gently patted my head. “It’s okay, Elena. You’re okay. I’m here.”