My husband forced me into labor the same day his widowed sister-in-law went into labor.

I was only seven months pregnant when he dragged me to the hospital and demanded that the doctors induce me.

Eugene Cobb locked me inside the delivery room, his expression tense and urgent.

"The baby Fiona's carrying has a rare disease. The doctors say he'll die as soon as he's born. They need umbilical cord blood and special stem cells during delivery to save him! My brother's already gone. It's my responsibility to take care of her and her child."

A four-inch-long induction needle pierced into my body. Violent contractions crashed through me, cold sweat soaking my back.

I said weakly, "Fiona's pregnancy has been perfectly healthy. How could the baby suddenly have a rare disease? And my pregnancy is high-risk. The doctor said I need to carry to term. If you force an early birth, you'll kill both our baby and me!"

Eugene frowned slightly and pinned me firmly to the hospital bed.

"The doctor already explained everything. The baby just needs to be born two months early. Nothing will happen."

As Fiona Smith's screams rang out from the delivery room next door, something seemed to occur to him.

"You're not trying to get rid of Fiona because I've been taking care of her all the time, are you? I told you a long time ago I'm only helping her because she's my sister-in-law. How can you be so vicious?"

I stared at the blood spreading beneath me and begged through tears. As long as he spared the child, I was willing to divorce him and give them my place.

Eugene's eyes filled with impatience.

"What are you talking about? I'm the baby's father. Why would I harm my own child?"

My umbilical cord blood and stem cells were finally used on Fiona's baby. Both mother and child were declared safe.

Only then did Eugene finally remember us.

But when he arrived at the hospital room, the only thing waiting for him was an empty bed.

Eugene Cobb's footsteps slowly faded away outside the door.

I struggled and rolled off the hospital bed.

The induction needles lodged in my spine scraped violently against the bones as I fought back. In the next second, several of them snapped all at once.

A burst of piercing pain swallowed me whole.

The "doctors" Fiona Smith had brought with her grabbed my arm and dragged me roughly back onto the bed.

Watching the way they handled the medical equipment with clumsy, unprofessional movements, realization struck me instantly.

"Help! Let me go! You're not doctors!"

Another wave of stabbing pain twisted through my abdomen. Cold sweat drenched my body as I screamed for help.

But outside the door, Eugene was completely absorbed in the joy of Fiona about to give birth. He didn't hear a single sound.

One of the masked women lifted an even thicker needle and stabbed it into my body again.

The sound of my bones cracking made me scream.

My entire body shook as I cried.

"Eugene has gone crazy, but have you all lost your minds, too? My baby is only seven months along! If it's born this early, it'll die! I'm begging you… Please let me go…"

No one paid any attention to my pleas.

The oxytocin hit my body harder than before. The pain in my lower abdomen surged violently.

I could feel my body slowly opening, but the little life inside my womb showed no sign of moving down.

A chill ran through me as I curled up on the bed.

"The baby… The baby seems stuck. It doesn't have the strength to move… Please, call a professional medical team. When the baby's born, it has to go straight into an incubator. It's too weak… It's only seven months…"

The woman in charge spoke coldly, her eyes devoid of any warmth. "We're only responsible for making sure you give birth. Mr. Cobb didn't tell us to handle anything else."

I tried to shout louder, but another violent contraction choked the sound in my throat.

"But the baby is his child, too! If something happens, he'll regret it for the rest of his life!"

They glanced at me with disdain and simply pulled out their phones, scrolling as if nothing was happening.

I had no idea how long the agony lasted.

Finally, in a wave of pain that felt like it was tearing my body apart, the baby was born.

But it didn't cry.

Its tiny body was limp and soft, its skin an unnatural bluish-purple.

"My baby! My baby!"

A hoarse scream tore from my throat. I struggled to reach for the baby, but the woman blocked me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the phone in her hand.

Using the last of my strength, I snatched it and shakily dialed Eugene's number.

The moment the call connected, I completely broke down.

"Eugene! The baby's been born, but it's not doing well! Its breathing is weak, and its skin is turning blue! Send doctors here right now! Please, save our baby! The baby's yours, too! If you wait any longer, it'll be too late!"

My voice shattered into pieces, filled with the despair of someone standing on the edge of death.

"Is it…really that bad?"

He hesitated for a moment before speaking quickly.

"Don't cry. I'll come take a look. If it's really serious, I'll arrange a transfer for you immediately…"

Before Eugene could finish speaking, Fiona's aggrieved voice drifted over the phone.

"Rachel is probably just nervous. It's her first time giving birth. I hired very good doctors for her. Nothing will happen to them. She must still resent me for asking her to deliver early… Maybe she just doesn't want to save me and my baby."

Fiona's words were like a knife, striking directly at Eugene's sore spot.

Through the phone, I heard Eugene comforting Fiona, his voice gentle in a way that made my heart go cold.

To Eugene, Fiona had always been the one who got away. Even after she chose to marry his brother for money, nothing could shake her place in his mind.

Not even me, his wife.

Just then, Fiona's voice trembled with tears. "My stomach hurts so much. Am I going into labor?"

Eugene's voice immediately changed with panic.

He ordered people to rush her into the hospital's best delivery suite.

When he spoke to me again, the warmth was gone. Only indifference remained.

"Stop making a scene. The doctor already said the baby will be fine once it's born. Wait until I deal with Fiona's situation first."

"Eugene, you can't hang up! The baby is really dying!"

I collapsed weakly onto the hospital bed.

Blood continued to flow from the wound.

The broken needle was still lodged between the bones in my lower back.

But none of that pain compared to even a fraction of the agony in my heart.

No matter how much I cried and screamed, Eugene never responded again.

Only after Fiona stopped crying did he finally remember me.

Eugene picked up the phone, his voice sharp enough to pierce my ears.

"You useless idiots! You can't even keep an eye on one woman? At a time like this, you still let her cause trouble for me?"

The so-called doctors stammered their apologies.

The moment he hung up, the way they looked at me changed instantly.

The fat woman pulled off her mask, a vicious smile spreading across her face. "You could've crossed anyone, but you just had to cross Ms. Smith. She paid us a lot of money to teach you a lesson."

Another skinny woman kicked me in the side. "This is all your fault! Because of you, we got yelled at. We're settling that score on you."

Before I could react, they dragged me into the bathroom.

My bare feet hit the freezing tile floor as my abdomen throbbed with searing pain. Blood ran down my legs, leaving a long red trail behind me.

Inside the bathroom sat a large bathtub filled with ice.

A shiver ran through my body.

My voice trembled with fear as I asked, "What are you doing?"

No one answered. They exchanged a quick glance, then shoved me forward.

My body plunged straight into the ice water. The freezing cold swallowed me instantly. Pain shot through my skin and drilled into my bones.

A scream tore out of my throat.

"Ah! It's so cold… It hurts… Please…let me out…"

Ice pressed against the needle wounds in my back. Blood spread quickly through the icy water. The heavy bleeding got worse. I could almost feel my life slipping away, little by little.

I looked toward the hospital bed where my baby lay. My heart felt as if it were being sliced apart.

Using the last bit of strength I had, I tried to crawl toward the baby.

"Please… Let me see my baby… It's dying…"

The fat woman kicked me straight back into the tub.

"Stop putting on a show! You're trying to stir up trouble, huh? The baby's not crying because it's sleeping. You think we're that easy to fool?"

Eugene's shouting earlier had clearly irritated them. Out of spite, they pulled out several thick needles of different sizes.

"Mr. Cobb said we need plenty of cord blood and stem cells. Since you won't behave, we'll just draw a little more."

The needles stabbed into my body. Each puncture brought a sharp burst of pain. Tube after tube filled with my blood.

I felt like an empty container, something they could drain at will.

"Please… Stop… I can't take it anymore…"

My body began to convulse. My vision blurred as my consciousness started fading.

The moment I caught sight of the baby again out of the corner of my eye, my heart clenched painfully. Its skin had turned from bluish purple to a dull gray. Its tiny chest barely moved.

"My baby! My baby!"

I forced every last bit of strength out of my body and screamed.

My voice was hoarse, but it carried.

"Help! Someone please save my baby!"

My crying clearly annoyed them.

One of them pulled out a bottle filled with a clear liquid, twisted the cap open, and forced it into my mouth.

"God, you're loud. Shut up already."

The burning liquid scorched my throat and chest like fire.

I instantly lost my voice.

My mouth opened and closed helplessly, but no sound came out.

Tears mixed with blood as they streamed down my face.

They tormented me for nearly an hour.

Only when my body was covered in blood and I was barely breathing did they finally stop, grumbling under their breath.

No one even glanced at the baby. No one cared that I was bleeding heavily.

They simply locked the door and walked away.

With the last bit of strength left in me, I crawled to the bed and gathered my baby's cold little body into my arms.

Stumbling to the door, I pounded on it with everything I had. Bloody handprints smeared across the surface as a broken sound scraped out of my throat.

"Is anyone there? Please save my baby…"

No one answered.

My vision slowly faded.

Just when I thought my child and I would die here like this, the door to the room suddenly opened.

In the darkness closing in around me, I thought I saw a faint beam of light.

For a moment, I believed Eugene had finally come to his senses and rushed back to save us.

But the person who walked in wasn't him. It was the young nurse who hadn't taken part in hurting me.

She hurried over, and the moment she saw me covered in blood, clutching my baby in my arms, tears spilled down her face.

"I'm so sorry… I'm actually a nurse here. I only agreed to help with the delivery because my family needs the money. I didn't know those people weren't real doctors. I couldn't stand watching them hurt you, so I slipped out. I never thought they'd go that far…"

Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone and started recording the scene.

She filmed my blood-soaked body and the baby lying weak in my arms.

"I'm sending this video to Mr. Cobb. Once he sees what they did to you, he'll come for sure."

After sending the video, she immediately called Eugene.

"Mr. Cobb! Your wife and your baby are in really bad shape! Please come take a look at them right now…"

When Eugene saw the video, his voice turned tense.

"I hired the best doctors. Why is there so much bleeding? When I'm done here, I'll deal with them. Rachel, hold on. I'm coming over right now."

Before he could hang up, Fiona's crying voice drifted through the phone. "Eugene! There's so much blood… I'm so scared. Am I going to die?"

The doctor assisting Fiona sounded alarmed. "Mr. Cobb, Ms. Smith's condition is very critical. If she can't calm down, her emotional distress could cause severe bleeding."

Eugene's voice tightened with panic. "But my wife…"

The doctor seemed to look at the video for a moment before speaking again. "Your wife does appear to be bleeding heavily, but her mental state looks stable."

Eugene let out a heavy sigh.

"Rachel, why are you still making a scene at a time like this? Fiona is in a life-or-death situation, and you're having a nurse fake evidence for you. Just behave yourself. As soon as Fiona is out of danger, I'll come see you."

His words made my entire body shake with rage.

Before he could hang up, I grabbed the phone.

"You're a monster! The people you hired aren't doctors. Fiona paid them to torture me! The baby and I are lying here, covered in blood, and you still think I'm pretending?"

My chest rose and fell violently. Every movement sent fresh blood pouring out.

Eugene seemed irritated by my shouting and gave a cold snort.

"You've got plenty of energy to yell. Sounds like you're doing just fine. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't go accusing Fiona. She's in the emergency delivery room right now. How could she possibly be hurting you?

"Since you gave birth to our baby today, I'll let this slide. Just stay where you are until Fiona is out of danger."

Then he hung up.

Rage and hatred churned through my chest. All I could do was clutch my baby and cry into the phone in despair.

The blood kept flowing. My vision grew darker and darker.

In that final moment of desperation, I used the last of my strength to send my father a message.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a hospital gurney.

The nurse from earlier explained that a doctor had just returned from a trip. After hearing her plea for help, he agreed to try to save us.

Hot tears rushed down my face.

We were finally going to be saved!

But just as the gurney was about to roll into the emergency room, a familiar figure stepped forward and blocked the way.

It was Eugene.