Elena's POV

The hospital lights were blinding—so white they hurt to look at.

I sat on a bench in the corridor, held upright by willpower alone.

The nurse froze when she saw me, her eyes dropping to the blood on my clothes.

"Do you... need help?" Her voice was cautious, startled.

I nodded, barely audible.

"I had a miscarriage. I need a doctor."

I lay there staring at the ceiling, waiting for an answer I already knew.

The doctor's brow creased as she reviewed the results, her expression turning grave.

"The baby is gone," she said gently. "The fetus had hybrid blood, but you bled for too long. It was past the point of intervention."

I nodded. No surprise. Just a hollow emptiness, as though everything inside me had been scraped out.

The child that should have been mine was gone—without any chance to fight for it.

The doctor studied me for a moment, seeming to recognize who I was. Something complicated flickered in her eyes.

"You're... Mrs. Valerie, aren't you? I've seen you before."

I didn't deny it, though the name felt strangely foreign now.

She hesitated before asking, "Should we notify your husband? In situations like this, we typically need a family member present."

I was quiet for a few seconds, as though confirming something with myself. Then I shook my head.

"Don't tell him. He doesn't need to know."

The doctor looked at me, didn't push further, and let out a quiet sigh.

It was already dark when I stepped outside. The night wind was cold against my face, but for the first time, it made me feel awake.

I flagged down a cab. As the door closed behind me, I finally felt a faint wave of relief—like breaking the surface after being held underwater.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Where to, miss?"

"The airport."

The car pulled away. City lights slid past the window, one by one.

Then my phone rang, the screen glowing in the dark.

I looked at the caller ID, hesitated a moment, and answered.

The voice on the other end was steady, as always—measured, commanding.

"Still there? How did things turn out?"

I murmured a response, my voice so low it seemed to come from far away.

"I'm almost at the airport."

A brief silence. He was reading my tone.

"And the result?" His voice was calm, but the edge beneath it left no room to deflect.

I watched the lights drift past the window. For a long time, I said nothing.

The car stopped at a red light. The whole street went quiet.

And then I said it.

"I lost."

The other end stayed silent, just listening.

I gripped the phone, my fingertips turning white, but I didn't waver.

Ten years ago, my father—as the head of our family—had entrusted me, his eldest daughter, with a critical mission: marry his key partner's son and carry on the legacy.

I'd turned him down. That was my mistake.

"Ten years. I didn't make him love me. I didn't make him faithful."

"This marriage, this bet—I lost everything. And the baby was gone."

I paused. My throat tightened, but I forced the words out.

"Dad, I have no reason to stay."

"I'll divorce Jason and marry the man you chose."

The car started moving again. The lights resumed their flow.

A few seconds of silence. Then I heard my father's voice—the steel-and-ice voice of a business titan, edged with a quiet fury.

"I'll back you up."