Chapter 3
The comments section was even more unbearable.
"This woman's got it going on! Still looks damn good!"
"Smoking hot. I wonder what the experience is like. I heard from a businessman that he was nearly bankrupt. I tried it once and the next day, everything turned around."
"She already looks spicy as hell. Even if the fortune thing's fake, I'd still wanna try."
Those filthy words left my mind blank.
I felt like a naked animal, mocked and humiliated through a screen.
Just then, my phone rang. In a panic, I pressed to answer.
"Hey, you're that pregnant woman from the internet, right? Name your price!"
A sleazy voice slithered through the speaker and terror seized me. I threw the phone across the room.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
Hunter walked in, saw the panic on my face and rushed to hold me. He picked up the phone.
As soon as he heard the voice on the other end, his expression changed, but only slightly. Then, he calmly ended the call.
"It's just a prank call. Don't overthink it."
My gaze turned cold, piercing. "You really think that was just a prank?"
He looked slightly annoyed for a moment.
"You're overthinking because of pregnancy hormones. Today is Savannah's birthday. I booked a private room for her at the Royal Blue Clubhouse. Come with me."
At the mention of Savannah's name, I trembled slightly and my expression turned cold.
"I'm not feeling well today. I don't want to go."
Hunter's face darkened instantly.
"Savannah's birthday only comes once a year. And your parents will be there too. As her sister, if you don't show up, you're being disrespectful."
"I've been patient enough with you during this pregnancy. But on this matter, I won't compromise. You have to come today."
With that, he grabbed my hand and dragged me out, forcing me into the car.
The moment we stepped into the private room, I felt the stares.
They looked at me with teasing eyes, barely hiding their meanness.
"Sis looks like we're wearing the same dress! We really are connected at heart, always liking the same things."
Savannah shot Hunter a look that dared him to respond.
Only then did I realize Savannah and I were wearing the exact same dress.
"This dress clearly looks better on Savannah. Your sister's all bloated now with that huge belly. She's completely lost her charm."
Hunter didn't bother hiding his disdain as he praised Savannah while belittling me.
"Brother Hunter, don't say that. Even though Sis is pregnant, she's still got tons of fans online. Who knows how many are obsessed with her!"
She sneered and held out a glass of wine. "It's my birthday. Have a drink with me." I stared at the glass, my face cold. "I'm still pregnant. I can't drink."
The moment I spoke, Hunter stood up, his expression turning dark.
"It's Savannah's birthday. Won't you toast her? She offered you a drink in front of everyone and you just refused?"
His tone grew harsher. "I already asked the doctor. You're eight months along and the baby's fully developed. A little wine won't hurt."
Chapter 4
My parents stepped forward, their faces full of disapproval.
"Savannah, offering you a toast is a sign of respect. You should know your place."
"You didn't even bring a birthday gift and now you're turning down her toast too?"
Looking at the people I once believed were closest to me, silent tears slid down my cheeks.
"So if I drink this glass of wine, you'll all finally leave me alone?"
I reached out for the glass in Savannah's hand. But just before I touched it, she suddenly leaned forward, spilling the red wine all over me.
Before I could react, I was shoved hard. I fell to the floor and a sharp, tearing pain shot through my belly.
"Ivy, it's fine if you didn't want to drink, but why did you have to push me?"
Hunter pulled Savannah into his arms and glared at me. "Ivy, I can't believe you've become such a vicious woman."
Clutching my stomach, I couldn't even speak. All I felt was a warm, terrifying rush between my legs.
The medicine must have started working.
"I'm bleeding. Get me to the hospital, now!"
The pain in my lower belly was so intense that cold sweat covered my forehead. I clutched my stomach tightly, barely able to breathe.
Hunter glanced at my white dress, now stained with bright red and a flash of panic crossed his face.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
Just as he bent down to help me, Savannah's voice rang out from behind him.
"Ivy, you poured red wine on yourself to fake blood. What a cheap trick!"
At her words, Hunter immediately pulled his hand back. His eyes landed on the broken wine glass at my feet and his expression turned cold.
"Ivy, how did you become so manipulative? If Savannah hadn't said anything, I might've actually believed you. Using red wine to pretend you're bleeding, just for sympathy?"
My mother scoffed coldly from the side.
"She's always been sneaky. Even as a child, she bullied Savannah because of her heart condition. And now she's trying to frame her? How shameless."
"You're eight months pregnant. How could you be bleeding that easily?"
I held my belly tightly, shaking from the pain.
"I'm not lying… my stomach really hurts… please help me… I'm begging you…"
I looked at them with pleading eyes, desperate for just one person to care. But no one moved.
Hunter looked at me with nothing but disgust.
"Using wine to fake blood just to fool us? If I don't teach you a lesson now, you'll try to walk all over me next time."
Chapter 5
"Hunter, why don't we make this fun?"
Savannah smiled cruelly, then pulled out a pill and shoved it into my mouth.
In an instant, all the strength drained from my body. A wave of despair and fear crushed me.
Savannah leaned close and whispered something into Hunter's ear. He turned to me with a mocking smile.
"Take her to the private room next door."
I looked at him, desperate.
"You'll regret doing this to me."
Savannah lifted her wine glass, eyes gleaming with pride.
"That pill won't just light a fire in you," she said with a smug smile. “It'll also wipe your memory. By tomorrow, you won't remember a thing."
"There's already a client waiting in the room next door."
She let out a soft laugh and raised her glass higher.
"Here's to a lovely night."
The next moment, I was dragged into darkness.
And in that darkness, something tore through me as if I were being ripped apart, piece by piece.
When I came to, I was lying helplessly on the floor of the private room. A large pool of blood had already spread beneath me.
“Help… me…”
I dragged myself toward the door, pounding on it with what little strength I had left.
From outside, I heard a burst of mocking laughter.
"Stop pretending. You were moaning louder than anyone earlier. Just get some rest. You won't remember anything by tomorrow."
Then came Hunter's voice.
"Since the main event's over, let's move on to the next round! No one goes home until we're drunk!"
Their footsteps and laughter faded into the distance.
I was left alone, bleeding, broken and barely conscious.
The floor beneath me was soaked in bright red. The sight was horrifying.
In the end, it was a staff member who found me and rushed me to the hospital.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a sterile hospital room filled with the sharp scent of disinfectant.
"Miss Ivy, we couldn't save your baby. How would you like us to handle the remains?"
The nurse looked at me with quiet sympathy.
I stared blankly at the bundle in her hands.
"Please call a courier for me."
After a night of partying, Hunter and the others finally remembered they had left me behind at the clubhouse.
When they arrived, the manager ran over in a panic.
"Mr. Harrington, something serious happened. After you left last night, your wife was found bleeding badly. She was taken to the hospital."
Hunter froze. He suddenly grabbed Savannah's wrist, his eyes wild and bloodshot.
"What did you do last night?"
Just then, a delivery man approached them, holding a small box.
"Hi, are you Mr. Harrington? I have a delivery for you. Please sign here."
Hunter stared at the box, the faint metallic scent of blood still clinging to it.
With shaking hands, he opened the lid.
The moment it opened, the people around him gasped.