###1

I was seven months pregnant when I was kidnapped.

After my fiancé, Nate Gilmore risked everything to save me, he swore that anyone who hurt me would suffer a terrible fate.

While I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I overheard the gang leader talking to the doctor outside the emergency room.

“Perform the cesarean now. Blame it on the kidnappers later!”

The doctor hesitated, clearly uneasy.

“To treat Miss Cassie Clay’s anemia, we need the umbilical cord blood. That means delivering Ruth Kerr’s baby early. But at seven months… the baby may not survive.”

Nate’s expression was grim.

“The child can be replaced. But Cassie’s body is fragile—like the Princess and the Pea. How can I let her suffer?”

“I’ll make it up to Ruth. Just keep quiet. She can’t know the truth.”

A chill ran down my spine. The man I believed loved me was nothing but a monster.

Later, I remarried—bearing a scar on my belly and a wound in my heart—to his sworn enemy.

…

Tears streamed down my face as Nate burst into the room, eyes red, leaning close to my ear.

“Ruth, those vile thugs harmed our baby! A cesarean is the only way to save you!”

Liar. He wasn’t saving me—he was sacrificing his own child for his mistress.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

When I awoke, I touched my empty belly. Ignoring the searing pain from my incision, I rolled out of bed and crawled to the floor.

“Where’s my child?!”

The doctor entered, his eyes full of regret.

“I’m sorry, Miss Ruth. Your daughter didn’t survive the premature birth…”

Plop.

I collapsed, as though my soul had been torn from my chest.

Nate once said we could have another baby. He forgot—five years ago, he nearly drowned in an icy pond. I saved him, even while pregnant.

That child was lost. The doctor told me then my body had been damaged by freezing, and it would be difficult—almost impossible—to conceive again.

This baby was a miracle—one born after five years and dozens of failed IVF attempts.

Grief suffocated me. I shoved away the nurse trying to lift me and staggered into the hallway.

Covered in blood, I arrived at the morgue, only to hear the attendant say in surprise, “Didn’t your fiancé come to collect the body? He didn’t tell you?”

While I lay unconscious, Nate whispered promises to me—saying he would give our child a proper burial.

But could I believe him?

I wandered the halls, lost, until I saw his subordinate, Hyena, toss a white bundle to the ground.

Two stray dogs darted in, teeth tearing into the cloth.

Cassie stood nearby, arms crossed, laughing.

“Ruth’s dead kid can still serve a purpose—dog food! What a contribution, huh?”

No!

My vision turned red. I hurled myself at them.

“You monsters!”

I wrestled my daughter’s small body from the dogs’ jaws. Hyena shouted, panicked, “I was just following orders!” and fled.

I cradled the bloodied remains—what was left of my baby—missing a leg, her tiny frame ruined.

Sobbing, I screamed,

“Nate, how could you be so heartless?!”

“Baby, I’m sorry… Mommy didn’t protect you… You were killed by your own father before you even saw the world…”

Behind me, Cassie sneered.

“To Nate, your kid was just stem cells… and dog food.”

I flashed back months earlier, when Nate would gently caress my belly, listening to the heartbeat.

“I’ll make her the happiest little princess in the world,” he said.

I believed he’d be a wonderful father.

Then Cassie reappeared, and my world shattered.

She was once the heiress of the wealthiest family in Detroit. After their downfall, she came to New York and knocked on Nate’s office door.

Everything changed after that.

He began disappearing at night.

While I threw up bile from morning sickness, he lay in Cassie’s bed.

“I’m sorry, babe,” he said, “I’m just busy. Every pregnant woman gets morning sickness. You’ll get through it.”

On my birthday, I waited at a restaurant until closing, only to receive a text about a last-minute business trip.

Then came an email from Cassie—with a photo.

They were in the US, smiling, holding hands at the Giant Bigfoot Zoo.

When my mother was dying and clinging to life, Nate was too busy cleaning up Cassie’s family scandals to be there.

…

Later, he even brought her into our home.

“She was harassed at a hotel,” he explained, “I had no choice. It’s just a few days. We’re just friends—nothing’s going on.”

But one night, I woke up to an empty bed.

Silently, I approached the guest room. Through the half-open door, I saw him on top of her.

“Has Ruth not satisfied you in a while? You’re so wild… we’re almost out of condoms.”

Nate bit Cassie’s lips and ran his hands over her pale skin.

“Don’t mention her—it kills the mood.”

Cassie gasped, matching his rhythm.

“She’s fat as a pig now. You can’t even touch her. No wonder you’re pent up.”

He frowned, then grew even more eager.

I gained thirty pounds during pregnancy. He claimed he was avoiding sex to protect the baby.

I thought it was love—but he just found me disgusting.

I choked on my tears, thinking: Once the baby comes, we’ll be a family. He’ll see.

But I was naïve.

He crossed every line for that woman.

Now, our baby is gone.

And I’ve finally had enough.

###2

"I won't let you go!"

I tried to lunge at Cassie, but the pain from my wound turned everything black.

Her phone rang. She smirked and put it on the speaker. Nate’s voice came through.

"Where did you go? You just had a stem cell transfusion. Why aren’t you resting?"

"You weren’t with me in the ward. I got bored, so I took a little walk," she replied coyly.

I clenched my fists, trembling.

Then I heard his voice—gentle and indulgent.

"Hurry back. I brought in the top medical team in the U.S. to speed up your recovery."

"You treat me so well," she purred.

Nate chuckled. "If I don’t treat you well, who else would I?"

Yes, you treat her so well that you sacrificed your own daughter just to cure her anemia.

Cassie shot me a smug glance and gave me a hard kick before strutting away.

Shaking, I stood and handed my daughter’s tiny body to the morgue attendant.

Then I returned to the ward and dialed the number I knew I could trust.

My voice trembled with pain and rage.

"Lucas Roman… help me. I want to leave Nate."

Lucas, my lawyer and friend, raised her voice instantly.

"What happened, Ruth? Did you two fight again?"

I told her everything—every devastating word, every betrayal.

My voice was soaked in grief, like I was bleeding through every syllable.

When I finished, Lucas exploded.

"That monster! He killed his own child for his mistress. How is he even human?"

"Don’t worry. Even without a marriage certificate, you’re entitled to everything. You’ve supported him for years. I won’t let you walk away empty-handed."

After the call, the doctor came back, re-dressed my wound, and gave me a sedative.

Sometime later, I heard the footsteps I used to love so much.

I closed my eyes instinctively, feigning sleep.

Nate entered, his pace hurried.

He leaned over me, gently stroking my pale face with trembling fingers.

"Ruth… I’m sorry. We’ll have another baby, I promise."

No, Nate—we will never have anything again.

This towering man, always proud and cold, now wept openly beside me.

His tears made my stomach churn.

Then I heard another set of heels clicking on the floor.

Cassie’s voice cut through the room like a knife.

She stared at my twitching eyelids and gave me a chilling smile.

"Aren’t you afraid she’ll find out you planned the kidnapping? Just so you could harvest her baby at the perfect time."

What did she just say?

"You shouldn’t talk—" Nate began, panicked.

But it was too late.

My fingers curled into the sheets. My eyelids no longer trembled—they flew open.

###3

She pulled out the dagger and aimed it at her abdomen, but in a flash, Nate grabbed it.

Blood trickled down his hand, seeping through his fingers, yet he didn’t flinch—only frowned slightly.

“Oh, Nate!”

Cassie gasped in panic, letting go of the hilt.

Nate immediately hurled the dagger out the window and pulled her tightly into his arms.

“Don’t ever do that again! I’m still recovering. If something happens to you, I’ll be devastated!”

Cassie nodded like a frightened kitten, then leaned up and kissed him gently.

“You’re bleeding a lot. I was so scared.”

“For you, this injury is nothing.”

The pain in his palm only fueled his desire. With a dark gleam in his eyes, he pressed her against the wall.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My child had just died, and here they were—having an affair in the ward!

Cassie’s sobs broke the silence.

“I thought it was just for the umbilical cord blood. I didn’t think it would kill your baby. I’m sorry... it’s all my fault.”

Nate wiped away her crocodile tears, his expression soft.

“It was just bad luck. Don’t blame yourself.”

“After all, a premature baby isn’t more important than your health.”

That was his own flesh and blood—how could he be so cold?

My chest ached so deeply I could hardly breathe.

Cassie tilted her head toward me and said with a smirk,

“Now that Ruth’s child is gone, how about I give you another one to make up for it?”

Nate gave me a quick glance, then grinned wickedly.

“Alright. If you get pregnant, I’ll buy you an island in the Pacific and a star to name after our child.”

He really adored her and the child they hadn’t even conceived.

But what had he ever given me during either of my pregnancies? Nothing.

He didn’t even care about decorating the nursery.

“I’ll leave that to you, Ruth. I trust your taste—you’ll make it a beautiful little castle.”

I thought that was faith in me. Now I know he simply didn’t care at all.

Nate gasped with excitement.

“As long as you behave, I can give you everything—except the title of wife.”

My pillow was soaked with silent tears.

I swore I would never let him live in peace again.

Finally, the disgusting sounds stopped.

Nate pulled up his pants and said,

“I’ll help your dad get the funds. Don’t worry. Just focus on getting better.”

Cassie pouted, eyes worried.

“But he owes so much. Why won’t they let him go?”

Nate kissed her forehead.

“I said I’ll handle it.”

Just then, his gaze flickered to my trembling lips under the moonlight. His heart skipped.

He pushed Cassie aside and rushed to my bedside, eyes wide.

“Ruth… are you awake?”