Natasha.

A cold chill spread throughout my body, and I was sitting on the bed with my mind blank, barely remaining conscious.

My heart broke when I heard what the doctor said about the cause of my miscarriage. I never expected this to happen to me.

I was stunned, trying to digest every word Doctor Andrew had mentioned earlier about the poison he had found in my body.

So many questions are running through my mind right now, but none of them can be spoken.

I was disoriented and scared.

My goosebumps bristled at the thought of me unconsciously introducing the poison myself with my hands all this time.

This poison obviously couldn't have gotten into my body suddenly or been consumed consciously.

All the prejudices about how the poison had eaten away at me all this time and taken my son's life made my heart ache even more, as if it was squeezed tightly and filled with anger.

My tears fell once again while my lips were locked because there were too many things I couldn't understand.

My reverie was only broken when Nicholas sighed loudly and sat on my bed.

Chromium-6 is a kind of poison that has no odor or taste. It can be found in soil, rocks, animals, and plants."

Nicholas was seen reading one of the articles on his phone, and then glanced at me concernedly.

"I thought about it, Nats!" Nicholas said. "It's too strange that you didn't even realize there was poison in your body."

Nicholas was right.

I didn't feel the reaction or effects of the poison at all, not even if its presence was detected.

"Did your Family Doctor never mention this?"

I looked at Nicholas, swallowed my saliva, and shook my head.

"I-I don't know, Nich!" I stammered. "I-I don't know."

Nicholas patted my shoulder lightly.

His hand touched my chin and asked me to look at him.

"What do you want to do now, Nats?" he asked.

Slowly, I touched my stomach again and hugged it tightly.

I cried, lamenting my failure to keep the baby I had so dreamed of due to that strange poison.

All the problems that came along with my current loss made me even more devastated. My heart is like being slashed by thousands of knives at the same time, until the pain cannot be described in words.

I was devastated.

It's like half of my soul was forcibly pulled out and disappeared with the lost baby.

"Can you find out how the poison got into me, Nich?" I asked and looked at him expectantly.

Nicholas seemed to take a deep breath once more and nodded.

"I'll do everything I can."

He left after assuring me he would help me find the cause, including telling Gregory about my situation.

I looked again at the back of Nicholas, who had appeared to save me yesterday.

Unexpectedly, the kidnapping incident at my house last night was seen by Nicholas, so he moved quickly to bring help.

His profession as a lawyer gave him many police connections, which enabled him to move faster to find where I was hidden.

It was even Nicholas who got the approval for my operation here.

All the things that Gregory, my husband, who is famous for owning the largest mineral water distillery business in America, should be doing and has been named one of the most influential entrepreneurs over the past few years.

I should be proud of his achievements.

But the other side of my heart always screams disgust and anger at him for always leaving me and choosing to live in a studio apartment that Gregory claims is closer to the office, making it easier for him to get work done.

I realized my existence was worthless before him when Gregory again ignored me, who was in danger.

It was as if losing me wasn't a big deal, and he was capable of hurting me.

Thoughts about everything made my anger rise again until I unconsciously clenched my fists.

My teeth chattered to hold back the raging feelings of disappointment, sadness, anger, and devastation, which were forming a huge storm in my heart and mind.

I sighed loudly and tried to get off the bed with a limp.

I needed some fresh air to relieve my chest, which felt increasingly tight.

But just a finger's breadth away from opening my room door, I was startled by Gregory's ringtone coming from outside.

I quickly opened the door and looked for the voice.

"Gregory!"

I can't be wrong. The ringtone with Gregory's voice made him more recognizable.

I decided to follow the sound of Gregory's phone even though the pain in my stomach was still pressing. My eyes widened to see my husband hugging and kissing Wilma, my sister.

They embraced and exchanged spit passionately in one corner of the deserted hospital hallway.

Gregory gently rubbed Wilma's 7-month pregnant belly like a husband and wife.

"You took so long!" Wilma protested in a spoiled voice.

My eyes suddenly felt wet, and my vision blurred as tears began to well up at this painful sight.

My husband and my biological sister.

Are the two people I loved so much betraying me?

My feelings felt strange again.

My breathing was so labored that I opened my mouth wide, searching for fresh air to help me breathe.

I was transfixed.

My body froze, and my voice could not come out.

"Sorry, Honey, I just met an important client."

Honey?

I suddenly looked away and smiled with a pierced heart at Gregory's soft voice.

It's very different from the way he spoke to me yesterday.

Wilma clung to my husband's burly arm.

She also pulled Gregory to sit beside her.

"What did the Doctor say?" Gregory asked Wilma.

"Fine!" Wilma replied with a happy twinkle in her eye. "The doctor even said I can have a normal birth if there are no problems until the due date."

I saw Gregory smile and kiss Wilma's forehead.

"Thankfully, I'm glad you and our child are doing well."

When I heard Gregory's words, my head felt like it had been struck by lightning.

'So the baby is theirs? Not Wilma's child with her husband, Abraham?'

"Shush...! What if someone overhears, Greg?" Wilma asked.

Gregory furrowed his brow and flicked my sister's forehead with a crisp laugh.

"Were you afraid Natasha would find out about our relationship?" Gregory said.

"Isn't that right?" Wilma asked back. "We've been hiding our relationship because we didn't want Natasha to know, right?"

Gregory shook his head.

He pulled Wilma into his arms.

"I held back because you were still with Abraham. But I didn't care if Natasha knew about us."

"Really?"

Wilma's eyes blinked.

"She's not important, Wilma! Only you and our baby are important now."

I turned around and closed my eyes tightly as they kissed again.

My legs wobbled, and my body wavered as I tried to turn around and escape. I tried to hold back and suppress the pain in my heart that was deepening.

I quickened my pace to return to the room.

But the voices of several people made my head turn back to see Gregory and Wilma, who were intimately walking while embracing each other and attracting the surrounding people's attention.

"Look! So intimate!"

"Wow... what a couple, handsome and beautiful! How will their baby be?"

The compliments must have been heard by those smiling broadly and nodding occasionally.

While I just stared at them with my broken heart.

***

Natasha.

I took a deep breath as I tightly closed the door to my room and closed my eyes, leaning my back against the wall.

My tears rushed back.

The immense pain and shock I was feeling right now made me unable to see or meet the two of them.

I held back my sobs by closing my mouth. But now I let them fill every corner of this room.

Anger, disappointment, and pain.

All those feelings stirred my heart and mind, and even my stomach felt queasy when I remembered all their intimate gestures.

I pulled out the IV attached to my hand and walked quickly to the bathroom.

I washed my face repeatedly so I could stop crying, and the traces of my tears from last night would be erased.

I looked at my messed-up face in the mirror.

My breath hitched as I tried to hold back my cries and pain once more until I went back to washing my face more roughly and throwing a tantrum of my own.

I shouted.

I tried to release all the weight in my chest that was pressing too deeply until my clenched fist finally slammed into the mirror.

My ring cracked the mirror. The blood from my hand was left there and left a wound and sting on my current finger, but I didn't care. I pull off our wedding ring.

I walked out of there with shaky steps and dialled Nicholas' number quickly.

I catch my breath and suppress my emotions while waiting for him to pick up the phone.

But Nicholas's soft voice shattered my defences. I hid my bleeding hand so as not to be questioned.

"Hello, Nats?"

Both my legs suddenly went limp, and I collapsed into a sitting position, crying numbly once again.

"Nats, what's wrong?" He asked again.

This time, Nicholas' voice changed and sounded anxious.

"I..." I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. "I want a divorce from Gregory, Nich! I want a divorce from him!"

**

The next day, I came home from the hospital after pleading with Doctors Andrew and Nicholas to give their consent.

I don't want to be here in a weak and helpless state.

I wanted to be stronger and fight against all the unfair actions and hurtful affairs of my husband and sister.

I plan to return to our house today and pick up everything there. I will also hand over the divorce papers Nicholas brought last night for Gregory to sign immediately.

I don't want to delay.

I wanted to escape Gregory and the shadow of his betrayal all this time, but when I arrived at the house, a crazy scene greeted me again.

I saw a pair of Wilma's shoes arranged on the shoe rack in front of our door, parallel to Gregory's shoes.

Understood the situation, I rushed in and searched for their whereabouts.

I opened the door to my room on the second floor and was wide-eyed to see Gregory standing behind Wilma, sitting in front of the vanity mirror, styling Wilma's hair in such a way.

"Gregory!" I yelled.

They turned around, but Gregory threw his anger at me first.

"Natasha? Can't you knock first?" he said with a deep frown.

Unconcerned by his words, I retorted even harder.

"What are you guys doing here, huh? What are you doing, Gregory?" I stare at Gregory with a piercing gaze as if I'm ready to skin him right now.

My anger intensified when I saw Wilma standing behind my husband's back and grabbing his arm.

"Greg, I'm scared...!"

Her whining made me sick, and I wanted to spit in my sister's face.

Her expression was so horrifying that I didn't even feel sorry for her.

"Have you forgotten, Nat? Wilma just had a contraction after being hit by Abraham!" Gregory scolded. "I brought her here to stay and calm her down."

"What?"

I took a deep breath and looked at them in turn.

"You brought her here, even into my room, without my permission. And then, did her hair like that?" I clucked. "You think I'm stupid, Greg?"

It wasn't Gregory who answered my words, but Wilma, who started to venture out.

"Don't get me wrong, Nat. I've just asked Gregory for a favour, and I stayed here temporarily because I'm taking care of my divorce from Abraham," Wilma said.

I watched their hands increasingly intertwine until I looked away and loudly sighed.

"Wilma's right!" Gregory said. "So don't overreact, Nat! I'm the one who should be asking, where were you when Wilma needed your help? You were playing out that disgusting kidnapping charade, weren't you?" he snapped.

"I don't-"

"Shut up, Nat!" Gregory interrupted my outburst and stood between me and Wilma.

"Stop being so childish and attention-seeking, Nat! You'd better prepare too, because I have a birthday party tomorrow. Get everything ready, and stop making so much noise!"

My hands were tightly clenched again, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed after my anger was suddenly restrained.

My lips fell silent while my heart screamed aloud as Gregory left me with Wilma in the room just like that.

My whole body shook with anger and tears that were ready to burst.

I must not cry in front of Wilma. I must not show my brokenness in front of her.

I repeatedly said that I needed to strengthen myself at this time.

I looked at Wilma's face. She gave me a strange look and then suddenly curved her strange smile at me.

"Does it hurt, Nat?" She asked, walking towards me.

My forehead furrowed, and I watched as her expression changed again.

"It's a pity you survived the kidnapping, right?"

Wilma's words surprised me, and she immediately pulled her arm.

"You? How could you-"

Wilma shrugged her shoulders and smiled again.

"You should have died! So you wouldn't have to see me with Gregory, Nat!" Wilma repeatedly tapped my head with her forefinger.

"You planned the whole thing? You planned the kidnapping!" I shouted.

But Wilma didn't answer.

She pulled my hand and glanced up briefly before making my hand touch his big belly.

I was stunned and tried to understand the meaning of her actions until she suddenly pushed me out of the room quickly and pushed me up against the wall.

"I am Gregory's first and last love. So you should get out of the way before you get hurt more deeply."

It happened so fast.

I hadn't had time to react to Wilma's words when she grabbed my hand and pushed me down the stairs.

I rolled over and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

My body felt so crushed and broken that I could hardly breathe.

My chest ached as I tried to breathe and regain consciousness.

My vision blurred, and my consciousness also began to fade as I felt blood coming out of my mouth and nose.

Everything was getting darker, and Wilma's screams were the last I heard.

***