Miles had likely long forgotten why I was so adamant about having a child with him.

When I first married Miles, I already knew about Ophelia Smedley.

The way others referred to her as the "academic siren" was enough to make me realize the vast difference between us.

Her mother was a member of the influential Addison family, her father the CEO of the vast Smedley Corporation, and she had the life of a princess.

I, on the other hand, had nothing—ordinary in every way possible.

When Miles claimed to love me, I was overwhelmed with insecurity.

Why would he choose me over someone as perfect as Ophelia?

Yet, in a twisted mix of vanity and misguided ambition, I convinced myself of his love.

I thought I had nothing else to offer Miles, so I foolishly believed that giving him a child would solidify our bond.

In my mind, having a child equated to holding onto him.

My obsession with having a baby was merely an extension of my obsession with Miles.

But now, I no longer wanted Miles, and I refused to let a child become a pawn in his game.

The bodyguards were strong, forcefully shoving me into the back seat of the car.

As Miles climbed in after me, I finally snapped. I struck him hard across the face.

"My mother is dead! I will never be your test subject again!"

For a moment, Miles seemed genuinely stunned, but then he quickly laughed it off.

"Alexia, you're being overly dramatic. I just saw your mother not too long ago."

What he referred to as "not too long ago" was three months.

Even then, his visit to the hospital was brief, just five minutes in my mother's room before leaving, citing an urgent meeting.

My mother, clinging to her last moments, had desperately wanted to see him—not because they were close, but because she wanted to ensure he would take care of me after she was gone.

But even this small wish was denied.

Seeing Miles was a luxury my mother barely had, while Ophelia could see him every single day.

My chest tightened as I wiped away the tears.

Right now, all I wanted was to protect my child. If I participated in another trial, I would surely lose the baby.

Even if I were destined to die, even if this child wouldn't survive, I could not allow myself to be sacrificed for another experiment.

With that thought, I suddenly lowered the car window as far as it would go and leaned my entire body out, letting the wind slash across my face.

A hand grabbed my waist and yanked me back inside.

"Alexia, what the hell are you doing!"

"Let me go! I would rather die than be your guinea pig again!"

I struggled violently, and Miles had to use his tie to bind my hands behind my back, holding me tightly in his arms to keep me still.

For the first time, he saw the extent of my desperation, and in a rare moment of softness, he tried to soothe me.

"Alexia, you've been through countless trials before. This one is no different. I'll be with you the whole time; nothing will happen to you.

"I promise, we'll have the child you want, and I'll arrange for your mother's surgery immediately."

He had coaxed me into these trials many times before, playing on my love for him and my concern for my mother's health.

But my mother's death, the helplessness I felt trapped under the rubble, and my unborn child—all of it had drained the last bit of love I had for him.

As if to prove he wasn't lying, Miles picked up his phone and dialed his assistant right in front of me.

"Mr. Lee, arrange for a specialist consultation immediately. Schedule the surgery for Alexia's mother."

Before the assistant could respond, Miles hung up and looked at me, as if to say, "See? Satisfied now?"

If he had waited just a few more seconds, he would have learned that my mother had already passed away.

He didn't, though. Miles never had the patience for me.

I found it all absurd. I felt like the biggest fool.

"Miles, if you're determined to go through with this, I won't be able to stop you. But I don't want to live anymore either."

I had never spoken so calmly or with such conviction before.

Five years of experimental treatments had taken a severe toll on both my mind and body.

The thought of ending it all had crossed my mind more than once, but I had clung to life for the sake of my mother, not wanting her to bury her own child.

But now, I felt like I couldn't hold on any longer.

Miles knew me well; he understood that I wasn't making an empty threat or lying.

Panic flashed in his eyes as he stared at me in disbelief.

"Alexia, say that again if you dare."

I met Miles' gaze, a mocking smile tugging at my lips.

"If I die, you should be happy. After all, you'll finally have a legitimate reason to cheat."

For once, Miles didn't get angry. He held me tightly, as if trying to help me find a reason to live—and perhaps, trying to find an excuse for himself.

"We're contributing to the advancement of human civilization with these trials. You should feel honored and proud.

"You're saving countless suffering people in Aruha. What you're doing is incredibly noble."

I laughed bitterly but didn't bother to argue.

"Forget it, Miles," Ophelia chimed in, her tone laced with false concern. "The side effects of the drug are unpredictable. It might cause dizziness, nausea, or worse—this time, it might not be as 'lucky' as the previous ones. Alexia could hemorrhage and die. If she's really against it, let's just stop.

"Switching subjects midway is troublesome, and it means all our previous efforts will be wasted, but I don't want to force her."

The car came to an abrupt halt. Ophelia tugged at Miles' sleeve, clearly not wanting him to get caught up in my emotional turmoil.

Miles' eyes regained their clarity, and his voice turned steely.

"Alexia, take the treatment for Ophelia, or you'll get nothing."

He was so confident, certain that I would submit as I always had before.

Before I could respond, the nurse approached me with the injection.

The needle glinted ominously in the sunlight, sending a wave of terror through me.

I shrank back in fear, accidentally bumping into Ophelia.

Though it was an unintentional and gentle nudge, she dramatically collapsed to the ground, scraping her arms and knees.

Any trace of guilt that Miles might have felt vanished instantly as his expression hardened.

"Alexia, I've given you so much. What more do you want?

"If you refuse to take the treatment, then don't expect me to help with your mother's illness, and you can forget about me covering your massive debts."

Because of my mother's kidney disease, I had accrued enormous medical bills and was forced to take out high-interest loans.

Throughout the five years I had been with Miles, I had considered repaying him.

But he said he didn't want me to work too hard, so he wanted me to be a full-time housewife and gave me a hundred thousand allowance a month.

I refused, and he was angry, accusing me of not loving him.

Only later did I realize that his generosity was to keep me available for Ophelia's experiments and at his beck and call. He also wanted to keep me silent about this experiment.

"Five years of being your guinea pig has more than paid off any debt. I'll walk away with nothing after the divorce—that should be enough," I spoke coldly.

"You'll never be able to repay what you owe me!"

Miles glared at me, his patience wearing thin with my repeated defiance.

"Stop standing there—do it."

The nurse, assisted by the bodyguards, pinned me down on the bed.

I struggled desperately.

"Miles! I'm pregnant! I can't take the trial—if I do, the baby will die!"

This time, it was Miles who looked shocked. He took a step toward me, but Ophelia quickly intercepted him.

"Miles, you've been with me the entire time. Besides, with Alexia's poor health, the chances of her conceiving are incredibly low. How could she possibly be pregnant?

"Alexia, there's no need to lie just to avoid the trial. Do you really want to upset Miles like this?"

Her gaze signaled the nurse to administer the injection.

"I'm not lying! The pregnancy report is in my pocket, Miles—are you really going to kill our child?"

Miles grabbed the report, and I saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"This is our child."

"Miles, don't be fooled by her. I think this child might not be..."

Ophelia let her words trail off, pausing just long enough to cast doubt.

Miles suddenly turned to me, his face darkening.

My mind went blank.

She was insinuating that I had cheated.

Realizing what she was implying, I reacted instinctively—my hand struck Ophelia's face before I even knew what I was doing.

Miles' expression turned icy. Within seconds, he ordered the bodyguards to strap me down.

"No matter whose child it is, it's getting terminated."

My entire body went cold, and my limbs were numb.

"Miles, you don't trust me?"

Miles didn't answer, but his eyes said everything.

So, in his mind, I was someone who would cheat.

The syringe plunged into my vein.

This time, the side effects were severe—I vomited black blood, and my organs felt like they were being torn apart.

Suddenly, a sharp pain gripped my abdomen, and deep red blood gushed out from between my legs.

The nurse gasped, and amid the ensuing chaos, I was rushed to the hospital.

I lost consciousness quickly, waking up only briefly in the ICU.

Outside, Miles stood staring at the glowing red sign above the door, a strange unease gnawing at him.

On impulse, he ordered the doctors to run a DNA test on the miscarried fetus.

Ten minutes later, the assistant took the test report and said tremblingly, "Mr. Freeman, the child Mrs. Freeman miscarried... was indeed yours.

"And, just now, Mr. Lee sent a message—Mrs. Marshall passed away a week ago, the same night Miss Smedley fainted in the lab."