Chapter 1
My fiancé, Ulysses Dorne, drugged me with hallucinogens and stimulants and delivered me to FirstLove Beatrice Harlow’s disabled husband, Carson Huxley's bed. He wanted to help Beatrice, who suffers from infertility, fight for the estate.
After the doctor confirmed my pregnancy, I was locked in a small dark room to await childbirth. At seven months, desperate to see the baby, Beatrice urged Ulysses to force me into labor. My child was taken away right after birth.
When I staggered back to the villa, I found my baby left in a dog cage, crying until fainting. I pleaded with Beatrice, but she mocked me.
“It's just a bastard, and you care so much? Are you born pathetic? Sleep with anyone and get attached?”
In my dire moment, Carson, Beatrice’s husband, and the baby disappeared.
...
Ulysses and Beatrice ignored my frantic resistance and dragged me to the delivery bed despite being only seven months pregnant.
“Ulysses, I’m begging you. A seven-month baby won’t survive. Can't you wait another month? I’ll leave immediately after giving birth, as long as you ensure the baby lives.”
Beatrice slapped me hard across the face.
“Kara Merrick, don’t be ungrateful. Giving birth to this child allows you to inherit billions in assets. It's already a great deal for you. Why can't a seven-month baby survive? Why are you being so dramatic?”
Beatrice turned to Ulysses and acted coquettishly, "Ulysses, I heard anesthesia is bad for the baby. Don’t give her any anesthesia. Just induce labor, it'll be fine.”
Pain wrenched my abdomen, as the baby kicked frantically inside me. I couldn’t speak from the agony, only able to plead with my eyes to Ulysses, hoping he'd be lenient considering our marriage. He tenderly glanced at Beatrice and ordered the doctor to proceed, without a single glance my way.
With eyes wide open, I endured the excruciating pain on the delivery bed, feeling as though I was in hell. It took an entire night before I heard the baby’s cry.
Despite the searing pain, I yearned to see my baby. Beatrice rushed in excitedly but quickly turned furious. “Ulysses, it’s a girl! Your fiancée is so useless, she couldn’t even produce a son. What's the point of this liability?”
Ulysses tried to comfort her, “A girl is better than nothing. We’ll take her for now.”
Beatrice reluctantly cradled the baby, disguising herself as the mother and returned to the villa with Ulysses, leaving me behind at the hospital. A kind nurse offered postpartum care and arranged a ride for me.
Returning home, I saw Beatrice placing the baby in a dog cage, allowing the infant to cry nearly to death. “Ulysses, let’s just let the baby fend for herself. A girl is worthless anyway.”
“As you wish. She isn’t ours after all. Once we cure your condition, we can have our own child,” Ulysses replied.
Heartbroken, I kneeled and begged them, “If you don't want a girl, give her to me. I'll take her away and never bother you again.”
The strain caused my wound to reopen, spilling blood everywhere. Beatrice pinched her nose at the sight of me. “What shameless woman. After giving birth, you still come back? Can't move on from my worthless husband or our wealth?”
Ulysses grimly approached and grabbed my neck.
Chapter 2
"Kara, you bastard, are you really that devoted? Would you have slept with someone else even without my drugs that day? You slut, you've always had the heart to cheat, haven't you?"
I struggled to breathe, my cheeks flushed, and a sharp pain stabbed through my lower abdomen. The misery of the past six months surged within me. Finally, I collapsed from exhaustion.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in that dark room. The blood beneath me had dried, and I was still wearing a blood-stained hospital gown. The only light in the room came from a small window high up on one wall.
My thoughts whirled, and nightmarish memories flooded back to me. I was a girl who came from the mountains, armed only with a token, and traveled thousands of miles to Dorne's Villa. Ulysses was forced to get engaged to me under the pressure of his grandfather. But after living together and through my countless efforts, we did share some harmonious and happy days.
However, once Ulysses' first love, Beatrice, reappeared, he changed completely towards me. They hatched a vicious plan, drugging me and sending me to Beatrice's husband's bed. Her husband was born with paralyzed legs and couldn't move. Beatrice, in her greed for his fortune, had him confined, planning to kill him off after I gave birth so that all his assets would fall into her hands.
The Huxley Group was an old aristocratic family with immeasurable assets spanning generations. Beatrice, taking advantage of the fact that the Huxley family elders were not in Kaldira City, acted so brazenly towards Carson.
Thinking of that man, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Yet, I was overwhelmed with my own troubles and didn't know what to do. When the butler brought me food, I begged him to bring me some medical supplies. Struggling, I managed to clean myself up and took some anti-inflammatory medicine, which barely alleviated the pain.
Being locked up here, it was easy to lose track of time. I had to quickly think of a way to escape. Unexpectedly, an opportunity arose soon. Beatrice, irritated by the child's fussing and fearing I might not survive, threw the baby at me.
"Feed her with your breast milk, slut! Don't let her die. If she does, I'll bury you with her."
I lowered my pale face, hiding the hatred in my eyes, and took the child with trembling hands. The baby, who had been crying violently, instantly quieted down. Beatrice, filled with jealousy, brutally kicked me.
"You're just like your whore of a mother. She doesn't cry when she's in your filthy arms. Does a country woman like you think she's better than me? Stupid bitch."
With that, she stomped away in her high heels, and the iron door clanged shut again, plunging the room into darkness. But I was overjoyed, gently caressing the baby's little face, feeling a rare sense of calm.
Before long, Ulysses came to see us again. For once, he wasn't cold and harsh.
"I felt sorry for the child, so I brought her to you. Remember Beatrice's kindness. Without her, you wouldn't have had the fortune to give birth. I won’t let someone like you give birth to a Dorne family child. Once you recover, you can have another child with Carson, preferably a boy, and then I'll let you go. How about that?"
My heart, which had just begun to warm, plunged back into despair. I looked up at him suddenly.
"Ulysses, you call me a slut, but what makes you any better? Are you happy to put a cuckold on yourself? Your heart is so dirty, it's beyond recognition."
Enraged, Ulysses stepped forward and slapped me, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me.
Chapter 3
The day Ulysses left, I was left with the child in a dark, small room. Thankfully, they showed some mercy by taking into consideration the child's life, and we were treated slightly better. The child calmed down significantly in my presence, but due to being born prematurely, she was very weak. I did everything I could to feed her more breast milk. However, because of my prolonged malnutrition, my milk wasn't sufficient.
In desperation, I pleaded with Ulysses to negotiate. "I agree to have another child with Carson, but can you please bring a doctor to give the child a proper check-up? She was born prematurely, and at this rate, she won't survive."
He watched me breastfeed, and for a moment, he seemed to remember the time we were together. His eyes darkened slightly. He took the child from my arms, put her aside, and stared intently at my still dripping breasts. Feeling uncomfortable, I tried to move away but irritated him.
"What are you dodging for? Haven't I seen every part of your body? They all say that women who've had children are more comfortable. Let me try. Don't forget, you're still my fiancée."
"Beatrice hasn't been feeling well lately, and I haven't had sex for a while."
"Show me the same wildness you showed Carson and serve your fiancé well."
In the past, he had also been inconsiderate when he wanted me. But for some reason, after all this time, I wasn't accustomed to being intimate with him anymore. Carson's image flashed through my mind, and instinctively, I pushed him away.
Caught by surprise, he fell to the ground, his face instantly darkening with anger and madness. He grabbed me roughly and pulled me towards him again. The child, frightened, started crying loudly. He forced his hand over my mouth, attempting to compel me. I felt a mix of anger and panic but couldn't free myself from his grasp.
At that moment, the iron door swung open. Beatrice stormed in with a jealous look, separating Ulysses and me, and attacking me with a fury of punches and kicks. "You bitch, even in this state, you dare to seduce men! I'll beat you to death, so you never dare to go after Ulysses again!"
Her sharp nails dug into my flesh, and the slaps made my skin break quickly. But that wasn't enough for her—she raised the child beside me, intending to throw her to the ground. "This little bastard won't live either, she's just as worthless as you."
Terrified, I tried to grab the child by holding Beatrice's arm. Just as the child was about to hit the ground, Ulysses intervened. "Beatrice, it's all my fault. Don't be upset; this child is still useful. What if Carson can't have any more children? She's his only heir."
Beatrice immediately became emotional and started pulling Ulysses, shouting, "You heartless man, you promised you'd never touch her again, so why are you still entangled with her? Have you been lying to me this whole time? Did you use me just for my money to save DorneGroup?"
An impatient look flickered in Ulysses' eyes, but he ultimately held back. Although I was shocked, a secret sense of delight rose within me. Only their conflict could give me a chance to escape. I looked down and soothed the child in my arms, ignoring the two quarreling nearby.
After a while, Beatrice calmed down but stubbornly took the child from my arms. "Since you're so restless, I'll send you to that useless man's bed today to continue breeding piglets. As a punishment, you won't see the child for several days."
Beatrice held the child tightly, causing her to cry immediately. My heart ached for the child, but all I could do was watch her being taken away.