It didn't take long before Theo burst into the ER, dragging in a screaming Cecilia with a ruptured corpus luteum.

The second he saw me in the white coat, he froze.

Same as last time.

After sending Cecilia to the lab, I made sure the nurse added one extra test—DNA.

Results came back clear: 99% match.

Theo was the dad. No getting out of it now.

I quietly tucked the test results away.

Cecilia was laid up in the ward, Theo hovering like some worried husband.

"Mrs. Madoff, I'll be okay, right?" she asked.

I gave her a soft smile, like I hadn't just read the proof. "What were you doing before the pain started?"

She blushed and shot Theo a flirty look. "Just... a little exercise. You know, Mrs. Madoff... woman to woman, you get it."

She played coy, smugness dripping from every word as she threw shade.

Watching her act all innocent while flaunting her win made my skin crawl.

She caught the fire in my eyes—and still pushed it. "It hurts so bad down there. My lower belly feels like it's been hammered. Is it 'cause he loves me too much? Did he hurt the baby?"

She rubbed her barely-there bump.

Then she went for the kill. "You can't get pregnant. You'll never know how incredible it feels to carry a child."

Rage surged through me.

"Too bad," I said, "You couldn't control yourself, and now your baby's heartbeat is gone."

Theo shot up. "What did you say?!"

Cecilia froze, then screamed through the pain, "You're lying! My baby was fine! Why would you say that?!"

I held up the report and made sure everyone heard. "The rough intercourse caused internal bleeding. The fetus couldn't handle the trauma. It's gone. Prep for a surgical abortion—we can't wait."

The ward was packed, and the crowd was already reacting.

"Seriously? She's pregnant and still doing stuff like that?"

"Unreal. She clearly didn't care about that baby at all."

Cecilia's face went ghost-pale. She grabbed the report and ripped it to pieces. "Aren't you the miracle baby doctor at Brighton Hospital? Please, save my baby!"

Theo, just as rattled, turned to me like we were still a team. "Honey, please... show some compassion. Save Cecilia's child."

I looked at them and let out a laugh. "A kid born from an affair like that doesn't deserve to be born."

Theo's face dropped. He knew I was onto everything.

His voice turned cold. "That's still a life. My child. You're a doctor—if you let it die, people will tear you apart."

Cecilia dropped the sweet act and snapped, "Who do you think you are? You can't even have kids, and you dragged Prof. Madoff into a childless life! No man would stick around for that!

"You're just jealous I can give him a baby. You misdiagnosed me on purpose, didn't you? You bitter old hag! No wonder he doesn't love you!"

The crowd turned on me fast.

"A woman who can't have kids isn't complete. If she can't give him an heir, why's she acting like a victim?"

"Right? She forced him into a childless marriage. He stayed with her for years—he's a saint."

I looked at Cecilia's smug face and stepped forward.

No hesitation—I raised my hand, ready to slap her.

Smack!

Priscilla stormed in and slapped me first, yanking my wrist mid-swing. "Naomi Neville, how dare you?! What kind of doctor tries to hit her patient?

"I don't know what Theo ever saw in you. Now that Cecilia's finally pregnant with our family's heir—back in my day, a woman who couldn't bear a son would've been kicked out! Who still marries an infertile wife?

"We were far too generous. And you—trying to sabotage the pregnancy now? If you even THINK about harming that baby, I swear—"

In my last life, staying childfree wasn't my choice—it was Theo's. But to protect his image, I took the fall and told the world it was all me.

That gave Priscilla the perfect excuse to hate me. She never stopped pushing Theo to dump me.

After I died, she stormed into my parents' house, blamed me for "killing their heir," and forced them to give up my inheritance.

Now I knew the truth—she'd been in on it the whole time. The affair, the setup, everything.

Cecilia, who dragged my name through the mud with her malpractice stunt, hadn't even lost the baby. Ten days after I died, she threw a lavish wedding.

They moved into my villa to celebrate.

"Theo, thank God you were smart enough to make Naomi get her uterus removed. Two birds, one stone—we got rid of her and got a grandson! Life is sweet!"

"Yeah. No way we'd be living like this or rolling in cash if she were still around."

Snapped back to the present, I yanked my hand free from Priscilla's grip.

She came to me? Perfect. Saved me the trouble of hunting her down later.

"What is this, the Middle Ages or Game of Thrones? Hate to break it to you, but your bloodline's not that special—and I'm pretty sure your family's got no throne to pass down."

Theo snapped, "How can you say such cruel things to Mom?!"

"She's YOUR mom, not mine. You two are unbelievable. Lied to me about being childfree, tricked me into getting my uterus removed, knocked up your student—and I'M the cruel one?"

The crowd was eating it up. Phones were out. Some had already started live-streaming.

Theo noticed. The panic hit his face fast.

Priscilla shoved him behind her. "Whatever happened, the baby is innocent!

"If you weren't infertile, Theo wouldn't have needed to look elsewhere!

"Our family line passes through ONE son every generation. If Theo has no son, the lineage will end! Right now, only YOU can save my grandson. You're really gonna stand there and let him die?"

I nearly laughed. The guilt-tripping was next-level pathetic.

"If your son and his side chick had enough energy to screw around, they should've thought about the consequences. But just so we're clear—this baby's heart already stopped. Not even a miracle can bring it back."

Theo finally snapped. "I can't believe this is who you really are! You're just jealous that Cecilia can carry my child and you can't. That's why you want to hurt her! Women who can't have kids are always bitter and cruel!"

His words cut deep—but I smiled.

"Instead of wasting time blaming me, you might want to go coffin shopping. That thing in Cecilia's belly? Already dead."

That broke them. Theo and Priscilla lunged at me, slapping me over and over.

Blood ran down the corner of my mouth.

I didn't dodge. I let them hit me.

Because deep down, I knew—Theo was finished.