I stared at that photo all night.

The next morning, a text from Felix arrived: "Isabella's heart was acting up last night, so I stayed with her at the hospital. Stop making a scene and get some rest."

It was painfully dismissive.

I didn't reply. I just grabbed my suitcase and prepared to leave. It was time to go back to my father.

But as I reached the front door, it was violently thrown open, sending me stumbling backward.

"So this is the woman?"

A middle-aged woman in a Hermès suit strode in, followed by a lawyer and two bodyguards in black.

Margaret Blackwood. Felix's mother.

"Mrs. Blackwood, what are you—"

"Shut up." Margaret looked me up and down with cold disdain. "I agreed to your engagement because you were pregnant. I never expected that the child wouldn't be Felix's! How dare you try to trap my son with a bastard child?"

"It's not a bastard, it's Felix's—"

"Felix's?" Margaret scoffed. "My son already has a child on the way, and it's the one in Isabella's belly. You shameless girl, did you really think you could blackmail a powerful family with an illegitimate child?"

I took a deep breath. "Mrs. Blackwood, I'll leave. I won't bother Felix again."

"Leave?" Margaret's gaze grew sharper. "It's not that simple. You will issue a public apology to the media, admit to your deceit, and then disappear from my son's life completely."

"I won't—"

"It's not up to you." Margaret waved a hand, and the two bodyguards stepped forward. "Take her."

They seized my arms.

I struggled. "This is kidnapping!"

"The Blackwood family's legal team will handle any legal issues," Margaret said with a chilling smile. "You're very naive, little girl."

The Rolls-Royce drove for an hour before stopping in front of a massive estate.

As I was dragged out of the car, I saw a sight that shattered what was left of my heart.

In the garden, Felix was gently helping Isabella take a slow walk.

Dressed in a flowing maternity gown, her hair perfectly braided, Isabella looked every bit the lady of the manor.

"Felix!" Isabella saw the car and waved cheerfully. "Is that your mother?"

Then she saw me, held fast by the bodyguards, and the smile froze on her face.

Felix looked up and his eyes widened in shock.

"Mom, what are you doing?" he demanded, striding towards us.

"Solving a problem," Margaret said calmly. "This woman needs to be taught her place."

"Let her go," Felix ordered the guards.

They didn't move an inch.

"Felix, you need to understand your priorities," Margaret said, her voice laced with authority. "Isabella is carrying your child. She needs a calm, peaceful environment."

I looked at Felix, waiting for him to defend me.

He avoided my gaze, remaining silent for a few long seconds.

"If she needs to be taught a lesson," he said, his voice flat and his eyes fixed on the floor, "then lock her in the attic."

Isabella linked her arm with his, her voice weak, but her eyes gleamed with that same smug triumph. "Felix, I'm feeling a little tired."

"I'll help you back to your room to rest," he said gently.

I was shoved by the guards and thrown into the attic.

Through the window, I watched Felix carefully guide Isabella up the steps, treating her like the most fragile porcelain doll in the world.

And me?

What was the difference between me and a banished prisoner?

Margaret left me locked in the attic all day.

It wasn't until late that night that I heard a voice.

"Vivian." It was Felix, standing at the door.

I kept my gaze fixed on the window, not turning back.

"I know you're upset," he said, stepping closer. "But please understand, Isabella's health is too fragile for any kind of stress."

"So?" I asked coldly.

"Once her baby is born safely, I will announce our relationship to the world," he said from behind me.

"For now, you'll stay here and rest. I'll arrange for the best doctors, and you'll have everything you need. In a month, our wedding will proceed as planned."

I finally turned to face him. "Felix, listen to yourself. You want me to wait around like some kind of backup plan?"

"You're not a backup," he denied quickly. "You're the one I love. Why can't you just be understanding?"

"Understanding about what? That you have another woman carrying your child, sleeping by your side?!"

Felix's hands clenched into fists, and he suddenly slammed one against the wall behind him.

"I said, for the next 30 days, you will stay in this attic. Whether you like it or not!"

He turned and ordered the guards to lock the door behind him.

"No one is to let her out without my permission!"

My suitcase was dumped open behind me.

To make sure I couldn't escape, Felix had his men confiscate all my communication devices.

But he didn't know I had a second phone, one I used exclusively to contact my father.

Swallowing the pain in my heart, I dialed the number I hadn't called in a long time.

"Dad, it's me," I said, my voice heavy with exhaustion and tears.

"Vivian? You don't sound right."

"It's Felix. I don't want to marry him anymore." I quickly explained the situation. "Can you send someone to pick me up?"

"Who dares to bully my daughter!" my father's voice boomed over the phone, laced with fury. "No daughter of mine—no Sterling—will be treated this way. I'm sending a team for you immediately."

The next morning, Felix left for the office.

But Isabella suddenly appeared at the attic, unlocking the chain.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," she said, scanning the room. "Living in Felix's home, under his care."

Enjoying myself?

In this dusty attic?

"What do you want?" I asked, watching her coldly.

"Nothing, really," Isabella said, stroking her belly. "I just wanted to let you know that Felix stayed in my room all night. He said the baby was kicking so hard, he thinks it might be a soccer player."

Her eyes glinted with malice. "He also said he wants to teach our son how to run the company, to carry on the Blackwood family legacy."

"That's enough."

"Oh, and by the way," she continued, "we've started discussing wedding details. Felix wants to have it in Switzerland. It's where we first met."

I stood up. "Get out."

Isabella took a step back and suddenly screamed, "Ah! You pushed me!"

"I didn't—"

"Help! She's trying to kill my baby!" Isabella shrieked, collapsing to the floor and clutching her stomach in feigned agony.

Footsteps thundered up the stairs.

Margaret burst in, her eyes instantly turning venomous when she saw Isabella on the floor.

"You bitch!" Margaret pointed at me. "You want to get rid of Isabella's child so your little bastard can be the only heir? I never should have let you stay in this attic!"

"I didn't push her!"

"She tried to push me down the stairs!" Isabella wailed.

Margaret immediately took out her phone. "Dr. Johnson? Get to the Blackwood estate. Now."

Twenty minutes later, a middle-aged man in a white coat arrived.

"Mrs. Blackwood, what do you need?"

"This woman is a threat to our family's security," Margaret said coldly. "Get rid of what's in her belly."

"No!"

I struggled, but the two bodyguards held me fast.

"Stop fighting. This is the price you pay for threatening my grandchild," Margaret's voice was pure venom."Dr. Johnson, begin."

The needle pierced the skin of my arm.

The drugs flowed into my veins.

My consciousness began to fade.

My baby…

I imagined it so many times.

Would our baby look more like me, or like Felix?

Would their first word be "Mommy" or "Daddy"?

But…

It hurts so much.

When I woke up, I was in a bed in a private hospital.

A tearing pain shot through my lower body.

"The procedure was a success," a nurse said, walking over. "You can be discharged now."

I looked at the words on the medical chart.

Procedure Complete: Termination of Pregnancy.

The flicker of life inside my womb was gone.

I bit my lip so hard it almost bled, fighting to hold back the tears.

I had wanted to take my child and leave…

Now, it was all over.

When the guard at the door wasn't looking, I slipped out of the hospital and went to the location my father and I had arranged.

A black car was waiting for me.

"Miss Vivian, your father sent me to pick you up," the driver said. "The private jet is ready."

I took one last look at the city, feeling no attachment, no regret.

Felix, I thought. We're finished. For good.

Third-Person POV

That evening, Felix returned to the estate.

He wanted to check on Vivian, to see if she had calmed down, to apologize for the cruel words he'd thrown at her the night before.

But when he went to the attic, he found only an empty, ransacked room.

"Where is Vivian? Where is she?!"

He stormed downstairs, hysterical.

Margaret was lounging calmly on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine.

She pointed to a hospital report on the table.

"12 weeks pregnant. Termination successful."

Felix stared at the report, the color draining from his face.

"What… what did you do?" he stammered, his voice trembling.

"I solved a problem," Margaret said coolly. "Now you can focus on your wedding to Isabella."

Felix's pupils dilated.

He suddenly clutched his head and collapsed to the floor, his body shaking.

"Why would you do that?! She was carrying my child!"