Mrs. Ward smiled ingratiatingly at the phone.

"Don't worry, Miss Vale. We already gave her the delaying medicine. We will follow Mr. Whitmore's instructions exactly."

"Good," Natalie said, full of satisfaction. "If she still hurts later, I know a method that can stop the pain and keep her going until Graham returns."

"What method?" Mrs. Ward asked quickly.

I held my breath and stared at the phone, terrified of what she would say.

Natalie's voice turned cruel.

"Hang her upside down first. Feet up, head down. After five minutes, the baby will slowly move back in. Then find a rope and tie it tightly below her stomach. That should buy more time.

"If that still does not work…"

She deliberately raised her voice.

"Then sew her shut. In short, use whatever method you need to make her wait until Graham gets back."

I shook my head desperately, but only muffled cries came out.

Mrs. Ward froze. Her face went white.

"Miss Vale, that doesn't seem right. Something could happen…"

"How could it?" Natalie sounded contemptuous. "Where I come from, people do this when they want a child born at an auspicious time. Babies are resilient."

She paused for two seconds, then continued.

"Graham is right beside me. This is his meaning. He asked me to call and tell you. He said it was time to correct Stella's jealous temper.

"He also said you must protect my child at all costs. If any of you get soft and something happens to me, Graham will not forgive you."

Ignoring the blood and the renewed pain, I broke free from one maid and screamed.

"No! Graham would never do this to me or our child! She is lying! She is evil! Mrs. Ward, don't listen to her!"

But the next second, two maids shoved me back down onto the bed. Tears streamed down my face as I looked at Mrs. Ward and begged.

"Mrs. Ward, you are a mother too. Can you really do this to my child?"

Mrs. Ward trembled violently. Cold sweat ran down her temples. Even the hand holding the phone shook.

Natalie pressed harder.

"Graham said he will divorce her soon. Think carefully about which side matters more."

The call ended.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then Mrs. Ward spoke.

"Let Madam go."

My heart leapt. I thought mercy had finally won. I weakly reached toward her.

"Mrs. Ward, please. Hospital. If we wait any longer, it will be too late."

But she turned away from my gaze and ordered the maids.

"Bring some rope."

"Mrs. Ward, what are you doing? You can't!"

She acted as if she had not heard me. Two maids pinned me to the bed again.

The rope cut into my wrists and ankles, leaving bloody marks. Every movement felt as if my skin were being torn open.

"Madam, this is for your own good. Endure it."

Then Mrs. Ward ordered, "Bring in the metal frame."

"For my own good?" I cried until I could barely breathe. "Then stop believing Natalie's lies. Graham may be cruel, but he would never do this to me. He swore he would never hurt me."

No one answered.

The frame was carried into the bedroom.

They dragged me toward it by the arms.

The floor left a long trail of blood behind me.

The baby seemed to sense danger and began kicking wildly inside me. Another contraction crashed through me, so painful I could barely breathe.

Then they hung me upside down from the metal frame.

My head roared. The baby slammed against my abdomen. Black spots burst across my vision.

Tears ran upward into my hair.

"Graham, come back and look at me. Are you really this cruel?"

"Graham, I can't hold on. The baby really will…"

In my fading consciousness, I thought I saw Graham walking toward me with the same gentle smile he once had. He kissed my forehead and promised softly.

"Stella, I will protect you and our son. Don't cry.

"For you, I can give up anything, even my life."

I reached for him, trembling.

But I could not catch him.

The pain from the rope digging into my lower abdomen yanked me back to consciousness.

A moment later, the maids roughly pulled me off the frame. My back slammed into the floor so hard it felt as if my bones had shattered.

The rope around my stomach sank deeper into my flesh and made the contractions worse. The more I curled up, the tighter it bit, as if it would crush my organs.

Then a tearing pressure came from below. My hand shook as I reached toward Mrs. Ward.

"Please. I really am giving birth…"

A young maid named Mia had just entered the room. She covered her mouth and screamed.

"Mrs. Ward, the baby—the baby's head is out! Send her to the hospital!"

Mrs. Ward's face turned deathly pale, but she only spun in circles, panicked and useless.

I stared at her, weak from pain.

"I'm begging you. Any later and the baby will die."

Mrs. Ward suddenly lifted her hand, her eyes cold.

"Bring a needle and thread. We'll sew her closed first."

"No!" Mia rushed to the bed and spread her arms in front of me. "Madam and the baby will die. If you want to sew anyone, step over me first."

"Do you dare disobey Mr. Whitmore's orders?" Mrs. Ward shouted.

"There's blood everywhere!" Mia was crying. "Mrs. Ward, how can you be so heartless?"

"If we anger Mr. Whitmore and Miss Vale, we may not even keep our lives.

"Tie her up. Don't let her interfere."

Two maids rushed forward and dragged Mia toward the metal frame. Tape sealed her mouth. Her eyes went red as she struggled desperately. The frame was knocked over and crashed hard into her back.

She curled on the floor, convulsing violently, and then stopped moving.

Through the agony below, I screamed with red eyes.

"Let her go! You monsters! I hope every one of you dies badly!"

The next second, tape sealed my mouth too.

Mrs. Ward took the needle and thread, lifted my skirt, and drove the long needle into the flesh below.

The pain spread through my whole body like a knife carving into me alive.

I shook my head desperately. Tears and cold sweat poured down my face.

The maids held my hands and feet down so tightly I could not move at all.

"Madam, this is cosmetic thread. It won't leave a scar," Mrs. Ward said expressionlessly, still forcing the needle through me.

"No anesthesia is for your own good. Childbirth hurts worse than this. Endure it. When Mr. Whitmore returns, we'll send you to the hospital."

I looked at those inhuman faces and finally closed my eyes.

I stopped fighting.

Then the door was kicked open.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

Claire Whitmore's stern voice rang from the doorway.

The air froze. The maids released me in panic and lowered their heads.

Mrs. Ward stood stiffly in place, her face ashen, both hands smeared with blood.

Graham's parents had died when he was young. He and his older sister, Claire, had depended on each other. Half of everything Graham had today was because of her.

In the Whitmore family, her words carried more weight than Graham's.

Claire's gaze swept across the purple bruises on my abdomen, the blood-soaked bed, and the unfinished stitching below. She saw the child's hair faintly visible through the blood and staggered, grabbing the doorframe.

"Who gave you the nerve?" Her voice trembled. "How can your hearts be so poisonous?"

"It… it was Mr. Whitmore. He said we had to wait until he returned…"

Before Mrs. Ward finished speaking, Claire slapped her twice. Blood appeared at the corner of Mrs. Ward's mouth.

"That woman again!" Claire shook with rage. "I have no brother this cold-blooded. The Whitmore family has no beast who harms his wife and child."

"She is Mrs. Whitmore. How dare you treat her like this? If anything happens to mother or child, I will make you repay it a hundred times over. I'll make sure you rot in prison.

"Call an ambulance. Now!"

The maids rushed to untie the rope from my body.

The moment the rope loosened, my abdomen suddenly relaxed.

Then even more blood ran down my legs. The tearing pain below was unbearable.

Claire rushed to my side and knelt by the bed, her voice shaking.

"Stella, I came too late. You suffered so much. Hold on. Please hold on."

I looked at her reddened eyes and wanted to lift my hand to wipe her tears.

But everything went black.

In a blur, I felt myself being gathered into a warm embrace that carried a faint, clean fragrance.

Claire's tearful voice pressed close to my ear.

"Stella, look at me. Don't sleep. I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

I wanted to answer her, but no sound came from my throat.

All I heard was a maid scream beside me.

"Blood! So much blood! The baby… I think I saw the baby's head move!"

Claire snapped her head up. With one bloodstained hand, she pointed at Mrs. Ward and roared.

"What are you waiting for? Call the ambulance! Now!"

In the VIP hospital room, Natalie Vale lay pale against the pillows.

Graham Whitmore cooled each spoonful of soup and fed it to her gently. His adoring gaze was almost overflowing. From time to time, he leaned close to her belly and listened for movement.

"Graham," Natalie said weakly, looking at him with wet eyes. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have done. I might have…"

"Don't say that." Graham quickly covered her lips with his hand.

"I will never let anything happen to you or the baby. You've already suffered enough."

"You're still as good to me as you were before." Natalie tightened her grip on his hand. Tears fell onto his skin.

"When the baby is born, you'll be his father. I only have you now."

She pressed her lips together, then suddenly turned red-eyed.

"But will Stella blame me? I really didn't mean any of this. If she blames me, I don't think I can keep living."

"Silly girl." Graham stroked her hair gently. "Focus on your pregnancy. You don't need to care about anything else."

A trace of satisfaction flashed through Natalie's eyes. Then she spoke timidly again.