Womb for Wagers

My sister-in-law, Sabine Vire, deliberately swapped my prenatal medication with abortion pills.

As a result, my eight-month-old baby was gone.

As I cried until I nearly collapsed from grief, my husband, Cassian Thorne, held me tightly and murmured, "Don’t worry. You’ll have another child."

Three months later, I became pregnant again—this time with triplets.

Overwhelmed with joy, I was just about to share the wonderful news with Cassian when I overheard a conversation between him and his friends.

"All five of you didn’t use protection, right? I want to see how many brats her belly can carry. The wager is $50 million."

"I bet three."

"I bet one."

Cassian burst into laughter. "If we’re betting, then we’re going big. I bet six. Who told her to slap my precious Sabine? If she can pop out a few brats to make Sabine happy, that’s her blessing."

Sabine, the very woman who had fed me the abortion pills, was Cassian's beloved.

I was freezing from head to toe, my legs so weak I nearly collapsed, yet inside the private room, the atmosphere only grew hotter and wilder.

My sister-in-law, Sabine Vire, sat straddling Cassian Thorne’s lap, her skirt pushed up to the top of her thighs.

"Cass, if your wife finds out about this, she’ll be heartbroken. She still thinks those days on the Obsidian Isle were with you, but the truth is, it was all five of you."

Cassian bit down on her lips. "You’re too kind. Did you forget the slap she gave you? I planned all of this to get revenge for you."

Sabine covered her cheek. "It’s not entirely her fault either. I was careless. I gave her abortion pills instead of prenatal medicine."

Cassian pulled her into his arms and patted her back soothingly. "I know you meant well. You don’t have to explain. Sabine, I promised Pluto I’d take good care of you. I won’t let you suffer even the slightest grievance."

Moved, Sabine threw herself into his embrace. "What if she finds out and divorces you?"

"Heh. She’s an orphan. Where would she even go? She can only rely on me for the rest of her life. She wouldn’t dare leave me, not even if she died."

His friends whistled.

"Cassian, you’re generous. I’ve wanted your wife for a long time. And you actually let us have her."

"Yeah, it was incredible. I still can’t forget the way she cried and begged for mercy."

"If we’re getting revenge, why don’t we just tell Kaelith the truth? I’d love to see her reaction."

"No." There was not the slightest room for negotiation. Cassian’s gaze swept coldly across the other five men. "If any of you let her find out about those nights, don’t blame me for what happens.

"Tomorrow I’m taking Kaelith to the hospital. Once we know how many babies she’s carrying, the bet is over. After that, I’ll figure out a way to get rid of them. As long as Kaelith thinks it’s her own body’s problem, it’ll leave no trace."

Groans filled the room.

"Cassian, you did that on purpose—letting us taste your wife, then not allowing us another bite. You won’t even let our children live."

Cassian squeezed Sabine’s hip. "Don’t push your luck. Letting you enjoy her once was already charity. You should be thanking Sabine. This was her brilliant idea."

By the time I got home, I had crushed the ultrasound report showing triplets to pieces in my hands.

I had thought heaven was finally taking pity on me by giving me three children at once to make up for my loss. I never imagined it was all part of Cassian and Sabine’s vicious scheme.

On the day I lost my baby, Cassian had held me the entire time, soothing me, "Kaelith, you’re still so young. We’ll definitely have another child."

I couldn’t accept it. The baby was already eight months along—only one more month, and I could have held them in my arms.

I had slapped Sabine hard across the face and screamed, "Give me back my baby! Give me back my child!"

Sabine had looked even more aggrieved than I was. "I’m sorry, Kaelith. I didn’t mean to. I misread the label. I was only trying to help."

How could that possibly be misread?

Abortion pills and prenatal medicine… How could anyone confuse something so completely different?

Nevertheless, Cassian had believed her. He even blamed me.

"Sabine just lost her husband. As her sister-in-law, you should be comforting her. Instead, you’re accusing her for no reason."