Chapter 6

"Really?" Leo's expression was unmistakably joyful. Even more so than when he'd learned Angelina was pregnant. "Really." Samantha's pale face flushed with a weak blush. She nodded emphatically. "The doctor just... confirmed it." Samantha bit her lip, affirming. Leo could no longer contain himself. He almost growled, passionately cupping Samantha's face and kissing her deeply, heedless of her IV arm. Angelina watched, her nails digging into her palms, oblivious to the pain or the blood welling. Her heart laughed coldly in self-mockery. “Seems this child of mine came at the wrong time.” Just then, nestled in Leo's arms, Samantha's shoulders began to tremble slightly. Her sobs instantly gripped Leo's heart. He released her, cupping her face anxiously. "Sammy? What's wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?" Samantha lifted her tear-streaked face, looking at him with broken despair: "N-no, I'm not hurting... only..." She choked back a sob. "I'm so happy to be carrying our child, but Leo... I might not have the luck to see him born, to watch him grow up..." Because Angelina was pregnant, Leo had halted the kidney transplant. Now, Samantha had no donor; her life hung by a thread. Her words plunged the room into dead silence. Leo's smile vanished instantly. Samantha seemed to sense the suffocating pressure. She gently pushed Leo's chest, lifting a tear-stained face that forced a brave smile: "Leo, I... I'd like to speak with Angelina alone, okay? Some things... are better said between women..." Leo frowned, clearly reluctant. But under Samantha's fragile gaze, he finally relented. Once Leo left the room, Samantha's true colors emerged. She straightened up. Though still pale, her eyes were sharp as poisoned daggers. "Miss Crawford, how convenient that you got pregnant just in time? "But guess what? Who do you think he'll choose? Your child? Or mine?" Samantha's eyes held undisguised malice, dancing triumphantly over her head. These words finally ignited Angelina's fury. She had endured enough. She snapped. Angelina threw the water glass beside her bed with all her might towards Samantha's hateful face. "Get out! "Get out of here!" Samantha dodged it easily, a mocking smile still on her face. "Miss Angelina Crawford, you are pathetic. Soon, everything you have will be mine." She paused, relishing Angelina's furious expression, and added calmly, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Those design drafts you poured your heart into, the ones you gave Leo like treasures... “he gave them to me long ago. And he's preparing to publish them under my name. "You've lost completely!" The commotion alerted Leo outside. He burst in. Simultaneously, Samantha "collapsed" onto the floor. Leo looked frantic, anger momentarily forgotten as he scooped Samantha carefully into his arms. Then, his fury turned on Angelina. "Have you lost your mind?!" "If anything happens to Sammy, Angelina, you won't live to regret it!" Angelina, on the brink of breakdown, screamed at him: "Leo, you're blind to trust her!" "I've been by your side for ten years, yet you only believe her!" Leo held Samantha, hearing Angelina's accusation. Instead of remorse, he sneered as if hearing a ridiculous joke: "You know Sammy is willing to give her life for me!" "And you? Do you truly love me?" "These past trials prove it." "You never loved me as much as you claimed!"