Chapter 2

“No, stop!” Elizabeth cried out in pain as William's grip grew harsher. She instinctively shrank back, trying to push him away, but it was no use. Her voice trembled as she begged through tears, eyes locked on his cold, unreadable face. “William, please, believe me. I finally got pregnant with our baby. Do you know how long I hoped for this? Please, don't do this… It's our child…” Blood slowly soaked through the fabric between her legs. William's eyes turned bloodshot, jaw clenched tight with a chilling indifference. “It's too late.” He turned and walked out of the hospital room. His face was pale, worn out, every step heavy with exhaustion. Underneath the sharp lines of his tailored suit, his right hand shook uncontrollably. “How did it go, William?” Catherine Sawyer approached quickly, her face painted with concern. She'd been adopted by Elizabeth's parents when they were young, and for years, had been like a real sister to her. The Turners and the Elizabeth's family were close, and back then, Catherine and William had been deeply in love—engaged, nearly married even. But an accident two years ago had changed everything. William married Elizabeth in a blur, and Catherine left the country. Now she was back, not just as a returning old flame, but as the head OB-GYN at the city's top hospital. William trusted her—with everything, including Elizabeth's medical care. Looking at Catherine's familiar face, some of the hardness in William's expression faded. He tried to speak—twice—before finally murmuring, “You said after the crash the baby couldn't be saved. So... maybe it's better I ended it myself. Let her feel it—maybe this'll stop her from...” He stopped there. His throat tightened around the word he couldn't say—cheating. Catherine's smile froze, her expression stiffening just for a split second. Her fists clenched tightly under her coat, nails cutting into her palms. So even now, after this, he was still thinking of staying with that woman? She quickly masked her irritation with a sigh. “Elizabeth really went too far… I don't know how she could hurt you like this. How is she now?”That sentence snapped William out of his daze. He suddenly grabbed Catherine's hand. "Catherine, go check on her. Help her. Just… take care of it." Catherine gave him a comforting smile, but the moment she stepped into the hospital room and shut the door, that gentle facade vanished. The sharp scent of blood in the air made her emotions twist—equal parts anger and twisted excitement. She walked over, towering above Elizabeth with a cold gaze. Elizabeth was curled up under the blanket, the blood almost soaking through the whole bedsheet. She clenched her jaw so hard she wouldn't even let out a sound. But when she saw Catherine, something flickered in her dull eyes—hope. “Catherine, you're really here? Please... help me… save my baby…” Catherine lifted the blanket for a glance. Given how unstable early pregnancies were, crashing into a table like that meant it was already over. The heavy bleeding now only confirmed it. With an indifferent tone, she said, “This baby? William doesn't want it. You can't keep it.” Elizabeth's face crumpled in pain as she remembered how William acted earlier. Desperation surged in her voice. “He thinks it's not his… That's all. You have to tell him! He'll try to save the baby if he knows!” Catherine looked at her with mock sympathy, but her eyes gleamed with something darker. “He made me change the records—said the baby was three months along instead of two. He just didn't want people calling him a child-killer. You really think he cares if you cheated or not?” Elizabeth felt like a bucket of ice water just got dumped over her. She stared at Catherine's moving lips, but everything sounded muffled, like her ears stopped working. Earlier, when William yelled at her, sure she was heartbroken—but there was still this tiny, naive hope buried deep down. Maybe he still cared, she had told herself. Maybe he was just hurt by the misunderstanding. She had thought it could all be fixed. Explained. But she never imagined that it was all a carefully played lie—and she and her baby were nothing more than pawns in someone's twisted game. A metallic tang hit the back of her throat. Even breathing was starting to feel hard. Noise was blurring in her head, echoing and crashing like static. But Catherine's voice cut right through the haze—sharp, cold, and dripping venom like a snake ready to strike. “William never wanted you to carry his child. He loves me. You? You've never even mattered.”