Chapter 8

Outside the emergency room, William slumped in a chair, eyes fixed on the sealed doors ahead. How did it come to this? He never meant to hurt her. Locking her up was supposed to scare her, make her back off from Michael. He never thought it'd cost them their child. William's hands clenched the armrests, knuckles white, eyes bloodshot. He could finally imagine how Elizabeth felt the first time she lost a baby. It wasn't just pain—it was devastation. Suddenly, the door swung open. Catherine came out, mask still on. “How is she?” William shot to his feet. Catherine's eyes darkened as she put on a sorrowful front. “Heavy bleeding. The baby didn't make it. Plus, she didn't recover properly after her last miscarriage, and getting pregnant again so soon made things worse. It's critical now.” William's face turned ghostly pale. His lips parted, but no words came. Catherine caught the moment and quickly masked a twisted smirk before handing over a folder. “Her uterus is badly infected. She's burning up with fever. If we don't take it out now, she might not make it.” “Remove her uterus?” William's voice cracked. A chill settled deep in his lungs. She wanted that baby so badly, and it was gone. Now, even her chance to be a mom was slipping away? William felt like the ground was shifting under him. He had to grip the armrest to keep upright. He didn't love her—at least, that's what he told himself—but they'd built a life together. After she lost the child that wasn't his, he'd thought… maybe they could try again. He'd pictured it—what their kid might be like. Now... He couldn't even begin to imagine how broken Elizabeth would be when she found out. “If you don't decide now, we might lose her too,” Catherine added, pushing him over the edge. William flinched. Taking a shaky breath to pull himself together, he reached out, signed the form. “Catherine, please... just save her.” His voice was low, tight with pain. “I will. Don't worry.” Catherine nodded, then turned away, grinding her teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn't crack.Catherine's face turned cold as she ordered, “No anesthesia. Keep her awake.” The staff froze, assuming it was William's decision. No one dared to speak up. Elizabeth thought the pain she'd already endured was the worst it could get. She had no idea it was just beginning. “My... baby…” “William… please… not our baby…” She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Eyes wide open, the harsh surgical lights burned her vision as tears poured down. The cold machines, the scalpel carving into her flesh—every sensation hit her in waves. Blood pooled beneath her like petals unfurling, hot and relentless. It was hell. She couldn't die, but she couldn't live through it either. When the surgery was finally over, Elizabeth passed out again, her whole body soaked like she was dragged out of a lake. It wasn't until twenty-four hours later that she came to. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw Catherine still in the room, keeping watch. The moment the blinding pain jolted her fully awake, Elizabeth instinctively reached for her stomach, her hands trembling uncontrollably. “Don't bother,” Catherine sneered, her smile dripping with satisfaction. “It's all gone.” “And you? You're never having children again.” Elizabeth froze, her eyes slowly widening in shock. Catherine's smile only grew colder. She pulled out a document and casually placed it in front of her, her tone feigning pity as she spoke from above: “William was pretty mad you were pregnant with his kid again. So he told me to take care of it—by removing your uterus.” ...What? Elizabeth stared at the paper, her mind going blank. Her... uterus was gone... The man she loved had already taken their baby—and now, he'd forever stolen the chance for her to be a mother. Her whole body turned ice-cold. William's bold signature stared back at her like a dagger, stabbing straight into her heart. William… do you really hate me that much? Elizabeth's body started to tremble, the shivers soon turning into violent quakes. Her face flushed with rage and grief as she fixed her eyes on Catherine and cried out, shaking, “You're a monster! You're both monsters! Murderers!”