Chapter 5

Watching her slowly fall to her knees, a flicker of malice flashed across Lilith's face. Without warning, she lifted her foot and viciously kicked Elena in the stomach. Elena didn't even have time to react. The blow hit her hard in the gut, and her already weak body lost balance as she collapsed backwards. Seeing Elena hit the floor, Lilith didn't stop. She rushed forward and kicked her in the stomach again. Once, twice—she didn't hold back at all. Elena was totally stunned. She could only instinctively raise her hands, trying to shield herself from the brutal attack. Lilith clearly meant to get rid of the baby. She kicked with everything she had—but she hadn't counted on how fiercely Elena would fight to protect her child. With all the strength she could muster, Elena caught Lilith's foot and shoved it away. Lilith stumbled back, completely off balance, and hit the floor with a loud scream—just as the door burst open. Emmanuel stood in the doorway. His eyes widened the moment he saw both women on the floor, but without hesitation, he rushed to Lilith's side. "Lilith! Lilith, what happened?! Are you okay?" "It hurts… it hurts so bad…" Lilith moaned before her eyes rolled back and she passed out. Emmanuel swept Lilith into his arms, face twisted in rage. He turned toward Elena and shot her a glare that could kill. "How could you be so cruel? Elena, how could you do this?! If anything happens to Lilith, I swear I'll make you pay!" Elena lay sprawled on the cold floor, sharp pain burning in her stomach. A warm, sticky wetness seeped from between her legs. She watched in disbelief as Emmanuel left with Lilith in his arms. Her heart shattered. Hot tears rolled silently down her cheeks. She felt it. She already knew. The baby was gone. As her breathing grew faint and everything turned to black, Elena slipped into unconsciousness. The next time she woke up, harsh white light stung her eyes. She was in an operating room, surrounded by the cold, sterile clinks of medical tools. Bit by bit, her mind cleared—and the reality of the hospital snapped into place. In that moment of crisis, the man she had loved for years, the one she'd once thought she couldn't live without, hadn't even looked at her. He hadn't spared her a glance, hadn't tried to help. He'd only cared about another woman. Not about her, not about their child… The child. Her baby. With trembling hands, Elena tried to touch her belly. A hand suddenly gripped hers. "Don't move!" "My baby…" "Miss Wakefield," a nurse said gently, "the baby's gone. We're performing a uterine clearance now. Please try to stay still—it'll be over soon." "Ah!" Elena's scream ripped through the room like shattered glass. Her baby was gone. She'd never be a mother again. Ever. She stayed in the hospital for two weeks. Not a single person came to see her. Her parents had cut ties with her the night she climbed into Emmanuel's bed. For love, she'd risked everything. And in the end, she'd lost it all. Her parents. Her child. And the man she once threw everything away for. Emmanuel never showed up once. But Lilith did. She stood in Elena's hospital room, looking down at her from above like a queen staring at a peasant. "Elena, this is what you deserve," she sneered. "You broke me and Emmanuel up back then. Now I've killed your baby—that's karma catching up with you." Elena stared at Lilith's smug, vicious face—the same face that had taken her child from her. Somehow still alive and well. Somehow still standing there, gloating. Suddenly, Elena laughed. It was the kind of laugh that comes when there's nothing left to lose. "You're right, Lilith. Maybe this is payback. But what about you? If you're really so innocent... then why are you the one who got sick?"