My world collapsed in that moment.

That tiny life inside me was truly gone.

"Ms. Phillips, you just had surgery, you can't move!" A nurse cried out in alarm, catching me as I swayed.

"Who gave you the right to take my child?" My voice was a ragged rasp. "That was my child! How dare you—"

"Your husband signed the papers…" The nurse lowered her eyes uncomfortably.

Anker.

The name was a dagger to my heart. All those gentle touches, the concerned whispers… they were all just a prelude to this betrayal.

A coppery taste of blood flooded my throat. Darkness swallowed my vision again.

"Anker, the nurse meant no harm. Emma's mental capacity… she'll forget this soon enough."

When I regained consciousness, Charlotte's sickly-sweet voice, laced with deliberate concern, reached my ears.

But no one replied to her. Silence hung like a wall, separating her and Anker.

Seeing my eyes open, Char

"It's been a quarter now," he stood, straightening his silk robe, his voice colder than winter. "Will you resent me forever over that undeveloped fetus? Or perhaps,"

He suddenly grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes, "you're prepared to throw away our five-year marriage over a clump of cells?"

So, in his mind, our child was just a disposable clump of cells.

"Get out!" I lashed out at him, kicking and hitting wildly. "I never want to see you again!"

Anker clearly hadn't expected such fierce resistance. He froze for a second, then turned and slammed the door, his Italian bespoke shoes striking the marble with angry clicks.

The bedroom plunged into dead silence. Cold spread from my feet to my whole body. I suddenly missed Joanna desperately—my only friend. If she were here, she'd fight for me.

Charlotte's sugary voice drifted through the door: "Anker, how could she do that to y

"No!" I instinctively shielded my belly, hiding behind Anker. "This is my child!"

Anker stood like a wall between us. "Mother, you've crossed a line."

"How long will you persist in this delusion?" Mrs. Ford beat hysterically on her son's chest. "This imbecile will ruin your life!"

Tears blurred my vision: "Ma'am, it's your own grandchild…"

I remembered Grandpa saying children could heal any rift. But now, why was even pregnancy a crime?

"Look at yourself!" Mrs. Ford's refined face twisted. "Your IQ isn't even normal! What right do you have to bear the Ford heir? Socialites who want to bear our children could line up from Fifth Avenue to Central Park!"

"Enough." Anker's voice cut through hers like an ice blade. He scooped me up and strode directly towards the master bedroom.

I buried my face against his chest, breathing in the familiar cologne, clinging to him like the last raft in a storm.

After I got pregnant, Anker seemed to revert to his former gentle self.

Charlotte's presence gradually faded from our lives; the heart-breaking invitations to galas grew fewer.

Every morning, he would kiss my forehead, his palm resting gently on my still-flat belly.

"Emma." His voice sounded odd this morning. "Let's go to the hospital for a check-up."

I nodded happily. A check-up meant we might see the baby's heartbeat.

But the hospital corridor felt unnervingly quiet today. Even the nurses' smiles seemed strained. When an unfamiliar doctor pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at me with pity, a chill crawled up my spine.

"Anker…" I instinctively grabbed his sleeve. His arm muscles tensed, but he didn't clasp my hand back as usual.

"Don't worry." Anker gently held my hand, his thumb stroking my knuckles. "The baby just needs a small procedure. You wouldn't want the baby to suffer, would you?"

I shook my head hard. For the baby, I'd do anything.

"I'll be very good!" I promised him.

He bent down and kissed my forehead. "Sleep for a little while, and it will be done, darling."

A doctor in blue scrubs raised a syringe. Anker said to me: "This is a special nutrient for the baby."

As the needle pierced my skin, I bit my lip and made no sound.

But the drug-induced drowsiness washed over me like a tide. My vision blurred.

When I woke again, the room smelled of disinfectant. Anker rose immediately from the armchair: "Does it hurt?"

"Is the baby okay?" I asked urgently.

A muscle twitched near his mouth: "It's… taken care of. There's a merger case at the office. I'll come back later to see you."

His answer made me sigh with relief. I happily stroked my belly, imagining our future family of three.

Until Charlotte walked in on stiletto heels. She wore dark red lipstick today, like she'd just drunk blood.

"How pitiful," she sneered, looking down at me, "still touching a child that doesn't exist?"

My fingers froze on the hospital gown. "You're lying! The baby is…"

"Anker personally signed the consent form." She flashed a photo of the document on her phone. "How could he let you give birth to a retarded child? If he can abandon his own flesh and blood, do you think he'll keep a burden like you forever?"

Her expression now was monstrous compared to her usual self, her carefully made-up eyes gleaming with malice.

I tried to run but stumbled at the doorway.

A sharp pain tore through my abdomen. The sudden emptiness there made me shiver with cold.



My world collapsed in that moment.

That tiny life inside me was truly gone.

"Ms. Phillips, you just had surgery, you can't move!" A nurse cried out in alarm, catching me as I swayed.

"Who gave you the right to take my child?" My voice was a ragged rasp. "That was my child! How dare you—"

"Your husband signed the papers…" The nurse lowered her eyes uncomfortably.

Anker.

The name was a dagger to my heart. All those gentle touches, the concerned whispers… they were all just a prelude to this betrayal.

A coppery taste of blood flooded my throat. Darkness swallowed my vision again.

"Anker, the nurse meant no harm. Emma's mental capacity… she'll forget this soon enough."

When I regained consciousness, Charlotte's sickly-sweet voice, laced with deliberate concern, reached my ears.

But no one replied to her. Silence hung like a wall, separating her and Anker.

Seeing my eyes open, Charlotte's carefully crafted face immediately approached with fake concern: "Emma! You're finally awake

Chapter 5