Chesley laughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke, her laughter wild and uncontrollable.
"Retribution?" she scoffed. "In any relationship, it's the one who isn’t loved who’s the third party."
She smirked. "Even the ring and necklace you're wearing? Those are things I rejected. What right do you have to say anything to me?"
"I'm liberating you and the bastard in your belly. What retribution could I possibly face?"
As I watched her manic expression, it became clear—she had completely lost her mind.
"Aren’t you afraid I might just kill the baby inside me?"
Chesley chuckled dismissively, her eyes filled with disdain. "You’re already a caged bird in the Sims family. Do you really think you’ll ever have a chance to get rid of this baby?"
I fell silent, feeling not only sorrow for my situation but also a deep sense of despair.
"Though, what you did last time—having an abortion without consent—really gave me a headache."
When I woke up again, the harsh glare of the surgical lights made my eyes water uncontrollably.
I tried to move, but every part of my body felt like it had been shattered, the pain unbearable.
"Dr. Sims, everything is ready. We can begin the cesarean now."
Seeing Adam approach with a serious look on his face, the fear in my heart was magnified instantly.
"Adam, let me go!"
He didn’t respond. Instead, he ordered his assistant to stuff a cloth in my mouth.
"Don’t administer any anesthesia to Mia," Adam ordered coldly. "Make sure to gag her tightly. I don’t want her making any noise that could disrupt the surgery."
The anesthesiologist hesitated, cautiously asking, "A cesarean? That might not be a good idea... The last time something like this happened, it was..."
Before he could finish, Adam snapped, "Shut up! Do you need me to teach you how to do your job?"
I struggled to break free, but when my eyes met Adam's, filled with unbridled hatred, it was as if all my strength had drained away. I stopped fighting.
Adam leaned close to my ear, his voice a devilish whisper, "What does it matter if it’s a cesarean to take the child?"
"Even if you’re tortured to death, it won’t hurt me as much as a single strand of hair being pulled from Chesley."
The sharp surgical knife immediately sliced into my abdomen, creating a gaping, bloody wound. The agony of feeling my skin tear open, as the premature baby was forcibly yanked from my womb, overwhelmed me. Helpless, I could only whimper and cry.
"Dr. Sims, the baby’s premature and has no heartbeat," a voice said.
Adam paused for a moment, but his tone was completely indifferent.
"As long as the cord blood is usable, that's all that matters."
"I’ll go perform surgery on Chesley," he continued. "You handle the rest."
Outside the window, fireworks soared into the sky. The new year had arrived.
Amidst the cheers and blessings of those around, my child, who hadn’t even had the chance to open their eyes and see the world, quietly slipped away.
The nurses stitched up my abdomen, but I felt nothing—just a numb emptiness. My tears had long since dried.
Then, suddenly, the operating room door was forcefully pushed open.
"If I hadn’t learned of this immediately, you might have really gotten away with it," a voice rang out.
"Since that’s the case, I’ll have to take the first move."
Before I could react, Chesley grabbed my hand and, with force, threw me to the ground.
My scream immediately caught Adam's attention.
As he rushed into the room, the sight before him was one of blood spilling across the floor. My water had broken.
"Adam, I just tried to comfort Mia, but she grabbed me and we both fell to the ground," Chesley cried out, her voice full of pain.
"My stomach hurts so much... am I going to die?"
Seeing this, Adam quickly scooped Chesley into his arms.
Tears were brimming in my eyes.
"Chesley, don't be afraid. I'm here, nothing will happen to you."
As Adam turned to leave, I gathered every ounce of strength I had and clung to his leg, my voice trembling with desperation.
"Adam, my stomach hurts so much."
Instead of responding with concern, he scoffed and then kicked me hard in the stomach.
The intense pain nearly made me pass out.
"It's just a worthless little bastard! If it weren't for Chesley's kidney failure needing umbilical cord blood treatment, I would never have let you carry my child."
"You better pray that this baby is safely delivered, or I'll make you pay with your life!"
Watching Adam walk away without looking back, Chesley took the opportunity to stick his tongue out at me.
I felt as though my whole body had turned into a feather, floating weightlessly into an icy abyss.
So cold.
