I froze. My breath faded little by little, my chest feeling as if something were pressing down on it with brutal force, hurting so much that I could not draw air in.
Tears slid down silently.
“If you had come to the hospital earlier, if you hadn’t stayed in the rain for so long, there might have been a chance…” The doctor paused. “In the future, your chances of becoming pregnant will be lower than average.”
I heard my heart break.
Not metaphorically, but for real. Cracking open from deep inside my body, turning into ash.
I tried to speak, but my throat felt blocked. Only a dry sentence came out.
“So… I couldn’t even… protect this one?”
The doctor did not answer. He only gently set the medical file down.
The nurse tucked the blanket around me, but she could not stop the uncontrollable trembling that shook my entire body.
Cassian stood by the bed, expressionless.
“There will be children in the future.”
“You know my uterus was injured. It will be very hard to recover in this lifetime. This might have been… the only child I would ever have.”
My throat tightened until I was almost unable to make a sound. There was no hope left at all.
“Your health matters. Thalia’s child is gone too.”
I laughed bitterly. “So in your heart, the child Thalia carried was your child, and mine was never worth anything to you.”
I propped up my shaking body. My voice turned hysterical. My hands clenched the bedsheets tightly, anger making my head spin and ache.
At some point, tears had covered my face. But my pain would never stir even a trace of guilt in Cassian.
He stood up and placed the bowl of porridge back on the bedside table with a heavy thud.
“I know losing a child is painful for you, but wasn’t it just as painful for Thalia to lose hers? Now you have experienced it yourself. You should reflect on how cruel you were when you pushed Thalia down the stairs. This outcome can be considered your retribution.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
The man I had loved for seven years now looked like a cold blooded animal.
Before I could say anything else, Thalia forced her weak body into the room. The moment she appeared, Cassian’s entire attention shifted to her. His eyes were full of concern as he supported her and brought her to my bedside.
“Melody, I know losing a child is devastating. I understand how you feel. It was my fault. If I hadn’t called Cassian back, he wouldn’t have left you behind. This is all my fault.”
“What are you here for? To laugh at me?”
“Melody, you are simply unreasonable. Thalia came to see you out of kindness, and yet you speak so viciously. If you hadn’t harmed the child in her womb, you wouldn’t be suffering this retribution. I hope you understand this in your heart, reflect on your mistakes properly, and stop blaming others all the time.”
Cassian was furious. He directly supported Thalia and left the room.
Not long after they left, a nurse came in to change my IV.
What I did not expect was that Thalia came in as well. After the nurse left, she curled her lips into a smug smile and lightly flicked the IV bottle in front of me.
“I really didn’t expect Cassian to develop even a trace of feelings for a substitute like you. Even though your agreement is about to expire, he still fantasizes about supporting you for life. You are truly an eyesore.”
“So you finally dropped the act. You deliberately sent Cassian away and came in just to say this? Clearly, words like these have no effect on me anymore.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Thalia laughed even louder.
“Do you know why you could never keep your children? It’s because Cassian promised me he would never let you give birth to his child. Just one sentence from me, and he could kill every one of your children. You really are unbelievably stupid.”
I sat up, raised my arm, and tried to slap her.
“What are you doing!”
