###Chapter 7
I have lost my child forever.
Even as I lay in the hospital ward, the warm sunlight streaming in could not melt the ice around my heart.
At that moment, Cedric paced into the room. "The party the day after tomorrow will proceed as scheduled. After all, it represents the reputation of the Larkin Enterprise and many members of high society will be attending. You cannot be absent."
When I offered no response at all, he reached out to brush a strand of hair from my ear and added, "If you behave yourself, I will find a way to let you conceive another child."
I wanted to laugh. Did Cedric really think I was unaware of the schemes they were plotting?
I looked at him, but my eyes no longer held even a trace of lingering affection; instead, they were filled with deathly indifference.
For some reason, his heart tightened slightly. Just as he was about to say something comforting, the doctor called him out.
A moment later, the familiar sound of high heels entered the room. I closed my eyes and ignored Sandra's presence.
"Look at you, half-dead and barely alive. How pitiful," she mocked.
That woman leaned close to my ear, but no matter what tricks she played, I had decided not to respond. Still, her breath slid into my ear like the hiss of a poisonous snake.
"I think you'd be interested in knowing the truth about your parents' deaths back then," she whispered again.
My head began to throb. Hadn't my parents died in an accidental yacht explosion? Could it be?
The terrifying thought had barely surfaced when Sandra's voice continued in my ears. "Sigh, I didn't want those two old bastards dead either. If you want to blame someone, blame them for discovering that I wasn't their biological daughter."
"They even caught me partying with some guys at a bar and they actually told me to get lost, saying they'd bring you back!"
Sandra continued callously, "Those two old fools ... I called them 'Mom' and 'Dad' for over twenty years, yet they were so heartless. So, I had someone tamper with their yacht. I didn't expect it to actually work. What a pity, the only two old folks in this world who loved you are long gone."
Anger surged through my veins and I could no longer control my rage. I leapt from the bed and lunged at her, grabbing her neck tightly. "I'm going to kill you, you bitch! I will avenge my parents, avenge my child!"
At that moment, Cedric returned, holding a small, palm-sized box. Seeing me trying to strangle Sandra, he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the bathroom without a shred of mercy.
He scoffed, "You never change! I originally wanted to give you something to remember the child by, but now, there is no need."
With those words, he opened the box. My body shuddered violently as I saw it. That was a tiny life that had come out of my own body.
"No, don't do this! Cedric, I beg of you!"
I clung desperately to his legs, pleading in a frenzy. However, my husband did not even look at me. Instead, he turned toward the toilet and, with chilling indifference, flushed that small mass of flesh away.
In that instant, I coughed up blood. My parents, my child, I used to have them all, but now, they are all gone.
Seeing the pool of bright red blood on the floor, Cedric hesitated for a brief moment, shock flashing across his face.
"Macie." He stretched out a hand, seemingly about to pull me up from the floor of my despair.
"My neck hurts so much, I can't breathe!" Sandra cut in, clutching her neck before collapsing into Cedric's arms.
The sight of the vivid red marks on her neck instantly snapped him back to his senses. "Don't be afraid. I'll call a doctor to look at you," he comforted her.
Cedric's gaze turned cold again as he looked at me. Without hesitation, he withdrew his hand, protecting Sandra as they walked away.
Watching their retreating figures, I was no longer disappointed; only hatred filled my chest.
I staggered back to the bedside and dialed Frank's number. I told him everything that had happened, my voice dripping with blood and tears. "I want them to experience a hundred times the pain I have suffered! I want them to pay a price in blood!"
The man replied with absolute certainty, "I swear, I will make them pay back this debt of blood in full."
