###2
"I won't let you go!"
I tried to lunge at Cassie, but the pain from my wound turned everything black.
Her phone rang. She smirked and put it on the speaker. Nate’s voice came through.
"Where did you go? You just had a stem cell transfusion. Why aren’t you resting?"
"You weren’t with me in the ward. I got bored, so I took a little walk," she replied coyly.
I clenched my fists, trembling.
Then I heard his voice—gentle and indulgent.
"Hurry back. I brought in the top medical team in the U.S. to speed up your recovery."
"You treat me so well," she purred.
Nate chuckled. "If I don’t treat you well, who else would I?"
Yes, you treat her so well that you sacrificed your own daughter just to cure her anemia.
Cassie shot me a smug glance and gave me a hard kick before strutting away.
Shaking, I stood and handed my daughter’s tiny body to the morgue attendant.
Then I returned to the ward and dialed the number I knew I could trust.
My voice trembled with pain and rage.
"Lucas Roman… help me. I want to leave Nate."
Lucas, my lawyer and friend, raised her voice instantly.
"What happened, Ruth? Did you two fight again?"
I told her everything—every devastating word, every betrayal.
My voice was soaked in grief, like I was bleeding through every syllable.
When I finished, Lucas exploded.
"That monster! He killed his own child for his mistress. How is he even human?"
"Don’t worry. Even without a marriage certificate, you’re entitled to everything. You’ve supported him for years. I won’t let you walk away empty-handed."
After the call, the doctor came back, re-dressed my wound, and gave me a sedative.
Sometime later, I heard the footsteps I used to love so much.
I closed my eyes instinctively, feigning sleep.
Nate entered, his pace hurried.
He leaned over me, gently stroking my pale face with trembling fingers.
"Ruth… I’m sorry. We’ll have another baby, I promise."
No, Nate—we will never have anything again.
This towering man, always proud and cold, now wept openly beside me.
His tears made my stomach churn.
Then I heard another set of heels clicking on the floor.
Cassie’s voice cut through the room like a knife.
She stared at my twitching eyelids and gave me a chilling smile.
"Aren’t you afraid she’ll find out you planned the kidnapping? Just so you could harvest her baby at the perfect time."
What did she just say?
"You shouldn’t talk—" Nate began, panicked.
But it was too late.
My fingers curled into the sheets. My eyelids no longer trembled—they flew open.
