“Let go of me!” Clara’s whole body went rigid as she struggled violently to stand up.
But how could her strength compare to these men? A man in a black suit yanked her straight into his arms, his rough palm pressing down on her shoulder, pinning her in place.
“Pretty thing, what are you pretending to be shy for?” He leaned in close to her ear, his breath reeking heavily of alcohol. “Liam’s gone. Isn’t this his way of sending you up to us?”
“Exactly. Be smart, behave yourself, and we’ll treat you real nice.” Another man rubbed his hands together, his gaze roaming greedily over her body. “Otherwise, don’t blame us for getting rough.”
Clara felt all hope die. She stared at the door blocked by their bodies, felt the foreign hands on her, and cried out desperately toward the entrance. “Don’t come any closer!”
But her resistance only drew laughter from them. Her hands shaking, she pulled out her phone; her fingers were so cold she could barely hold it steady as she dialed Liam’s number.
The call rang over and over, but no one picked up.
She called again and again. Just as terror was about to swallow her whole, the line finally connected.
“What now!” Liam’s voice was thick with impatience, and in the background she could faintly hear Vanessa’s weak sobs.
“Come back! Liam, you have to come back!” Clara screamed, her voice breaking, full of desperate pleading and tears.
“I told you I’d be back in a bit!” Liam’s tone grew even more irritable. “I’m busy right now. I don’t have time for you!”
“Handle it yourself. You’re useless!”
With a sharp “click,” the call ended.
Clara stood frozen, still holding the phone. The room echoed with crude laughter; hands groped her more boldly, and the only person she could call for help had just called her worthless and abandoned her.
Her heart died completely.
The men, emboldened by Liam’s reaction, grew even more unrestrained. One man reached out and squeezed her chest, while another yanked open the collar of her dress, exposing a swath of pale skin.
“Ah!” Clara let out a piercing scream, fear and humiliation flooding her like a tidal wave.
She looked around wildly, her gaze landing on the window on the other side of the private room. Outside was a pitch-black night sky, and below, a steady stream of cars on the road.
Noah, Mommy’s coming to be with you.
Tears streamed down her face; that single thought filled her mind. Better to die than be defiled here—better to go below and see her precious boy.
With death in her heart, Clara suddenly shoved the man in front of her away and, using every bit of strength she had, bolted toward the window and jumped without hesitation.
When she woke again, dizziness crashed over her like a wave, her temples throbbing, followed by a violent nausea roiling in her stomach. Clara instinctively curled up, every movement sending bone-deep pain tearing through her, as if she’d been shattered and clumsily pieced back together.
She slowly forced open her heavy eyelids. In the blurred view, a doctor in a white coat stood beside her bed, a look of reproach and pity in his eyes. “Clara, you’re lucky to be alive. You landed on a car, which helped absorb the impact. A passerby called an ambulance in time. If they’d been even a little later, we wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
Clara parted her cracked lips; her throat felt scraped raw, her voice hoarse and barely audible. “Doctor… thank you.”
The doctor shook his head, his tone complicated. “You’re so young. What could be so bad that you’d rather die? Anyway, we’ll contact your family to handle the admission procedures.”
On the bedside table lay her phone, which had fallen from the building with her. It was shattered almost beyond recognition—the screen splintered like a spiderweb, the body dented and warped—lying there quietly like discarded trash. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Clara slowly shifted, reaching out. Her fingertips brushed the cold surface and she realized it could still turn on—the cracked screen flickered to life, but there were no missed calls, no messages, nothing. Clean, as if no one had ever thought of her.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. Using the wall for support, she slowly got to her feet, every step like walking on blades, staggering as she made her way toward the payment desk.
Just as she reached the doorway, the scene in the hallway made her freeze.
Liam was holding Vanessa, their posture intimate enough to sting her eyes. He lowered his head to look at Vanessa’s still-flat belly, his gaze so tender it seemed it might drip, his fingers gently brushing over it as he murmured something soft and careful. That tenderness had once belonged only to Clara; now it was wholly given to another woman.
Clara drew a deep breath. The dull ache in her chest and the ache in her heart tangled together, almost cutting off her air.
Liam soon noticed her too. The tenderness vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by deep disgust and irritation, his brows knitting into a hard line. “What are you doing here? Trying to pull some stunt again?”
“The people at that dinner haven’t left, have they? Do you realize how important they are for Vanessa’s conference? Get back there and entertain them!” His gaze skimmed over her pale, haggard face without a trace of concern—only cold urgency. “Vanessa’s sick from morning sickness. I don’t have time to deal with you.”
Clara opened her mouth, wanting to tell him she had just crawled back from the brink of death, wanting to tell him how much her body hurt. But before she could speak, a nurse’s voice called from behind her. “Who’s here for Vanessa? Please come sign for the prenatal vitamins.”
Liam immediately let go of Vanessa and hurried toward the nurse, his steps quick, as if a moment’s delay might cause Vanessa to suffer.
Once he was gone, Vanessa cupped her belly and slowly walked up to Clara, looking down at her from above, her eyes full of pride and provocation. “Clara, how have you been lately?”
Disgust surged in Clara’s eyes. She spat out each word, cold and clear. “Get lost.”
“Get lost?” Vanessa gave a soft laugh, then suddenly stepped forward to block her path, her hands clamping onto Clara’s collar so hard the fabric nearly tore. “If you’d obediently handed over the money back then, if you’d obediently given up your place as Liam’s wife, I wouldn’t have needed to work this hard to steal your man.”
“I used to be too kind to you—thought letting you live was no big deal.” She leaned in close to Clara’s ear, her voice venomous like a snake. “But I’ve changed my mind. I want everything you have—your man, your reputation, your research, and every bit of happiness you ever owned.”
Before the words had fully faded, Vanessa suddenly exerted all her strength and slammed Clara hard against the wall behind her.
With a heavy *thud*, Clara’s back collided with the solid surface. Her already battered body couldn’t withstand it; pain shot through her like an electric shock, leaving her almost unable to breathe.
Just then, Liam came around the corner holding the vitamins. Panic flashed in Vanessa’s eyes. Seeing there was no time to pull back, she made a split-second decision—shoving Clara with all her might to the ground as she herself fell backward, pretending she’d been pushed.
Clara crashed onto the cold floor, bones screaming in agony. The second impact sent pain ripping through her so fiercely she curled up on instinct, unable even to groan.
“Vanessa!” Liam’s pupils constricted at the sight. He dropped the bottle in his hand and rushed over like a madman, carefully lifting Vanessa up, his voice thick with panic. “Are you hurt? Did you hit anything? Did it touch your belly?”
Tears sprang instantly to Vanessa’s eyes, falling like broken beads. She clung tightly to Liam’s arm, her voice choked and pitiful, dripping with grievance. “Liam… Clara just came at me and pushed me—she said… she said my baby doesn’t deserve to live, that I stole what belonged to her, and that this child should be gotten rid of…”
“That’s your child too—how could she be so cruel!”
Clara lay on the ground, the pain making her vision darken, but she refused to show weakness in front of these two. She gritted her teeth, forced her trembling hands against the cold floor, and slowly pulled herself up along the wall. Her face was ashen, but her lips were bitten blood-red.
Following Vanessa’s gaze, Liam turned his eyes on Clara. His expression twisted into something vicious and terrifying, like a poisoned blade of ice aimed straight at her. “Get on your knees and apologize to Vanessa.”
