The nurse's scream pierced my eardrums. Warmth spread between my legs, the scent of disinfectant and blood rushing into my nose.
"Helen!" Ryan shouted.
The examination that followed showed minor bleeding. The fetus was unharmed, but I needed to rest.
Kate sneered from the side. "It was just a slap. Stop pretending to be so delicate."
After I was discharged, Ryan carried me to the car. When the door opened, the strong scent of Kate's perfume filled the air.
A diamond necklace sparkled from an open jewelry box on the passenger seat.
"Sit in the front," Ryan said as he opened the door.
Kate slipped in before I could react, adjusting a down-feather cushion behind her back. "Ryan had this made for my pregnancy back pain. Helen, you don't mind, do you?"
"Kate," Ryan warned in a low voice.
She cradled her belly and frowned. "Don't be harsh with me. You're scaring the baby."
Ryan bent down and gently stroked her belly, saying the fetus could sense emotions.
Seeing this, I closed the door silently and got into the back seat as if I were a piece of luggage.
When we returned to Hurst Villa, Ryan brought me back to the master bedroom. The butler, Jason Garth, came in urgently. "Mr. Hurst, the Davises and the Kleimanns are in the living room."
Ryan frowned. "Rest. I'll take care of it," he assured me.
When shouting erupted downstairs, I stepped outside to listen.
Kate's father, Francis Davis, spoke with a sharp voice. "Ryan Hurst, you owe Kate and the child an explanation! The reputation of the Davis family must not be tarnished!"
My adoptive mother, Maria Treer, looked at me coldly. "Helen, you've disgraced the Kleimann family. Not only are you pregnant with an illegitimate child, but now everyone knows it."
"I'll take responsibility," Ryan said wearily.
"And how will you do that?" Kate's mother, Bella Presley, said with disdain. "Acknowledge Kate's child as your heir. As for Helen's, either get rid of it or raise it as an illegitimate child."
"Enough!" Ryan growled, followed by a long silence.
"Fine," he said hoarsely, as if giving in. "I'll acknowledge Kate's child as my heir."
Then, his voice turned cold. "Helen's child will be raised as an adopted son of the Hurst family."
After the judgment was made, I went back to the bedroom, shut the door, and sat motionless on the bed. My belly still ached faintly.
Ryan came in, kneeled before me, and tried to hold me.
"Why?" I asked hoarsely through tears. "Why does my child have to be the one to suffer?"
"Kate is a socialite. The Davis family is rising quickly in our circles. A scandal would destroy her." Ryan avoided my gaze and held my icy hands. "Besides, through Kate's child, I can control the Davis family."
"So that's what this is all about? A deal?" I cried. "You'd turn my child into an illegitimate child. In that case, don't let him be born. Just abort him. He shouldn't even come into this world."
"No." Ryan stared into my eyes and insisted, "Don't you dare hurt our child. I will not let your child or Kate's go. For now, rest. Don't overthink things. I'll hold onto your phone." With that, he left the room.
Outside, two men in black suits stood guard.
Ryan instructed them, "Watch her. Don't let her leave as she pleases."
Just like that, I was placed under house arrest.
