Rylee’s POV
The day I was discharged from the hospital after my miscarriage happened to be Vlad Armstrong’s birthday. I kept it a secret from everyone and brought gifts home, wanting to surprise him.
I bought his favorite flowers and a watch, then rushed back excitedly. Before I could even push the door open, deafening music and laughter crashed into me, stabbing at my eardrums.
The living room was brightly lit, with streamers and balloons covering the ceiling.
Friends gathered together, chatting and laughing.
Madeline was wearing a dazzling silk gown, her cheeks flushed.
Vlad had one arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close as he kissed her.
My hand froze on the door handle. My entire body went rigid, a loud buzzing filling my ears as overwhelming nausea and helplessness swallowed me whole.
The man I had loved for so many years… was actually involved with my own younger sister.
The people around them laughed and egged them on.
“To keep Rylee—that walking blood bank—by his side, Vlad went all out acting like a hero saving a damsel. He made her fall in love step by step, then trapped her completely.”
“What a pity. Once Maddie’s illness is cured, Rylee won’t be useful anymore. Vlad will definitely throw her out like a dog.”
Madeline leaned shyly into Vlad’s arms. Her voice was soft and sweet, yet laced with smugness and cruelty.
“Of course, I’m the one Vlad has always loved. But honestly, my sister really is stupid.
“The first time, we lied and said her prenatal checkup failed, and she had her six‑month‑old baby induced.
“The second time, we told her the baby was stillborn, and she believed it.
“The third time, we gave her some pills, set her up to fall when she went out, and she even blamed herself for failing to protect her child.”
Vlad lowered his head lovingly and gently rubbed her hair.
“She and those two children existed only to cure your illness. I just want you healthy. I will only ever have children with you.”
In that instant, my mind went completely blank. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like the world spun violently around me.
So my three children hadn’t died by accident at all… They were murdered—by their own biological father!
That day, I had begged Vlad to go see a stage play with me. After much pestering, he finally agreed.
But when it ended and we were walking down the steps, I slipped and fell, tumbling down.
My forehead was smashed open, blood everywhere. I was hemorrhaging badly below.
I was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
The doctors issued a critical notice and needed a family member to sign.
But Vlad’s phone could never be reached.
Enduring excruciating pain with every movement, I desperately begged the doctors to save my baby.
This was a child I had risked half my life to conceive—a child Vlad and I had longed for.
When I woke up again, Vlad was standing by my bed, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of pain and guilt.
He bent down and kissed my lips, then gently stroked my eyes, apologizing over and over.
“I’m sorry. This is all my fault. If I’d been with you, the accident wouldn’t have happened. If I had picked up your call, our baby could have been saved.”
I stared at him emptily as tears streamed down uncontrollably.
I blamed myself again and again. Why did I insist on going out?
Did I trip on my dress?
Were my shoes not slip‑resistant?
Why didn’t I hold the railing properly on the stairs?
During that time, I hated myself countless times.
I had already lost two children. How could I still fail to protect this one?
Vlad stayed by my side every day, comforting me.
“Don’t blame yourself. We’ll still have children.”
The more I thought about it, the more it felt like my head was about to explode.
All three waves of pain crashed down on me at once.
I had to grab the wall just to steady myself.
A metallic taste surged up my throat.
The loving man before my eyes overlapped with the man in my memories.
All those moments of love replayed before me.
At twenty, he charged alone into an abandoned building to save me after I was kidnapped. The kidnapper’s knife missed his heart by barely a centimeter.
Yet he covered my eyes and said softly, “Rylee, don’t be afraid.”
At twenty‑two, when my parents forced me to be Madeline’s blood donor and I argued with them until my heart condition relapsed, he willingly lost billions and cut off a major partnership with my family’s company just to stand up for me.
At twenty‑four, when he learned I was pregnant, he was ecstatic. He gave me the best of everything in the world.
He picked names for our baby, decorated the nursery with me, and dreamed of our future together.
But it was all fake!
Risking his life to save me was a setup.
Marrying me was to trap me by his side.
Looking forward to each child was for drawing blood.
He never loved me. He was only using me and my unborn children to save Madeline’s life!
And the man she claimed to have loved for years was not someone else at all.
It was Vald, my very husband!
Before I could even catch my breath, my parents came downstairs, smiling brightly.
Madeline ran over happily and kissed them on the cheeks.
Suddenly, Mom’s expression darkened, as if she’d thought of something unpleasant.
“If Rylee had agreed to the blood transfusion earlier, you wouldn’t have had to wait for those two children and suffer for so long. She’s really bad luck.”
“If she weren’t still useful, I would’ve kicked her out of the family long ago,” she continued. “The position of Mrs. Armstrong should have been yours.”
Madeline tugged at Mom’s hand, putting on an obedient act.
“It’s okay, Mom. Today’s a happy day. Let’s not talk about unpleasant things.”
Everyone in the room chimed in, offering their congratulations to Madeline and Vlad.
So my parents knew, too.
I leaned against the ice‑cold doorframe.
That metallic taste surged up my throat again, and I swallowed it down forcefully.
All that remained in my heart was raging fury, despair, and bone‑deep pain.
I turned and ran away as fast as I could. My mind was filled with their voices, their faces.
Only when I reached a street corner did I finally stop, gasping for air.
As I stood there, lost and shaken, a man’s name suddenly surfaced in my mind.
I wiped away my tears, took out my phone, and dialed a number.
He answered instantly, sounding surprised.
“Miss Winters?”
I forced down my sobs and spoke. “This is Rylee. I want to make a deal with you. Or call it a partnership.”
He paused, then laughed.
“Did Vlad send you? Trying to ruin me again like five years ago?”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“No. Back then, he drove you into bankruptcy, and your mother unalived herself. Now, he’s deceived me, betrayed me, and killed my children.
“I believe the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I’ll help you find evidence to bring Vlad down. In return, help me take over Winters Corporation, and get me out of New York.”
The man on the other end chuckled softly.
“Deal. I look forward to working with you, Miss Winters. See you in one month.”
After hanging up, I sent my lawyer a message.
[Please draft a divorce agreement for me.]
Then I turned off my phone and walked back toward home.
This time, I will live for myself.
And I will make them atone for the children I lost. I will make them pay the price for everything they’ve done!
