“Do it!” Sullivan urged.
I didn’t even think. I lunged at his men, desperately trying to stop them. But one of them kicked me so hard my body flew across the room and hit the floor with a bone–jarring thud.
The blood that had already dried between my legs tore free again from the force of the blow. It came gushing out like a ruptured dam, soaking the white tiles in seconds.
A scream ripped out of me, raw and primal, as pain exploded through my body. I curled in on myself, shaking, my hands clutching uselessly at my belly. It was too late. I could feel it.”
Sullivan stepped forward, hand outstretched, about to drag me again–but then he froze.
His eyes locked onto my abdomen, now clearly swollen, round, unmistakable. Then he saw the blood–fresh, bright, everywhere.} His face went ghostly white in an instant.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and pulled me into his arms. “Shit,” he muttered, panic flickering in his eyes for the first time. “What the hell…“>
He spun around and glared at Shannah. “What the hell is going on?!” he barked. “I told you to deal with her delivery! You told me she already gave birth yesterday! That the baby was in the nursery!“}
He pointed at my belly, his voice rising. “Then why the hell is she still this big?! Why is she still bleeding?!“}
For a split second, Shannah’s expression faltered. But then she blinked rapidly and quickly squeezed out tears, pulling out her phone with shaking hands.
“She did give birth yesterday,” she sobbed. “The baby’s been in the nursery since then! I knew she’d pull something like this, so I had the doctor take a video just in case–look!“}
She handed him the phone. On the screen was a grainy, shaky video of a baby who clearly looked at least a month old. The footage was awfully fake beyond belief.
But Sullivan barely looked at it.
And he believed her.
His face twisted, rage overtaking panic. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me upright like I weighed nothing. Then he slammed me back onto the cold hard floor.
My head cracked against the tiles. A sharp snap–and then the warmth of blood, pooling fast behind my skull.
“You lied to me?!” he snarled. His voice was hoarse now, shaking with fury. “You faked a pregnancy?! Used fake blood to make me feel sorry for you?!”
He bared his teeth. “How disgusting can you get? You think I’d fall for it again? Dream on!“}
Then his foot came down–hard–on my belly.
“No–I choked out, but it was too late.!
Another kick. Another burst of blood.
Then another.
And another.
Each brutal stomp stole the air from my lungs. Each one sent a fresh wave of agony crashing through me. The floor around me turned slick with blood, but my limbs were going numb. My body was shutting down.
“Aah! Please… stop…”
My voice cracked. I tried to beg. But my throat was raw, and my mouth tasted like iron. Even the pain was fading now–just dull pressure, duller fear. I couldn’t even cry anymore.
I lay there in silence, curled up in a puddle of what was left of me.
Finally, he stopped Breathing hard, he yanked off his bloodstained jacket and tossed it aside.
Then he turned to Shannah, all tenderness and guilt, like none of it had just happened.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “I shouldn’t have let you deal with this mess. I’ll take care of it. And afterward… how about a honeymoon? The islands, just the two of us. My way of making it up to you–does that sound okay?“}
Shannah shook her head gently, tears sparkling in her eyes. Her voice was soft–sweet, even.
“It’s okay… really. She hates me so much. If you leave now, what if she comes up with something else to separate me from the baby?” She hesitated just long enough for the words to sting. Then added softly, “Maybe I should just go. Take the baby with me. Let your child
be the heir.”2
Every syllable was sugar–coated poison. And it worked.
Sullivan’s gaze darkened. His voice was calm again, but the ice underneath it cut like a knife.
“Don’t worry,” he said coldly. “She won’t get another chance to hurt you. Or our baby.”
He turned to his men and gestured sharply. “Lock her in the basement. She stays there until after the press conference–after I announce my son as the heir “S
They dragged me away like I was nothing–some animal bleeding out on the marble floor. Behind me, a streak of red followed like
He turned to his men and gestured sharply. “Lock her in the basement. She stays there until after the press conference–after I announce my son as the heir.”
They dragged me away like I was nothing–some animal bleeding out on the marble floor. Behind me, a streak of red followed like a trail
of death.
My vision kept fading in and out. Pain blurred the world. But somehow, I managed to hold on to one last breath.”
And with that breath, I begged.
“Please… Sullivan… I only asked your mother to help with our divorce. I wasn’t trying to take her baby…
“My babies… they already died once because of you. And now… they won’t make it this time either…
“I’ve already stepped aside for you. For her. For your happy family…
“Please, just… leave my dad… alone.”
