30
*
Everyone was stunned.
“If I have a child too, will you give up Emily and marry me?“>
I stared into Lucas’s eyes, desperate for an answer.
Sandra scoffed.
“You’ve been pregnant so many times and never kept a child. The doctor already said your health isn’t good. How could you possibly have a baby now?”
She had always looked down on me, but ever since Emily came along, her attitude worsened.}
The first thing she did when she entered was examine Emily from head to toe.
When she saw that Emily’s belly was fine, she smiled in satisfaction.
To please her–my supposed future mother–in–law–I had done everything she wanted, given her every gift she asked for, yet never once did she say anything kind to me.
And Lucas? He never told her the truth–that the reason I didn’t give birth was because he didn’t want me to.”
I looked at Lucas, mockery in my eyes.
The first time I was pregnant, Lucas had been kidnapped.
I spent every cent I had trying to gather the ransom, even begged my father. That nearly destroyed our relationship. He disowned me.§
In the end, I went alone to deliver the money to an abandoned warehouse.
Lucas had been held for ten days and had developed a high fever.”
There were no vehicles around.§
I carried him on my back, step by step, out of that wilderness.
After getting him to the hospital, i passed out from exhaustion.
When I woke up, I learned I’d lost our first child.
Lucas sat by my bed, crying like a child.
After that, I got pregnant a few more times.
Each time, Lucas would hold me gently and ask me to terminate.
“Zoe, wait until the company stabilizes. I want to give our child a better life.”
And I believed him, again and again.
But when things finally calmed down and I was ready to try again, it was too late.
I took endless medications, visited countless hospitals, even knelt in prayer in front of priests–D
But nothing worked.”
The pain of losing each child was a wound carved into my soul, and it never stopped hurting.
My hand drifted to my belly.
No matter what, I had to keep this child.
Lucas’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“Zoe, I know how much you want a child. Emily’s baby can be yours too, so you don’t need to worry. And if Emily helps you at the company, it’s still for the good of the child’s future.“}
I laughed bitterly.
“Lucas, you want her to manage the company? Do you want her to ruin it?”
“Last time you asked her to handle a business meeting, she overslept and arrived late. That delay cost us ten million!”
Lucas was silent. He knew exactly how incompetent Emily was.
I couldn’t let him drag the company down for her.
I pulled out my phone and called a senior executive.
I had equal authority with Lucas, and he knew that if I refused, it would be nearly impossible to install Emily in my place. He rushed over and knocked the phone from my hand.
“Zoe! If you don’t want Emily to take over, fine! But do you have to tell everyone? How will she ever face anyone again?” His outburst stunned me. Even now, all he cared about was protecting Emily’s image.§
I bent down to pick up my phone, but he was faster.
He stepped on it–hard–until the screen went black.
Then he turned to me, faced dark, and suddenly pulled me into an embrace.§
Before I could resist, he dragged me into the bedroom and locked the door behind me.§
“Calm down. I’ll let you out tomorrow.”
I banged on the door and shouted until I had no strength left.
Eventually, I collapsed onto the bed.
8:56 AM
Then, without warning, the door opened.
Emily stood there with a smile, holding out a bottle of pills.
“Zoe, do you love Lucas that much? Why not let go?”
“Do you recognize this bottle?” she asked.
I glanced at it–it was the medicine I’d been taking for years to treat infertility.D
Emily laughed so hard she cried.}
“That’s not infertility medicine. It’s birth control.“}
“You’ve taken it countless times over the years. Your body’s been damaged for a long time–it’s no wonder it’s hard for you to conceive
now.”
She sighed, feigning sympathy.
“You’re so pitiful. You were tricked for ten years and still think a baby will win Lucas’s heart. But think about it–if Lucas ever intended to marry you, why didn’t he protect your child in the first place?“}
Her words hit me like an explosion.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
Tears blurred my vision.
How could I expect sincerity from Lucas?>
What I mistook for love was just my unwillingness to let go.
”
8:56 AM
Emily left with a smug smile.
