During the year I loved him most, my uncle drugged me and threw me into the bed of his greatest rival. That night, I was tormented in every imaginable way by Liam Sterling, a man rumored to have severe sadistic addictions. When I was finally rushed to the hospital, Liam fell to his knees, his eyes red, begging for my forgiveness! Meanwhile, my uncle publicly proposed to the girl who had ruthlessly bullied me in high school, preparing to give her the wedding of the century! On his wedding day, I kidnapped the bride, forced her into mourning clothes, and made her bow to a dog in a mock wedding ceremony. I recorded the entire thing and broadcast it across the internet! When my uncle arrived, he pressed a knife to my throat and warned me. "Elena Vance, pull a stunt like this again, and I’ll make sure you die without a grave." Seeing the raw heartbreak in his eyes for another woman, I was suddenly just... exhausted. From that moment on, I only wanted to cut him out of my life forever. But when I was four months pregnant, and everyone sighed about how Liam Sterling, the ultimate romantic, pampered me to the heavens, I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and my uncle. My uncle asked uncertainly, "Are you really determined to risk Elena and the baby's lives by forcing a premature birth at seven months, just to harvest the cord blood and save my wife?" Liam didn't hesitate for a second. He nodded firmly. "Yes. Chloe saved my life. Her illness can't wait any longer." While I was wandering the streets in a daze, someone sent me a text. "Elena Vance, choose me!" "I'll help you put them both behind bars!" Gripping the stair railing, I listened to the two men inside the room. The chill seeped from my fingertips straight into my heart, freezing me inch by inch. My uncle, Arthur Vance, teased with a mocking tone. "Mr. Sterling, you're willing to sacrifice your own flesh and blood for my wife. Such profound devotion." He shifted his tone, full of arrogant triumph. "Unfortunately, Chloe has always loved me." "Even Elena's little hidden crush from her youth was focused entirely on me, wasn't it?" Liam’s voice was cold and hard as he shot back. "Don't get cocky, Arthur." "If you hadn't put a hundred-million-dollar bounty on the dark web, orchestrating this whole scheme to get Elena pregnant just to harvest her cord blood, and if Chloe hadn't personally begged me, I would never have conspired with scum like you." "Oh?" Arthur scoffed. "And after all this is over, do you really intend to marry her?" Liam was silent for a moment before answering seriously, "Yes. I'll marry her and spend the rest of my life making up for the harm this will cause her." "Suit yourself," Arthur agreed casually. "Saves me the trouble of dealing with her delusional feelings." "I'll prepare a generous dowry for her." I covered my mouth and stumbled backward, fighting the suffocating pain in my chest as I fled like a madwoman. It turned out that all the bone-deep torment, followed by the meticulous, careful pampering... it was all a massive conspiracy to take my baby's life to save their precious darling. I stood in the pouring rain, crying until my voice was hoarse. I couldn't believe that my romance and my marriage had been nothing but a scam to harvest medicine for someone else from the very beginning. At that exact moment, the massive jumbotron on the mall across the street was playing an old interview with Liam. The reporter asked sharply, "Mr. Sterling, there have been persistent rumors that Ms. Elena Vance, the woman you hold so dear, is actually secretly in love with her uncle, Arthur Vance." "Many say... Ms. Vance's feelings are unnatural, and that she is completely unworthy of your passionate devotion. Do you have any response to this?" On screen, his posture was dominant, his voice resonating with power. "My wife, Elena Vance, is the most pure, noble existence in this world." "Anyone who dares to slander her again makes themselves an enemy of Liam Sterling!" "For the rest of my life, I am her strongest shield and her sharpest blade!" The vows that once made my heart race and filled me with pride now felt like knives carving into my heart, leaving me bleeding and raw. My phone kept ringing. He had called dozens of times. I used to answer him instantly, but now, I never wanted to hear his voice again. When I stumbled home in a daze, he was waiting at the door, his face pale with panic and anxiety. When he saw me, he looked like he had finally caught his breath, striding over and pulling me into a desperate, crushing hug. "Elena, where were you? I rushed back overnight after finishing the overseas project. Do you know how frantic I was when I couldn't find you?" "Why didn't you answer your phone?" I replied casually, "I went for a walk. Didn't look at my phone." He immediately started wiping my wet hair and changing my clothes, his eyes full of distress, while ordering someone to call the private doctor to check on me. "You little fool, you need to tell me before you go anywhere from now on." "The rain is so heavy. What if you slipped? What if something happened to you and the baby?" His tone was filled with nervous worry, but I couldn't tell anymore if he was worried about me, or the baby whose cord blood he needed to harvest. That night, my sleep was incredibly restless, plagued by nightmares. Sometime after midnight, I heard the private doctor's disapproving voice coming from the living room. "Mr. Sterling! Performing the surgery in seven days is too risky! The Madam's life will be in grave danger! Why can't we wait until she reaches full term..." Liam cut him off coldly: "Seven days. Go prepare for it. The longer we wait, the more Chloe suffers." My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. So, to him, my life and my child's life weren't worth a single moment of Chloe's discomfort. Just then, his phone lit up. A message from Chloe popped onto the screen. "Liam, thank you for everything you've done for me. If there is a next life, I promise I will never fail you again." Meanwhile, on her social media, she was flaunting the "honor" of having two powerful men abandon multi-million-dollar deals for her. The photos showed Liam's suit jacket draped over a chair, and her hands tightly clasped with my uncle's. How ironic. His excuse for missing my prenatal checkup today was suddenly glaringly obvious. He didn't sneak back into the bedroom until dawn, having finally put out his cigarette. When he saw my face covered in tears, he froze, a flash of panic and guilt in his eyes. "Baby, why are you crying?" I looked into his eyes and said bitterly, "Liam, I had a nightmare... I dreamed about the year my parents died in that car crash. The bleeding just wouldn't stop..." "And I dreamed about the days when Chloe rallied everyone in school to trap me in the bathroom and force me to drink dirty water." The arms holding me stiffened slightly. Then, he hugged me even tighter. "Don't think about it. It's all in the past." But then, he instinctively tried to excuse Chloe. "Chloe... she was young back then. It was probably just a thoughtless mistake." With one phrase—"thoughtless mistake"—he erased all my bloody, agonizing history. I silently pulled away from his embrace, turned my back to him, and curled up in the dark to digest my emotions alone. The very last, microscopic sliver of hope in my heart was thoroughly extinguished. Early the next morning, Liam brought a breakfast he had cooked himself to my bedside. "Elena, try this. It's a new nutritional meal I learned that's great for pregnant women. If you like it, I'll make it for you every day." After speaking, he slid an iPad over to me. On the screen was the architectural rendering of a massive hospital. "Elena, look. This is the hospital I funded and built exclusively for you." I suppressed a cold sneer and didn't expose his lie. To ensure his plan was foolproof, he really spared no expense. He even went through the massive trouble of building an entire hospital. "In six days, the world's top team of obstetric specialists will convene here." "I'll go with you. We'll be good and get a comprehensive checkup and conditioning. It's all to ensure that you and the baby... are completely safe when the critical moment comes." His display of deep, sincere affection made my stomach churn violently! Those specialists were undoubtedly prepared for Chloe! "In six days... it's my birthday." I instinctively guarded my lower abdomen, making one last, feeble struggle. "Can we not go? I don't want any checkups. I just want to stay quietly at home with our baby." "You said you'd take me to Disneyland for my birthday every year. Why does it have to be a hospital this year?" He frowned, his gentle tone laced with undeniable authority. "Be good. It's just for this year. We have to go." He reached out to stroke my hair, but I subtly dodged his hand. "Elena, you need to listen to me. This is all for your own good." He stood up, as if to cover up the awkwardness of the moment. "Your favorite porridge is still warm in the kitchen. I'll go get it for you." In the brief moment he turned and walked into the kitchen, my phone screen lit up. It was a message from Chloe, dripping with the arrogant pity of a victor: "I heard Liam promised to go with you to take maternity photos today?" "What a shame. I suddenly got the urge to reshoot some wedding photos with your uncle today." "Unfortunately, our photographer's skills aren't as good as Liam's. I want him to come help us." "Who do you think... he'll say no to today?" The nausea in my stomach became unbearable. I crawled to the bathroom and vomited until the world spun. When I finally came out, only the cold porridge was left. Liam was gone without a single word. Two hours later, he finally sent a message explaining. "Baby, I'm so sorry! We'll have to take those photos another day." "An urgent meeting came up. I have to go handle it." I swallowed my bitter laughter and dialed the very last number in my contacts list. "Uncle Chen, I'm ready to officially take over the company. Help me revoke Arthur Vance's proxy control over my shares. Investigate all the illegal transactions he's conducted using his position over the years, gather the evidence, and prepare to file charges." "Also, terminate all business ties with the Sterling Group. Cut off all resource allocation to them immediately." After hanging up, I went to the hospital alone and consulted about an abortion procedure. Liam didn't come home for an unprecedented two days. I didn't go back either. But in those two days, he didn't send me a single message. I knew he was just too "busy" to come home. What was even more laughable was that he would occasionally send me a fake update. A forged flight ticket, or a staged photo of a meeting room. He exhausted himself trying to trick me into believing he was busy working! Meanwhile, I could always spot him in Chloe's social media posts. Just like now. While I was recovering my health, they were busy celebrating their perfect wedding photoshoot. Chloe specifically sent me a video. It showed her toasting Liam. "Liam, thank you for dropping everything to be my photographer." "I took up two days of your time. Are you sure it's okay? Do you want me to go back with you to explain things to Elena?" "She already dislikes me because I exposed her for bullying classmates in high school. If she finds out you lied to her, won't she throw a fit?" Liam shook his head dismissively. "Chloe, don't worry about it. She won't make a scene." "She's very dependent on me now. She treats me as the most important person in her life, aside from her late parents." "She's smart. Even if she finds out, she'll know her place." My uncle, Arthur, chimed in, refusing to be outdone. "Exactly! With Elena's personality, she sticks to whoever she latches onto like a leech." "Even if she throws a tantrum, she can't make any real waves." "Back then, to keep me around, she willingly signed over all her corporate shares to me." "I had such a headache trying to shake her off during those days. But thankfully, she's latched onto Liam now, and my world is finally peaceful." I didn't watch any further. Chloe bullying me and then pinning the blame on me was just sickening. As for whether these two men defended me or not... it didn't matter anymore. That night, I replied to the message I had previously ignored. "Sebastian, I choose you." "But you have to help me compile all the evidence that Chloe bullied me, and the proof that she stole my identity as Liam's savior." After he readily agreed, I forwarded Chloe's boastful photo to Liam. "Weren't you overseas on a business trip, so busy you couldn't even answer the phone?" "Why is this bully saying you're personally acting as her photographer?" Almost the second the message was sent, he called. His voice sounded slightly rushed, as if he was scrambling to get his story straight. "Elena, listen to me. I was dealing with a project. I just finished the meeting." "Running into Chloe was a total coincidence. She and your uncle were taking wedding photos nearby, and I just happened to run into them, so I helped snap a few shots." Seeing that I didn't respond, he rushed to explain further. "You know... she did save my life, after all. It was a small favor, I really couldn't refuse. Please don't take it to heart." "If you don't like it, I promise you, I will never have any unnecessary contact with her again. I just want you to feel secure." Listening to his riddled, yet self-righteous defense, my heart was as still as stagnant water. I just asked one question. "Liam, what if the person who saved you back then was me, not her?" "Would you ever regret what you've done to me?" He froze for a second, then answered impatiently. "How is that possible? It was her who saved me. That's a fact." "Baby, I know you're angry and you don't like her, but you can't... you can't just make up crazy lies about a life-saving debt. That's absurd." I didn't say another word and hung up the phone. But what I never expected was that in the middle of the night, he actually brought Chloe back to our house. When he saw me packing my things, he froze and instinctively stepped in front of Chloe to shield her. But Chloe walked right past him, stopping in front of me with a smug, victorious smile. "Ms. Vance, your uncle and I had a fight. I'm just crashing here for the night. You don't mind, do you?" I looked at her undisguised, provocative smirk—which was perfectly hidden from Liam's view—and said coldly: "Get out." Chloe's smile instantly vanished. Her eyes immediately turned red, and acting as if she had suffered a monumental injustice, she ran out crying. "Elena Vance!" Liam's brows immediately furrowed, his tone carrying obvious blame. "Why are you throwing a tantrum again? This is my house too! Chloe saved my life. She's upset and just wanted to stay the night. What's the problem?" He stepped forward, his eyes full of disappointment and disapproval. "You know she just had a fight with Arthur and is feeling down. Why did you have to use such harsh words to insult her at a time like this? When did you become so mean?" Seeing my silence, he took a deep breath, as if trying desperately to suppress his anger, and finally dropped a cold ultimatum. "Stay home and reflect on your behavior. The day after tomorrow... I'll come pick you up for the hospital." With that, he didn't hesitate to chase after her. He didn't even notice the abortion appointment confirmation sitting right next to him. Fine. At this point, I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath on him! Without a shred of hesitation, the moment he turned to comfort his "savior," I calmly packed up all my important belongings and completely abandoned this meticulously crafted gilded cage. I chose a highly secluded, top-tier postpartum recovery center to rest. The sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows was perfect. Sebastian sat beside me, elegantly feeding me peeled grapes, a hint of theatrical amusement playing on his handsome features. "Take a look," He presented the tablet like a grand prize, pulling up a live stream video. "The show is starting."
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