The day of my wedding to Julian Astor, his adopted sister decided to throw herself from a rooftop. For her, Julian left me standing at the altar in my wedding dress, fleeing without a second thought. Facing a hall full of mocking eyes, I made a public proposal. “Whoever walks up this aisle and marries me today, I will be your wife!” Three years later, Julian returned to the Astor estate with his precious adopted sister in tow. I was lounging on a leather sofa, sipping bird’s nest soup and watching a TV drama. Julian’s eyes locked onto my swollen belly, and he gritted his teeth. “Whose bastard are you carrying?” I took another delicate sip of my soup and smiled sweetly. “The baby in my belly is an Astor, of course.” … Julian stormed over, his face a mask of fury, and yanked me from the sofa. “You bitch! I left with Iris on our wedding day. I haven’t been back in three years. How could you possibly be carrying my child?” I found it amusing. I never said it was his. He wasn’t the only man in the Astor family. “Of course, the child in my belly isn’t yours,” I said coolly. “You’re not worthy of being my child’s father.” Iris’s face was a picture of shock. “Eliza, even though Julian left you at the altar, he let you keep the title of Mrs. Astor. He let you enjoy the wealth and luxury of this family. How could you be so shameless as to get pregnant with a bastard?” My gaze flickered to her. “Iris, you’re the adopted daughter of the Astor family, yet you openly seduce your own brother. When it comes to shamelessness, who could possibly compete with you two?” Iris immediately turned to Julian, her voice thick with hurt. “Julian, for the past three years, we’ve been so careful, our relationship so pure. But she… she’s already carrying a bastard. She’s cheated on you.” The word “cheated” sent Julian into a rage. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. “You bitch! You get pregnant with some bastard and dare to throw dirt on me and Iris? Get out of this house!” Pain exploded in my cheek, my head ringing from the blow. Three years ago, when Julian ran off with Iris, leaving me to be ridiculed at my own wedding, I made a desperate choice. In a fit of anger, I offered myself to any man who would marry me on the spot. It was Julian’s uncle, Vincent Astor, who walked up that aisle. In this city, Vincent was known as the “Ice King,” a man feared and respected by all. Since marrying him, everyone I met treated me with fawning respect. After I became pregnant, Vincent doted on me, treating me as if I were made of glass. He wouldn’t let a single hair on my head be harmed. For Julian to dare to lay a hand on me today… if Vincent found out, there would be blood. To prevent a family tragedy, and as a prayer for my unborn child, I said coldly, “If you two get out right now, I’ll pretend this never happened.” But they were having none of it. Iris grabbed a fistful of my hair. “Julian, she’s just bluffing! She wants to kick us out so she can use that bastard in her belly to take over the Astor fortune.” Julian snarled, “You bitch, so that was your plan. I won’t let you succeed.” I twisted free from Iris’s grip, my face hard. “The day you two ran away, Grandfather Astor removed you from the family registry. The Astor fortune has nothing to do with you anymore.” Iris laughed. “That was just something the old man said in a fit of anger. Julian is the only grandson. He would never truly disown him.” Julian looked smug. “Grandfather has always said that everything the Astors own will be mine.” I cradled my belly, my voice like steel. “Not anymore. The child in my belly is also an Astor heir.” I thought I had made myself clear enough. But Julian only glared at me with renewed fury. “You bitch, so you really are trying to pass off a bastard as an Astor heir. I’m going to teach you a lesson today!” He slapped me again, harder this time. I clutched my stomach as I fell to the floor. Seeing the feral look on their faces, a wave of fear washed over me. I was terrified they would hurt my baby. “The child isn’t a bastard,” I cried out. “He’s…” Before I could finish, Julian knelt down, scooped up the spilled bird’s nest soup, and shoved it, along with the shattered porcelain shards, into my mouth. “For three years, Iris and I have been roughing it, while you’ve been living in luxury, cheating and swindling this family with that bastard in your belly!” “Today, I’m going to let you have your fill!” I choked, unable to speak. The sharp fragments cut my mouth, and blood filled my throat. I tried to push him away, but Iris’s stiletto heel ground into the back of my hand. The pain was excruciating, but I couldn’t even scream. After forcing all the soup into my mouth, Julian spat on me, then stood up, dusting off his hands. Iris moved her sharp-heeled shoe until it hovered over my swollen abdomen. Panic seized me. I grabbed her ankle with both hands, desperate to stop her from pressing down. Vincent was sterile. This child was a miracle, the result of three years of seeing specialists all over the world. A mocking smile played on Iris’s lips. “Eliza, you look like a bitch protecting her pup right now. It’s pathetic.” Julian frowned at my belly. “If word gets out that I was cheated on, how can I ever show my face in this city again? Iris, crush the bastard in her womb!” I shook my head wildly, spitting out a mouthful of soup and blood. “The baby… the baby is… Vincent’s…” I gasped. Julian froze, then burst into manic laughter. “Eliza, you don’t even bother to craft a good lie! Everyone in this city knows my uncle has no interest in women. He’s sterile.” “Right now, I am the only one who can continue the Astor line. Why else do you think my grandfather was in such a hurry for me to marry you and produce an heir?” Iris chimed in, “Julian is the sole heir. Grandfather even cut off his cards to force him to come back and take over the family business.” “You pathetic bitch,” she sneered. “Caught in your lie, and you dare to try and pin this on his uncle?” Julian and Iris had been gone for three years without a single call home. Grandfather Astor was truly disappointed in him and had cut him off, intending to sever all ties. But seeing how irrational they were now, I knew better than to argue. “I’m not lying,” I pleaded again. “The baby is really Vincent’s. If you don’t believe me, I can call him and you can ask him yourself.” I reached for my phone on the table, one hand still protecting my belly. If I could just contact Vincent, he would come for me. He would save us. But as soon as my fingers touched the phone, Julian snatched it and smashed it on the floor. The screen shattered. My heart sank. He grabbed my chin. “My uncle is a volatile man. He’s the Ice King everyone in this city fears. If he finds out I can’t even handle a small matter like my own wife cheating on me, he’ll think I’m useless. He won’t give me the company.” “Is that why you wanted to call him, Eliza?” I shook my head frantically. “No, I’m carrying…” Before I could finish, Iris’s heel pressed down hard on my stomach. “Julian, why are you wasting your breath on this slut? Let’s just get rid of the bastard and go to Grandfather for our reward.” A violent pain ripped through my abdomen. I could feel the baby thrashing inside me, a desperate, frantic movement. A terror I had never known flooded me. “Please,” I begged them, “let my baby go…” Iris pulled out her phone and pointed it at me. “Get on your knees and bark like a dog. Say you’re a filthy slut, and I’ll spare your bastard.” For my child, I cast aside all pride. I crawled to my knees. “Woof, woof,” I whimpered, my voice trembling. “I’m a filthy slut.” Iris leaned down, a triumphant smirk on her face. “Eliza, when I knelt before you and begged you not to marry Julian, did you ever imagine this day would come?” Back then, Iris had come to me, telling me she and Julian were in love, begging me to call off the wedding. The marriage between the Astor and Shen families was a union decided by our parents, a web of business alliances. If I had broken the engagement, the blame and the fallout would have been on my family. I had refused. I never thought she would hold that grudge until today. I had no energy to rehash the past. “Please,” I begged, “call an ambulance.” Julian kicked me hard in the back. “You really are a bitch, Eliza! You’d do anything for that bastard!” I fell forward, my belly slamming against the hard floor. A fire spread across my abdomen. “You said… you said you’d spare my child…” Iris’s tone was dismissive. “I said I would spare your child. Julian didn’t say anything.” “You bitch, you used a bastard to impersonate me and swindle the Astor family. You think I’d let you get away with it? Not a chance!” Julian kicked me again, this time directly in the stomach. A sharp cramp seized me, and a gush of red blood flowed from between my legs. I felt the frantic movements in my womb slow, then stop. Despair washed over me. I looked at them, my eyes filled with a searing hatred. “Julian Astor, Iris Thorne, you will regret this!” Iris stood beside him, her gaze venomous. “Julian, this bitch still hasn’t learned her lesson. It seems she needs more convincing.” Julian sneered. “Let’s see who makes who regret what. Iris, get a rope.” Iris immediately understood. She found a rope in the living room and walked towards me. I scrambled backward, dragging my bleeding body across the floor. “What are you doing?” I cried, my eyes wide with terror. Their excited faces were my only answer. They tied my hands and feet together, then dragged me out of the house, leaving a long, bloody smear on the floor. They pulled me to the edge of the swimming pool. Julian kicked me in, and with my limbs bound, I sank helplessly to the bottom. The water filled my nose and mouth. The agony of suffocation washed over me. Just as I thought I was about to die, Julian pulled on the rope, yanking me from the water. “Eliza, have you learned your lesson? Will you dare to cheat on me again?” I gasped for air, a new wave of pain seizing my abdomen. I had taken prenatal classes with Vincent. I knew what this was. I was going into premature labor. Even though I knew the chances of my baby surviving were slim, I couldn’t give up. “I was wrong,” I pleaded. “I’ll never do it again. Please, spare me and my child. I’m in labor, please, call an ambulance…” Julian spat at me. “You bitch, still thinking about that bastard. I see you have no remorse at all!” “There is no way I’m letting that bastard leave this house alive today!” He raised his foot to kick me back into the pool. I closed my eyes in despair, bracing for the water, for the end.
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