Chapter 1
Charlotte Blake had been stabbed three times.
The first time, when Michael Quinn was ambushed by his enemies, she threw herself in front of him without a second thought.
The blade pierced her lung.
The hospital issued a critical condition notice, and Michael got down on his knees and begged every god in the sky, willing to trade his own life for hers.
The second time, they were kidnapped, and the ruthless kidnappers pulled out their knives.
Just as the blade was about to pierce Michael, she threw herself in front of him again, shoving him out of harm's way.
That time, the blade came within a hair's breadth of her heart.
Outside the operating room, his eyes were bloodshot as he pressed the blade to the doctor's neck.
"If she doesn't make it, none of you are getting out of here alive!" he snarled.
But the third time was different.
The third time, there were no kidnappers and no rivals. There was only him and his caged bird.
This time, the knife sank straight into her belly, swollen with their child at seven months.
She lost the baby, and with it, any hope of ever becoming a mother.
*****
Charlotte was jolted awake by a sharp, searing pain, but no matter how hard she fought, her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. She just couldn't force them open.
"Mr. Quinn, Mrs. Quinn's condition is critical," came the assistant's usual cautious voice.
"The baby didn't make it. And the real problem is the damage to her uterus is too severe. It's unlikely she'll ever be able to have children again."
After a brief silence, Michael's voice came through, completely unreadable.
"Got it," he said, pausing for a moment. "Send Sophie out."
"Yes, sir."
The footsteps faded away.
Charlotte's hand began to tremble, completely out of her control.
She slowly moved her hand down to her belly.
Under her hospital gown, thick bandages were wrapped tightly around her abdomen, stiff and unyielding.
Her hand pressed down through the fabric, but all she felt was emptiness.
Inside, it was empty.
Only yesterday she had watched the tiny bulges his kicks pushed against her belly.
Now, it was all gone.
That cold blade had taken not just her child, but shattered her hopes of ever being a woman, a mother.
But her husband didn't show a shred of sorrow.
Instead, he was doing everything he could to shield the killer who took their baby away.
Tears welled up in her eyes, silent and unstoppable.
In only two more months, the baby could have opened his eyes to this world.
It had been only two months more.
Charlotte's fingers suddenly clenched the sheets, her knuckles turning white.
She wasn't stupid.
Her VIP room had bodyguards on duty 24/7 at the door, and a nanny inside.
But yesterday, when Sophie came in, the bodyguards "just happened" to be switching shifts, leaving a gap.
And the nanny "just happened" to get an urgent call and leave.
There could not possibly be that many "coincidences."
Who could have made everyone around her fail at the very same moment?
She'd guarded herself against everyone.
But it never crossed her mindThat the one she'd risked everything for, loved for ten years, would be the one to betray her.
He hated her for hurting the woman he cherished most.
He hated her for taking their child away, no matter the cost.
So he let Sophie have her revenge, and he made Charlotte's son pay with his life for the child they lost.
He was cruel. She hated him for it, hated him with everything she had left.
Her tears were scalding hot, but deep down, something inside her was turning cold and hard in the midst of all this pain.
Ten years of devotion, and all she got was his cold, heartless betrayal.
"You're awake?" Michael's voice was hoarse.
"I've already taught Sophie a lesson for you," he said, trying to keep his panic in check as he looked at Charlotte.
"She just hates you too much. If you hadn't pushed things so far back then, none of this would've happened."
He reached out, trying to wipe the tears from her face.
But Charlotte turned her head away, dodging his touch.
Michael's hand froze in midair for a second, then he pulled it back.
His face remained expressionless, but his eyes darkened.
"Don't get worked up. It's just a baby, gone is gone. If you want another, we can always have one later," he said flatly, utterly indifferent.
There was no sadness, no grief, just complete indifference.
"Michael," Charlotte rasped, "drop the act. I know it was you. None of this would've happened if you hadn't allowed it. You really are heartless."
Exposed so directly, Michael felt a surge of panic, but remembering how ruthless Charlotte had been back then, he managed to hold his own.
He took her cold hand from outside the covers and gently rubbed it.
He said, "Didn't you do the same thing back then?
"I begged you, let you stomp all over my pride, but you didn't even flinch before sending Sophie in for surgery.
"This is what you owed her, now you've paid your debt."
Charlotte's eyes burned red with fury.
"The one in her belly was just a bastard, but the one in mine was your own flesh and blood," she spat.
At the mention of his own flesh and blood, Michael's face darkened, his eyes blazing with anger.
"You know damn well whose kid was in your belly," he said coldly.
Charlotte stared at Michael, stunned by the fury on his face.
She froze, shocked.
So Michael truly believed the child had not been his.
That was why he had let Sophie do it.
She let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Michael, you'll regret it one day."