Chapter 1

When I was eight months pregnant, my gangster husband, Eugene Sterling, switched out my prenatal vitamins for abortion pills.

I stared at him in shock, but Eugene only said calmly, "There's something I never told you. I've been keeping another woman on the side.

"She's pregnant. She says she doesn't mind staying in the shadows, but her child deserves to be born into a legitimate family."

I trembled as I fought back tears and asked, "Are you going to divorce me and marry her?"

Eugene gently stroked my cheek, but his words were utterly cruel. "Of course not. You're the only woman I've ever considered my wife.

"I want you to adopt Yvette's baby, but I was afraid that if you had a child of your own, you'd treat her child unfairly. That's why I decided you needed to have an abortion."

He pressed the pill against my lips. "Be a good girl. Take it, and I promise you'll always be my wife."

I looked at him for a long moment before opening my mouth and swallowing the pill.

What Eugene didn't know was that I had a secret of my own.

Because of a medical condition, Eugene had always been unable to father a child of his own. And I was the only woman who could give him one.

*****

When I woke up, three days had already passed.

The first thing I heard was the doctor speaking in a serious voice. "Mr. Sterling, you took a huge risk. You forced an abortion when she was eight months pregnant, and then you had her uterus removed. She nearly bled to death."

Eugene's voice was cold. "I promised Yvette that she would be the only woman I ever had children with. The simplest way to make sure of that was to make Selena permanently unable to have children."

He looked up and suddenly found me staring back at him.

There was no panic on his face. He simply reached over and tucked me in, sighing. "You heard us? I really didn't have a choice. Yvette couldn't trust you with her baby unless you were unable to have children yourself.

"Since you were already having a D&C, I had your uterus removed while they were at it. That way, you wouldn't have to suffer through another operation later."

When he noticed the tears in my eyes, he gently wiped them away and gave me a teasing smile. "I didn't expect taking abortion pills so late in pregnancy would be this dangerous.

"Luckily, I had Yvette's top medical team ready around the clock. You only made it because they were there for you."

I was trembling uncontrollably. I used what little strength I had left to raise my hand and slap him.

A sharp pain ripped through my chest. "Eugene, you're a monster."

However, my hand barely touched his cheek before falling away. It didn't leave the slightest mark.

Out of nowhere, a petite woman rushed over and slapped me across the face.

I fell back onto the bed. My oxygen mask slipped off, and I struggled to catch my breath.

When I looked up, she was standing in front of Eugene with tears in her eyes. Her voice was sharp and angry. "How dare you hit him? Do you know he stayed outside the ICU for three whole days, watching over you?

"If I hadn't brought him food every day, he wouldn't have been able to keep going. How dare you take your anger out on the man I care about?"

I saw the change in Eugene's eyes. For a moment, they filled with tenderness and concern for her.

I knew that look. I had seen it when he was ambushed during an arms deal, and I took a bullet for him, nearly dying in the process.

I had seen it when his biggest enemy surrounded him and left him with no way out. I lowered my head, begged for his life, and risked everything I owned to get him out alive.

I had spent half my life taking care of him, but in the end, I meant less to him than a single tear from his new girl.

The pain ripped through me until I could barely breathe.

I pushed my broken body upright and looked at the two of them standing together, wrapped up in their love for each other.

Then I laughed softly at myself. "Am I supposed to be grateful? Grateful that you killed my eight-month-old baby for her, had my uterus removed, nearly killed me, and still found it generous of yourself to stay until I woke up?"

Yvette broke down, tears streaming down her face. "It's all my fault. I'm the one who hurt you. Please, let me make it up to you."

She shoved Eugene aside, snatched the knife from the bedside table, and raised it toward her own belly. "I'll kill my baby and have my uterus removed, too. Will that make things even?"

Eugene immediately grabbed her and held her back, catching the blade in his bare hand. Blood ran down between his fingers.

He looked at me, all warmth gone from his expression. "Selena, are you happy now?"

He gently picked up the unconscious Yvette and carried her away without looking back. "I was too soft on you. Since you insisted, then you can suffer the consequences."

I watched him walk away, smiling through my tears.

The man who had once promised to protect me for the rest of my life and never let anyone hurt me was already gone.

Eugene's subordinate came over, grabbed my weak body, dragged me out of the room, and threw me into the hallway. "Starting today, Mr. Sterling is taking back everything he ever gave you.

"As for this hospital room, if you want to keep staying here—"

I smirked bitterly and turned to walk away. "No need. I don't want anything from Eugene."

They took my phone and wallet.

I had nothing left, so I stood alone on the street, barely strong enough to raise my hand and hail a taxi.

Every time someone stopped to help, one of Eugene's men would step forward and warn them in a cold voice. "If you dare to take her, you're making an enemy of the Sterling family."

The drivers all drove off, too scared to help.

The guy looked at me as I struggled to stay on my feet. "Mr. Sterling says this is what happens when you go against him.

"If you're willing to apologize to Ms. Summers and stay by her side to take care of her until she gives birth, I'll take you back."

I ignored him. I dragged my bleeding body forward, slowly making my way home.

Blood trickled down my legs and left drops on the ground, making people turn and stare, but I didn't care, not anymore.

*****

By the time dusk had faded into night, I finally made my unsteady way to a stop outside Sterling Manor.

The brightly lit mansion chased away the chill of the night. I raised my stiff, freezing fingers and entered the security code, but all I got in response was an error message.

I tried over and over, but the system kept flashing "wrong password".

The maid, irritated by the disturbance, finally opened the door and looked at me with indifference. "Mrs. Sterling, give it up. Unless you apologize to Mr. Sterling, you don't get to use anything that belongs to him.

"This house belongs to Mr. Sterling. If you refuse to apologize, you're not coming inside."

She looked me up and down, then snorted with a mocking laugh. "You should give in while you still can. Mr. Sterling practically rules Sundermere, and there are countless women who would do anything to take your place.

"Look at you. You have no family background, no beauty to speak of, and you're already in your thirties. Now you can't have children, while Ms. Summers is carrying his baby.

"You should be grateful that he hasn't divorced you. Why keep making a fuss?"