Bred For Her Blood

Synopsis

Natalie Bennett clutched the torn marriage certificate, the clerk's words reverberating through her mind: "Ma'am, according to our records, you and your husband show as unmarried." All of Northbridge knew James Carter was marrying Natalie Bennett. And now, days before their wedding, she discovered the certificate was fake. She arrived at Carter Group headquarters. The office door stood slightly ajar. Just as she reached for the handle, her brother's voice stopped her cold. "You used a fake marriage certificate to trick Natalie—all so you could harvest her baby's cord blood for Sophie. You're not scared she'll come after you when she finds out?" James's expression remained impassive, his tone flat. "I'd do anything to save Sophie. Anything. Besides, once I give Natalie her wedding, she'll never suspect a thing." Andrew Bennett flicked his lighter open and shut, laughing darkly. "You're even more ruthless than I thought." Natalie's fingers trembled. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her. She turned and left, her pregnant body suddenly feeling impossibly heavy. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Her heart felt pierced by an invisible blade, the pain so sharp she could barely breathe. So that was it. All their supposed affection—every tender moment—had been a performance. A means to an end. They needed her baby's cord blood to save Sophie Bennett, James's adopted daughter dying of leukemia. She had thought fate finally smiled on her. Turned out it was all smoke and mirrors. She didn't know how long she cried before her vision finally focused on her rounded belly. The bedroom door exploded inward with a violent kick. "Sophie's condition just got critical. You're coming to the hospital. Now." Andrew's face was tense as he lunged forward, his fingers digging cruelly into her wrist. Natalie wrenched herself free. "Her illness has nothing to do with me. I'm not going." Her whole body shook. "The only reason you're carrying that kid is to save Sophie." Andrew's eyes gleamed with menace. "You heard the doctor's call. Sophie can't wait anymore. We need to extract that cord blood immediately." Natalie's eyes reddened as she looked at James. "No—please. The baby's due in four months. Even if Sophie needs the cord blood, we can wait—" But James wrapped the rope around Natalie's hands without hesitation, looping it tighter and tighter until red marks bloomed across her wrists. "This isn't the time for your little schemes. One baby for a wedding—that's a hell of a deal for you." Natalie felt her blood turn to ice. Her heart twisted as though thousands of ants were gnawing through it, each bite acid and unbearable. What they didn't know was that she had already been diagnosed with stomach cancer.