Chapter 3

The employees hesitated; their reluctance was written all over their faces.

Emily stomped her foot in anger. "Are you deaf or what? I told you to tie her up."

"According to my husband, what I say goes around here.

"Do you want to lose your jobs or what?"

At her words, the employees closed in on me.

I backed away, keeping my eyes on Emily. "Emily, if Andrew ever finds out how you're treating me, you can kiss your place as Mrs. Monroe goodbye."

Just then, her phone rang.

When she saw who was calling, she shot me a smug look.

She answered and put it on speaker, her voice instantly morphing into a nauseatingly cute baby tone. "Honey, what's up?"

Andrew's voice on the other end was light and casual. "Nothing. I wanted to ask how the interview went today."

Emily's face changed in an instant, and she whined, "Seriously, you have the nerve to bring that up?"

Emily continued, "The person who came for the interview today was so arrogant. She even pretended to be the heiress of Johnson Holdings and mouthed off at me."

"What?" Andrew's voice was clearly flustered, realizing she was talking about me. "Honey, hold on, I'll be right there."

Seeing her about to hang up, I desperately yelled, "Andrew, hurry up and get over here."

Emily's face turned stormy. She hung up in a hurry and then kicked me hard. "So desperate to see my husband, huh?

"Didn't you hear? The moment my husband heard I was being bullied, he said he'd come right over."

Still not satisfied, she raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. "When he gets here, you'll learn the difference between a wife and a side chick."

I hit the ground hard, agony ripping through my lower abdomen, like something inside me was being violently torn apart.

"Emily, are you insane?" I gasped, curling up from the pain, feeling something warm and wet pooling beneath me.

That liquid carried a sickly sweet, metallic tang, and my heart dropped.

'Was that... blood?'

"Insane? I'm not insane." Emily said, hands on her hips, looking smug. "I'm defending what's mine."

She jabbed a finger at me, her voice sharp and shrill. "You shameless homewrecker, you deserve everything that's coming to you.

"My husband treats me so well. I know you were trying to seduce him, you vixen. He fell for your tricks for a second, that's all.

"If he finds out I put you in your place for him, he'll thank me for it."

I tried to lift myself off the floor, but the pain in my abdomen was getting unbearable.

"An... ambulance..." I whispered weakly, staying face-down, too scared to move.

Emily let out a cold laugh. "Ambulance? Keep dreaming."

She spun around to the staff, her tone brooking no argument. "What are you waiting for? Move it."

The employees shot nervous looks at each other, but nobody had the guts to defy her.

They shoved me into a chair, tied me up, and taped my mouth shut.

Emily crouched down, her face inches from mine, her voice dripping with menace. "Let me make this clear. You're not leaving this office today.

"You'd better pray that bastard you're pregnant with is gone, or I'll make your life a living hell.

"My husband loves me so much. There's no way he'd ever let another woman have his child. Don't even dream about it."

I could feel the blood pooling beneath me, more and more with every passing second, the pain in my lower abdomen growing sharper and more unbearable.

My baby... my baby...

I don't know how much time passed before Emily's secretary walked in. "Mrs. Monroe, there's someone named Lucas Sinclair here to see you."

*****

Lucas...

Through my blurry vision, I saw someone standing outside the door, and a flicker of hope surged in my chest.

But with the tape over my mouth, I couldn't make a sound.

When Emily heard that, she instantly transformed, smoothing out her hair and straightening her clothes.

Then she turned to me with a smirk. "My husband wishes he could show me off every second. After all, among women my age, I'm the one with a pretty face, a hot body, and a vibe that can change in a snap."

Emily scoffed, "Heh, so all his buddies are always scheming or thinking dirty thoughts about me.

"But honestly, that's exactly what I expected. Making a man fall for me is way too easy.

"Don't be jealous. Just stay here and wait for my husband to come back and deal with you."

With that, she sashayed out of the room, hips swaying.

Just as the door was about to close, her baby voice rang out again. "Lucas? My husband's not here today. So, what brings you by?"

Before Lucas could say a word, she kept going, "Honestly, I think you're pretty cute."