Chapter 1
At the Sterling family dinner, an elder urged Richard, "Emily is pregnant. You should be focusing on her, not spending all your time with Sophie and constantly visiting her hospital room."
He smiled, "Sophie is Emily's friend. Looking after her this way is me doing right by Emily."
He glanced at me with hidden meaning in his eyes. "Right, Emily?"
I took a sip of water. "Sophie is seriously ill. It's only proper for him to take care of her in my place.
"Besides, I don't have the energy to depend on him. My body's never been all that strong. As for the baby, I'll let it be. I won't cling to it."
Richard's smile froze on his face.
He was plotting to make me lose the baby, all so he could clear the way for Sophie's organ transplant.
This time, I was done with him.
*****
That night, he walked into the bedroom holding a cup of dark, thick liquid, claiming it would help the baby grow and develop.
The steam rising from it filled the room with a pungent, bitter smell.
I touched my slightly rounded belly, my stomach twisting with nausea.
He sat down at the edge of the bed, silently watching me. "Emily, drink it. It's for the baby."
I stared at his face, forced down the bitterness burning in my throat, then tilted my head back and gulped the whole thing in one go.
He took the empty cup, turned, and walked out.
The soft click of the door locking barely faded before I shot up and rushed into the bathroom.
I dug my fingers deep into my throat.
*****
The next morning, I was in the doctor's office at another hospital.
The old specialist pushed up his reading glasses and pointed at the rush lab report. "Ms. Carter, your blood work looks strange."
He slid the report across the desk to me, his voice grave. "There's a large amount of black cohosh in the liquid sample, plus some strong medicine that really saps your strength."
I clenched the flimsy lab report in my hands.
Even though I'd already guessed he was plotting something, having it finally ripped away made my chest ache.
I was the real heiress who had been stranded away from home for over twenty years.
When I was finally brought home, my mom thought I wasn't presentable enough, and everyone in our social circle thought I was a joke.
Only Richard kept standing up to the elders, always putting himself between me and the world.
I used to think that was real love.
It finally dawned on me that all those kindnesses were empty favors given in advance, merely to use my blood to sustain Sophie's life.
My phone vibrated inside my bag.
When I picked up, the butler spoke in a hushed tone. "Mrs. Sterling, where are you? Mr. Sterling is really mad and searching everywhere for you."
I folded up the report, shoved it deep into my bag, wiped my face, and grabbed a cab back to the villa.
As I reached the corner of the second floor, I heard a tense argument coming from the study.
It was Charles Lane, the private doctor. "Mr. Sterling, you can't keep doing this.
"Let Sophie take up the spot if you must, but now that her condition's gotten worse, are you really going to drain Mrs. Sterling's blood to fill that bottomless pit?"
I stopped in my tracks.
"If you keep giving her that medicine, the baby doesn't stand a chance, and Mrs. Sterling could end up half dead herself." Charles's voice was trembling.
I stood paralyzed in the shadows of the hallway, my whole body going cold.
The study fell silent for a few seconds.
Richard pressed his fingers to his brow, his voice cold and hard. "We can't wait any longer with Sophie's condition.
"Emily's the only one whose numbers are a perfect match. I need to ensure Sophie's surgery goes off without a hitch."
Charles raised his voice. "You're sacrificing one life for another. She's your wife..."
"I know it's risky," Richard said, cutting him off, his tone icy. "But I don't have a choice."
I leaned against the wall.
My mind was flooded with memories of Sophie pretending to be sick, always hogging Richard's attention.
Every time Sophie complained about pain, Richard would abandon me without a second thought, even while I was running a high fever.
He knew everything.
He didn't just want to get rid of the baby. He also wanted to drain my blood to save the one he really loved.
Inside the study, Richard's tone grew gentler. "Keep this quiet for now. Protect Sophie first."
His phone rang.
Richard answered, and his cold tone melted into anxious concern. "Sophie? Don't cry. I'll be there right away."
He hung up in a hurry, muttering under his breath, "Once this is all over, I'll take care of her for the rest of my life."
The moment the words left his mouth, he yanked open the study door.
I stood silently outside, watching him.
Richard stopped dead in his tracks.
When his eyes locked onto mine, the anxiety on his face froze instantly.
I looked him in the eye and handed him the glass of water.
"You looked busy, so I brought you some water," I said calmly.
The panic in his eyes disappeared almost instantly.
He took the glass and casually slipped his arm around my shoulders.
His broad palm rested gently on my tense back.
"You shouldn't be running up and down the stairs with the baby. Everything I'm doing is for you and our child," he said.
I looked him straight in the eye.
When he mentioned the baby, I saw a scheming glint flash across his eyes.
I forced myself not to pull away and went along with it, nodding.
He visibly relaxed, mumbled something about a work emergency, and headed downstairs in a hurry.
*****
That night, Richard brought me yet another cup of thick, black liquid.
He didn't relax until he saw me swallow every drop, then finally lay back down, satisfied.
Late at night, the only sound in the master bedroom was his steady breathing.
I carefully lifted the covers, slipped out of bed barefoot, and tiptoed into the bathroom.
As soon as I locked the door, I slumped over the sink, forcing two fingers deep into my throat.
My throat convulsed, and I vomited up every drop of that bitter liquid I'd forced down, emptying it all into the sink.
I turned on the faucet.
The thick, brown liquid swirled down the drain.
I stared at the spinning whirlpool, feeling the cold seep into my limbs.
The so-called love from the man beside me was nothing but deadly poison, meant to push me toward a fatal delivery.
*****
The next morning, I walked into the ward at Sterling Hospital.
Charles's office was all the way at the end of the hall.
I had to find the leftover herbs and prescription slip he'd used as real evidence of what Richard had been doing.
As I passed through the VIP section, a hospital room door swung open.
Sophie, wrapped in a loose hospital gown, stepped out and blocked my way.
Her face was bare, but her cheeks were rosy. She looked nothing like someone on the brink of death.
Her gaze swept past my shoulder, boldly glancing at my slightly rounded belly.
Finally, her eyes landed on the strap of my bag.
"Why are you here all by yourself, Emily? Didn't Richard come with you?" Sophie asked, her eyes glinting with sarcasm.
I stopped and shot her a frosty glare. "He's too busy to care about anyone outside the family."
Sophie snickered and stepped right up to me.
She dropped her voice, looking smug. "You really are clueless, Emily. Richard's itching to get rid of your baby.
"You think you're Mrs. Sterling? Please. You're nothing but a blood bank for me."
I stared her down, my eyes fixed on her unnaturally rosy face.
I clenched my jaw, swallowing the surge of rage and bitterness threatening to spill out.
Now wasn't the time to lose it.
"Is that so?" I stepped back, holding her gaze. "If I'm so useless, why are you so eager to get in my way?"
She was caught off guard, her smile fading as her expression soured.
Footsteps sounded from the end of the hallway.
Richard hurried over, carrying an insulated container.
When he saw Sophie and me facing off, his brows knitted together.
He strode over, blocking my way and instinctively putting himself between Sophie and me.
He turned, watching me like I was some kind of threat. "What are you doing here?"
My eyes locked onto the insulated container he was holding.
That familiar fishy, bitter scent was already seeping out from the cracks in the lid. "I'm here for a check-up."
Richard twisted off the lid, poured out most of a cup of that thick, black liquid, and pushed it right under my nose. "Since you're here, drink it. Don't make things difficult for the baby."
He stared at me, his eyes pinning me in place, making it clear I had no choice.
Sophie hid behind him, giving me a mocking grin.
The steaming bowl of poison was shoved right under my nose.
I took the cup, without so much as a blink, tipped my head back, and gulped it all down in one go.
I thrust the empty cup back into his hands, wiping the bitter taste from my lips with the back of my hand.
Richard stared at the empty cup, and a flash of shock flickered in his eyes.
"Why are you so quick to drink it today?" Richard asked, genuine surprise in his voice.
I looked up at him, giving him a cold, icy smile.
"So what?" I shot back.