Chapter 2

I clutched my nine-month-pregnant belly, utterly heartbroken. "Ethan, this is my baby. You have no right to hand her over to anyone else."

Afraid I might hurt the baby, Ethan humored me. "Alright, she's yours. Please, just calm down."

Yvonne came out after us, looking smug and triumphant. "Rachel, I only want a child who shares Ethan's blood. Don't worry, I promise I'll treat the baby as my own."

I completely lost it. "Yvonne, how can you be so vile? If you want a baby so badly, why don't you have one yourself?"

She turned her face away awkwardly. "I... can't have children."

Ethan couldn't stand to see the woman he loved upset. His face darkened at once. "Rachel, you're a woman too. Did you really have to rub salt in her wounds?"

I was crushed beyond words. In a fit of rage, I hurled the lunch in my hand straight at him. "Ethan, you bastard!"

Instinctively, Ethan pulled Yvonne into his arms and turned his back to shield her.

I didn't think twice. I turned and ran.

Splattered with grease, Ethan flew into a rage. "Stop her!"

Panic set in as I frantically mashed the down button on the elevator. Seeing the security guards closing in, I clenched my teeth and bolted for the stairwell instead.

Suddenly, my foot slipped. I tumbled down the stairs. A warm rush spilled down my legs. I clutched my belly, drenched in sweat from the pain.

Ethan caught up just then. When he saw me lying there in a pool of blood, he completely lost his composure. "Quick! Call an ambulance!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he rushed over, scooped me up, and sprinted downstairs.

I was too weak to resist, my mind drifting in and out. Through the haze, I heard Ethan holding my hand, talking to me nonstop. "Rachel, hang in there. We're almost at the hospital."

My voice was barely a whisper. "The baby... please... save my baby..." After that, everything went black.

When I finally opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed, every inch of my body aching.

Ethan leaned in close, his face full of concern. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

Noticing my belly was flat, my eyes instantly turned bloodshot. "Where's my baby?"

Ethan got up, poured me a glass of water, and handed it over. "The nanny's taking care of the baby. You just focus on recovering."

I stared at him in fury. "Ethan, give me my baby back."

He acted like he hadn't heard a word. "Have some water."

"Get away from me!" I swatted his hand away, yanked out the IV needle, and staggered toward the door without a second thought.

Ethan grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. "Are you out of your mind? You just had surgery. What if your stitches tear open?"

I struggled with everything I had. "Let go of me. I want to see my baby!"

I lashed out and scratched him a few times. His patience snapped. He immediately ordered me to be sedated. As the cold liquid flowed into my veins, my consciousness slowly slipped away. After that, Ethan kept me locked up in the hospital room. Every meal was delivered by assigned staff.

I knew all too well that I had no strength to fight him then. Swallowing my pride was the only way to survive.

When I stopped resisting, Ethan started coming more often. He even took the initiative to show me videos of the baby.

The day I was discharged, I didn't hesitate to file a lawsuit against him, demanding that he return my child to me. I had already consulted a lawyer. Children under three were usually awarded to the mother. Time was running out. I couldn't wait—and I wouldn't.

On the day of the hearing, Ethan arrived with his lawyer, impeccably dressed. When he saw me, arrogance was written all over his face. "Rachel, for old times' sake, if you just back off and drop the case, I can still make sure you have something to live on."

My eyes burned red. "Ethan, I'll fight you to the bitter end."

He sneered. "Stubborn to the core."

Ethan shot his lawyer a look, and the lawyer understood and submitted medical proof on the spot, claiming I was mentally unstable. They also produced photos from the hospital—me looking unhinged, pinned down by doctors as I was injected with sedatives. With the nanny's testimony added in, I lost the case completely.

I was beside myself, pointing at him and screaming. "Ethan, you bastard!"

Ethan brushed at his sleeve, his expression smug and defiant. "I gave you a chance, Rachel. You brought this on yourself. All these years, you've been living off me. Without me, how do you expect to survive out there?"

I screamed until my voice broke. "Ethan, I'd rather be out on the streets begging for scraps than ever let you push me around."