Chapter 5
Alison coughed hard. "I said, I don't know."
"The baby just got born. He can't be away from his mom. I know you're always trying to win me over, but how could you think of kidnapping a newborn?" Harrison grabbed Alison's chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Water flooded her lungs, and every cough made her injuries throb with agony.
"Why so quiet? Got nothing to say now?" Harrison pressed her against the icy tiles, his hands ripping at her clothes. "You're jealous Iliana has a kid, aren't you? Is that what you want? I'll make sure you get one too."
Realizing what Harrison was about to do, Alison fought back with everything she had.
She slapped Harrison across the face, hard.
Blood welled at the corner of his mouth, but Harrison just licked it away.
Harrison's face was icy as he pinned Alison down, and in the next moment, pain slammed into her so hard that she could barely breathe.
Her whole body shook, tears mixing with water as they streamed down her face.
She stared numbly at the ceiling above her, her voice barely a whisper. "Harrison, I hate you. I regret it."
She wished she'd never fallen for him, never wasted seven years loving him with all her heart.
Harrison pulled away from her completely, staring at her with that same icy indifference. "Is that enough for you? Or do you want me to go another round?"
Suddenly, the door was slammed open. Iliana rushed to Alison and begged, "Ms. Bradley, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to steal your man. Take Harrison. Give me back my baby. Please, I'm begging you."
Harrison rushed over and pulled her into his arms, shielding her. "You just had a baby. You need to rest."
Iliana pushed him away, wailing in agony. "My baby. Ms. Bradley, please, give me back my baby. I'm begging you."
Her cries drew a crowd, and when they saw Alison's clothes all messed up and her looking like she'd been through something intimate, everyone immediately knew what had happened.
The stares from the crowd cut right into Alison's heart like knives.
"What a shameless homewrecker. Has she gone completely crazy? Stealing the wife's baby and trying to seduce her husband."
"This woman is so vicious. She should be thrown in jail. Call the cops. Yeah, call the cops!"
Some people called the police, while others pulled out their phones, filming Alison at her lowest, most humiliating moment.
When Iliana heard someone call the police, panic flickered in her eyes.
"Don't call the police," she stammered. "As long as Alison brings my baby back, I won't press charges."
Harrison looked at her with concern. "Iliana, you're too kind."
Iliana's tears shattered the last bit of pity Harrison had for Alison. He grabbed Alison's arm and forced her to stand in front of the busy hospital entrance, right in public view.
As he dragged her, her clothes were so torn that they barely kept her decent, almost exposing her completely.
She clutched desperately at the scraps of fabric. The shame was overwhelming. She couldn't hold back anymore. Tears poured down her face. "Harrison, let go of me!"
No matter how hard she fought, Harrison's grip was unbreakable.
"Stand right here. You don't get to leave until you spill where the baby is." Harrison finally let go, staring at Alison's battered appearance, his tone as frosty as ever.
At the hospital entrance, people streamed by, their judgmental stares all landing on Alison.
Alison tried to escape, but Harrison stopped her, his voice still cold. "Alison, don't you want your parents' bodies back?"
Alison froze, all resistance draining from her. She collapsed at the hospital entrance, utterly defeated.
The sun blazed overhead, and the rough gravel dug into her skin. In no time, pain shot through her legs, and her vision blurred in and out of darkness.
A flash of pity crossed Harrison's eyes, but the thought of the newborn made him steel himself, pushing down any sympathy for Alison.
He was about to keep grilling her when his phone buzzed.
"Harrison, we found the baby. The doctor took him for a bath," someone called out on the line.
"What?" Harrison suddenly jerked his gaze down to Alison.
Only then did he notice how deathly pale she was. Her face was drained of all color, looking like a corpse.
'What have I done?' he thought.
Harrison hurriedly picked Alison up, his voice shaky with panic. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
He rushed back to the hospital room, cradling Alison in his arms, her clothes torn and her whole appearance a mess.
Seeing Iliana standing off to the side, Harrison confronted her for the first time. "Didn't you say you saw Alison take the baby?"
Iliana watched the whole scene unfold and then put on a show, squeezing out a few crocodile tears.
"Maybe... Maybe I saw it wrong," she whimpered, playing the victim. "Honey, why are you being so harsh with me? I'm your wife, aren't I? Why are you questioning me because of another woman?"
Harrison took a deep breath, swallowing his anger and trying to sound calmer. "I'm sorry. I lost my head."
He shot Alison a guilty look. "My wife just gave birth, so she's probably a bit out of sorts and must've seen it wrong. If there's anything you want, tell me. I'll make it right for you on her behalf."
'Wife? Make it right?' Alison scoffed in her heart. Her eyes were hollow as she stared blankly at the ceiling, numb and silent.
Only after all that pain did she realize that when her heart had been shattered beyond repair, she couldn't cry anymore.
Iliana came over, sobbing, and apologized, "I'm sorry, Alison. If you can forgive me, you can punish me however you want."
"Fine," Alison replied, her voice raspy.
Iliana's sobs stopped abruptly. "What?"
"Didn't you say you wanted my forgiveness? Then say 'you are sorry' 99 times at the hospital entrance."
Iliana bit her lip, giving Harrison a desperate, pleading look.
Harrison's voice was hoarse. "Iliana just had a baby. Her body can't take that."
"So, you think I could take it, huh? I'm the one who deserves this, right?" Alison gritted her teeth. "What did I ever do to you, Harrison? Why do you hate me so much? Is it because I—"
Before she could finish, Iliana suddenly shot to her feet. "I'll do it."