Chapter 2 · You Never Deserved My Love

I saw a shadowy figure coming closer.

But then the homeless guy muttered, "She's bad luck." Then he suddenly spun around and tried to make a run for it.

He said, "Forget it. She's almost gone. I'm out. Keep your money."

The pain crashed over me again, tearing me apart from the inside.

Matthew's friends started snickering and cracking jokes.

One of them scoffed. "Where'd you dig up this homeless guy? He's got less backbone than a dog. Get him outta here."

Another guy burst out laughing."So, is the bet still on? Even the bum can't do it. Don't tell me Matt's gotta step in himself, heh."

Matthew looked totally disgusted.

"Enough," he snapped. "You're making Sharon sick. If you all think the guy I found got less backbone than a dog, then let's use a real dog."

Matthew loved big dogs. He kept two of them in the backyard, and they were fed raw meat every day.

A few minutes later, I heard their barking echoing closer and closer.

The blood on me drove them nuts. As soon as they broke free, they came charging right at me.

I was so scared that I could barely breathe, like I was about to drown in pure terror.

No matter how hard I struggled, it was useless.

The two ferocious dogs sank their teeth into my arm and thigh, thrashing their heads and ripping at me, like I was a piece of raw meat.

Blood spread out beneath me in a huge, sticky puddle. The pain was so overwhelming that it drowned out everything else. I couldn't even feel my own body anymore.

Grinding my teeth until I thought they'd crack, I forced all my agony into a single, broken sentence.

I shouted, "You're killing me. This is murder!"

Sharon pouted, clinging to Matthew's arm, "This is so scary. She's bleeding so much. What if she actually dies? Maybe you guys should just stop this."

Matthew's friends started chiming in, all talking at once.

"So Matt loses the bet, right?" one said.

"Easy money. Thanks, Matt," another said.

Matthew's voice was full of disgust.

He sneered, "She's nothing but a pathetic act. I knew she wouldn't last. Sharon's so freaked out that her face is white. Sharon, let's get you out of here.

"Someone call an ambulance and get her out of the villa. I don't want her scaring Sharon any more."

Then everything went dark as I passed out in a pool of my own blood.

I drifted back halfway, just enough to feel someone dump me on the street outside the villa, and I could feel both my life and my baby's draining away fast.

The wail of an ambulance siren cut through the air.

Voices reached me, doctors talking fast, trying to keep me awake.

Someone said, "Where's her family? She's bleeding out and has an amniotic fluid embolism. We need consent for surgery now!"

"There's no family. The caller said she was found outside their home, attacked by stray dogs. They just called us and sent a maid to check on her. That's it," another replied.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't open my eyes.

I had no idea how long I was out, but when I finally woke up, the room was silent. There was no baby crying.

I tried to sit up, looking around desperately, but Helen Evert, the maid, gently held me down and pushed me back against the pillows.

She said, "You just barely made it through. You were out for a whole day and night. Don't even try to move yet."

She sighed again, "The baby didn't make it, but you're still here. You have to hold on, understand?"

I struggled to take it in.

After what felt like forever, I finally came to, clutching her hand, desperate.

I begged, "Where's my baby?"

My phone was gone, and all my birth parents' contacts were saved on it. I had no way to reach them.

Matthew had replaced every staff member from my adoptive mother Audrey Quinn's time.

Even though I knew Helen was on Matthew's side, she was the only one I could turn to.

I begged, "Please, help me. I just want to take my baby and get out of here."

Helen looked away, stammering as she avoided my eyes.

She said, "I asked Mr. Quinn, and he told me to have the baby cremated right away. It's just heartbreaking.

"But I managed to bring the ashes back for you. Please don't blame me, okay? I'm just an employee. I did what I could."

With that, she turned and grabbed an urn from the foot of the bed, opened it, and set it down next to me.

She said, "It's all here."

I forced myself up, straining to look inside.

After the cremation, what remained of my baby was so small that it didn't even fill the tiniest corner of the urn.

I didn't dare cry.

I was afraid that if a single tear fell into the ashes, it would wash them away into nothing.

Before Audrey passed away, her biggest regret was never getting to meet my baby.

I wanted to lay my baby to rest beside her, so they could keep each other company.

Suddenly, the phone rang, shattering the silence.

Matthew's voice came through, cold and commanding.

He ordered, "If she's still alive, bring her back. We'll use her to test the new postpartum care teams. Let's see which ones are actually competent. I'll choose the two best for Sharon."

Chapter 2

I saw a shadowy figure coming closer.

But then the homeless guy muttered, "She's bad luck." Then he suddenly spun around and tried to make a run for it.

He said, "Forget it. She's almost gone. I'm out. Keep your money."

The pain crashed over me again, tearing me apart from the inside.

Matthew's friends started snickering and cracking jokes.

One of them scoffed. "Where'd you dig up this homeless guy? He's got less backbone than a dog. Get him outta here."

Another guy burst out laughing."So, is the bet still on? Even the bum can't do it. Don't tell me Matt's gotta step in himself, heh."

Matthew looked totally disgusted.

"Enough," he snapped. "You're making Sharon sick. If you all think the guy I found got less backbone than a dog, then let's use a real dog."

Matthew loved big dogs. He kept two of them in the backyard, and they were fed raw meat every day.

A few minutes later, I heard their barking echoing closer and closer.

The blood on me drove them nuts. As soon as they broke free, they came charging right at me.

I was so scared that I could barely breathe, like I was about to drown in pure terror.

No matter how hard I struggled, it was useless.

The two ferocious dogs sank their teeth into my arm and thigh, thrashing their heads and ripping at me, like I was a piece of raw meat.

Blood spread out beneath me in a huge, sticky puddle. The pain was so overwhelming that it drowned out everything else. I couldn't even feel my own body anymore.

Grinding my teeth until I thought they'd crack, I forced all my agony into a single, broken sentence.

I shouted, "You're killing me. This is murder!"

Sharon pouted, clinging to Matthew's arm, "This is so scary. She's bleeding so much. What if she actually dies? Maybe you guys should just stop this."

Matthew's friends started chiming in, all talking at once.

"So Matt loses the bet, right?" one said.

"Easy money. Thanks, Matt," another said.

Matthew's voice was full of disgust.

He sneered, "She's nothing but a pathetic act. I knew she wouldn't last. Sharon's so freaked out that her face is white. Sharon, let's get you out of here.

"Someone call an ambulance and get her out of the villa. I don't want her scaring Sharon any more."

Then everything went dark as I passed out in a pool of my own blood.

I drifted back halfway, just enough to feel someone dump me on the street outside the villa, and I could feel both my life and my baby's draining away fast.

The wail of an ambulance siren cut through the air.

Voices reached me, doctors talking fast, trying to keep me awake.

Someone said, "Where's her family? She's bleeding out and has an amniotic fluid embolism. We need consent for surgery now!"

"There's no family. The caller said she was found outside their home, attacked by stray dogs. They just called us and sent a maid to check on her. That's it," another replied.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't open my eyes.

I had no idea how long I was out, but when I finally woke up, the room was silent. There was no baby crying.

I tried to sit up, looking around desperately, but Helen Evert, the maid, gently held me down and pushed me back against the pillows.

She said, "You just barely made it through. You were out for a whole day and night. Don't even try to move yet."

She sighed again, "The baby didn't make it, but you're still here. You have to hold on, understand?"

I struggled to take it in.

After what felt like forever, I finally came to, clutching her hand, desperate.

I begged, "Where's my baby?"

My phone was gone, and all my birth parents' contacts were saved on it. I had no way to reach them.

Matthew had replaced every staff member from my adoptive mother Audrey Quinn's time.

Even though I knew Helen was on Matthew's side, she was the only one I could turn to.

I begged, "Please, help me. I just want to take my baby and get out of here."

Helen looked away, stammering as she avoided my eyes.

She said, "I asked Mr. Quinn, and he told me to have the baby cremated right away. It's just heartbreaking.

"But I managed to bring the ashes back for you. Please don't blame me, okay? I'm just an employee. I did what I could."

With that, she turned and grabbed an urn from the foot of the bed, opened it, and set it down next to me.

She said, "It's all here."

I forced myself up, straining to look inside.

After the cremation, what remained of my baby was so small that it didn't even fill the tiniest corner of the urn.

I didn't dare cry.

I was afraid that if a single tear fell into the ashes, it would wash them away into nothing.

Before Audrey passed away, her biggest regret was never getting to meet my baby.

I wanted to lay my baby to rest beside her, so they could keep each other company.

Suddenly, the phone rang, shattering the silence.

Matthew's voice came through, cold and commanding.

He ordered, "If she's still alive, bring her back. We'll use her to test the new postpartum care teams. Let's see which ones are actually competent. I'll choose the two best for Sharon."