Prev
Next

Chapter 3

The morning light filtering through our bedroom window felt like a cruel joke. I'd barely slept, my mind racing with the horrifying truth I'd discovered. Alexander had married me for one purpose only—to use our baby to save Isabella. Today was the day they planned to execute their scheme.

Alexander entered our bedroom, his smile practiced and hollow. "Ready for the hospital tour, darling?"

I nodded, forcing my features into what I hoped was a convincing expression of excitement. "Just need to grab my purse."

"Isabella's joining us," he added casually, adjusting his Rolex. "She's curious about where her niece or nephew will be born."

Of course she was. I bit back the bitter retort rising in my throat. Isabella wasn't interested in our baby as family—only as a medical resource.

Thirty minutes later, we were in Alexander's sleek black Bentley, gliding through Manhattan traffic. I sat in the back seat, Isabella beside me, while Alexander drove. The irony wasn't lost on me—the pregnant wife relegated to the back while the sister took the position of honor up front.

"The FDR should be faster this time of day," Alexander remarked, smoothly merging onto the highway.

My heart pounded against my ribs. The FDR Drive. Exactly as they'd planned.

Isabella turned to me, her smile serene but her eyes calculating. "Excited about becoming a mother, Sophia?"

"More than you can imagine," I replied, meeting her gaze steadily. For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in her expression—perhaps surprise at my intensity.

The traffic thickened as we approached Midtown. Alexander's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, and Isabella checked her watch repeatedly. They were getting anxious. Whatever they had planned was time-sensitive.

"There's quite a bit of traffic," I observed innocently. "Maybe we should reschedule?"

"No!" Isabella's response was too sharp, too quick. She composed herself with visible effort. "I mean, the hospital is expecting us. It would be rude to cancel."

Alexander's eyes met Isabella's in the rearview mirror. Some unspoken communication passed between them, and my stomach twisted with dread.

We were approaching a section where the highway curved alongside the East River. Traffic had begun to flow more smoothly. Isabella's posture changed, her body tensing like a predator preparing to strike.

"Alexander," she said softly, "now."

Everything happened at once. Isabella's hand shot out, grabbing the steering wheel. Alexander didn't fight her—instead, he pressed hard on the brakes. The car behind us had no time to react.

The impact was deafening. Metal crunched against metal as our car lurched forward violently. My seatbelt cut into my shoulder and abdomen. The airbags deployed with explosive force. My head snapped back, then forward.

Pain ripped through my abdomen—sharp, tearing, wrong. Warm liquid soaked my dress. My water had broken.

"Alexander," I gasped, reaching forward desperately.

But Alexander wasn't looking at me. He was already out of the car, rushing around to Isabella's door. I watched through the cracked window as he yanked it open, gathering her in his arms as she moaned theatrically.

"Help!" he shouted. "Someone help my sister!"

I pressed my hands against my belly, feeling contractions begin. "The baby," I whispered. "Please, someone help my baby."

But no one came. Through the haze of pain, I saw Alexander cradling Isabella, his back to me. He had made his choice.

Sirens wailed in the distance. Blood trickled down my face from a cut on my forehead. The contractions intensified, each one stealing my breath.

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" A paramedic's face appeared at my window. "We're going to get you out."

The next few minutes blurred together—the jaws of life cutting through the car door, gentle hands lifting me onto a stretcher, the paramedic's grave expression as he checked between my legs.

"Thirty-two weeks, active labor, significant bleeding," he reported into his radio. "Expedite to NewYork-Presbyterian."

Not Mount Sinai. Not where Alexander had arranged everything. As they loaded me into the ambulance, I caught a final glimpse of my husband. He stood watching, Isabella still in his arms, his face a mask of calculation rather than concern.

The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was the paramedic placing an oxygen mask over my face and saying, "Stay with us, mom. We're going to take care of you."

But I already knew it was too late.

I awakened to the antiseptic smell of a hospital room, my body feeling hollow and wrong. Through the fog of medication, I heard voices nearby.

"Poor thing," a female voice whispered—Nurse Chen, according to her badge. "The husband insisted on preserving the cord blood—even after the fetus died. Who does that?"

Fetus. Died.

The words penetrated my drug-induced haze like bullets. My baby was gone. And even in death, Alexander had harvested what he needed.

I closed my eyes, tears sliding silently down my cheeks. They had taken everything from me. But they didn't know what I knew. They didn't know I was awake, listening, remembering.

And they had no idea what I would do next.

Top Recommended Novels
Keep Reading!
Enjoying the story? Unlock more chapters in the Moonpage app
Unlock All Chapters
Continue Reading

You may also like

I Became the Lover of My Ex-Boyfriend's Archenemy
I Became the Lover of My Ex-Boyfriend's Archenemy
In this gripping young adult romance, a near-fatal betrayal forces a hospitalized survivor to fake a relationship with her ex's bitterest rival, Raleigh Landon. Navigating fractured memories and social lies, she must play a dangerous game of love to escape the boy who almost drowned her.
8.0
30 chapters
Leaving my genius Asperger husband and son
Leaving my genius Asperger husband and son
Feeling like an invisible ghost in her own home, she makes the heartbreaking choice to leave her brilliant, emotionally distant billionaire husband and their genius son. Can this fractured family learn to communicate, or is this modern romance novel a final goodbye?
8.7
10 chapters
Mate Beyond Scent
Mate Beyond Scent
A feared Alpha believes he's cursed to never smell his mate. Yet, he's inexplicably drawn to a woman hiding her true identity. In this gripping paranormal romance, she must guard her dangerous secrets while resisting the pull of the ultimate billionaire romance novel.
9.6
32 chapters
The CEO's Asset: Sold To My Enemy
The CEO's Asset: Sold To My Enemy
Betrayed by her boyfriend, a desperate legal counsel strikes a dangerous bargain with her family's ruthless rival. In this thrilling addition to dark romance books, she becomes the property of Wall Street's Ice King. Dive into one of the most intense billionaire romance novels today.
7.7
52 chapters
Divorce After Betrayal
Divorce After Betrayal
After her husband's devastating infidelity, she walks away from her marriage to reclaim her worth. Navigating a high-stakes divorce, she unexpectedly meets a powerful billionaire. This captivating contemporary romance novel proves that true love can rise from the ashes of betrayal.
9.0
10 chapters
After Six Years, His Mistress Claimed My Identity
After Six Years, His Mistress Claimed My Identity
In this gripping billionaire romance novel, a betrayed wife returns after six years only to find her husband's mistress has stolen her entire identity. To reclaim her life and expose the lies, she must confront the powerful man who broke her heart. Read this contemporary romance today.
9.2
10 chapters