1 Clutching the thin paper of my lab results, I took a deep breath. I forced a playful smile, telling Sebastian that I was pregnant. I joked that if he did not propose soon, my little secret was going to show. Instead of the joy I expected, a mocking smirk spread across Sebastian's face. He casually leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Babe, stop joking around. You know I'm already married. How could I possibly propose to you?" My mind went completely blank. I stared at him, convinced my ears were ringing. Without missing a beat, Sebastian pulled a leather bound marriage certificate from his inner jacket pocket and tossed it onto the marble island. His name was printed right there as the groom. Beside it, the bride's name was glaringly obvious. Raina Coburn. He crossed his arms, defending himself with absolute confidence. He told me he knew I loved him for who he was, not for some meaningless piece of paper. Then his tone shifted. He sighed, acting like the victim. He explained that Raina was different. If he did not give her the official title of wife, she would dump him and cut off his funding. Finally, he looked at me with this sickening, pleading expression. "Hazel, you love me so much. You wouldn't want to see me heartbroken over a breakup, right?" Tears blurred my vision. My throat felt like it was closing up. "But I'm pregnant, Sebastian." He just let out a indifferent hum. "Right. Go get that taken care of." He walked over and patted my cheek as if I were a disobedient pet. "I already promised Raina. My firstborn has to be hers." I looked at the man I had loved for years, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why are you doing this to me?" Sebastian rolled his eyes, looking completely bored. "Hazel, don't you always say true love is about sacrifice? I have feelings for Raina now. What is the big deal about making a little sacrifice for me?" He leaned in closer. "If Raina and I break up, I'll be miserable. Do you really want me to suffer? If you actually love me, you'll tolerate my wandering eye." The sheer audacity of his words made my stomach churn. I bit my lower lip hard enough to taste blood. "We are done. I want a breakup." Sebastian froze for a second. Then he burst out laughing, a cruel, grating sound. "Break up? Sure. But you are still getting rid of that kid." His utter lack of empathy paralyzed me. Seeing me go quiet, his arrogant smirk returned. "I knew you couldn't actually leave me. Hazel, drop the fake outrage. If you pull a stunt like this again, I will actually dump you. And crying on your knees won't save you." My hands curled into tight fists. My fingernails dug so hard into my palms they broke the skin. I stared straight into his eyes, holding onto one last, desperate thread of hope. "This is a sick prank, isn't it?" He didn't answer. Instead, his hand reached out to gently stroke my jawline. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It had to be a prank. The Sebastian who loved me fiercely would never humiliate me like this. But a split second later, his hand slid down from my jaw and clamped around my throat. He squeezed, hard. I gasped in pain, my mouth opening on instinct. In that exact moment, Sebastian shoved a small pill to the back of my throat. It slid down my windpipe and dropped into my stomach before I could even process what was happening. I collapsed to my knees on the hardwood floor, clutching my neck, gagging and coughing violently. Tears streamed down my face, but nothing came up. "What did you just give me?" I choked out. Sebastian wiped his fingers on a napkin. "The abortion pill. Raina made it very clear. This problem needs to be flushed away." My heart plummeted into an endless abyss. Within minutes, vicious cramps twisted my lower abdomen. Huge drops of cold sweat rolled down my forehead. I dragged myself into the bathroom, my body completely giving out. I collapsed onto the cold tiles. My head hit the porcelain toilet bowl with a sickening thud. Sebastian didn't even check on me. From the living room, I could hear the loud, booming sound effects of his video game console. I was in so much physical and emotional agony that I couldn't even cry anymore. Right then, my phone buzzed on the floor. It was a text. "Sweetheart, your father and I booked the main ballroom at The Belvedere Estate. Bring your boyfriend tonight." I wiped a tear away with a trembling hand and typed back. "Mom, I'm coming alone. We broke up." I had been abducted when I was five years old. It was only three days ago that I finally reunited with my biological parents. They had spent twenty years searching for me. When we finally met, they cried until they could barely breathe. That was also when I found out my real family possessed unimaginable wealth and power. My original plan was to let Sebastian propose today, and then bring him to meet my parents as my fiancé. Now, that dream was dead. The bathroom door was suddenly kicked open. Sebastian marched in, looking annoyed. "Is it out yet?" I refused to look at him. Without warning, he reached down and started ripping at my clothes. I fought back with everything I had left, but I was weak and bleeding. He overpowered me easily. I lay there in a pool of my own blood, trying uselessly to cover myself. Sebastian held his phone up, pointing the camera right at the gruesome scene. "Wifey, don't worry. It's gone. I saw it myself." Raina's shrill voice echoed from the speakerphone. "Send me the video, Seb. I need to show my friends so we know this little rat isn't faking it." She was going to leak the video. Blind panic surged through my veins. I forced myself up, lunging for his phone. But Sebastian just stepped back with a playful smirk. He treated me like a dancing monkey, snapping more photos of my pathetic, bloodstained state. Bitterness and despair choked me. "We loved each other for years, Sebastian. How can you be this evil?" His face went stone cold. "Do you have any idea what I went through for you? I begged Raina for months to let me keep you as a side piece. I didn't throw you out on the street. I have been more than generous. Why are you so ungrateful?" A gut-wrenching sob tore from my throat. The room spun wildly, and I collapsed back into the blood. Raina giggled through the phone. "You know what, Seb? I finally get it. Hazel is just like that stray dog you took in a few years ago. I really shouldn't be jealous of a dog, should I?" Sebastian immediately chimed in. "See how forgiving Raina is? Say thank you, Hazel." I stayed dead silent. Sebastian actually stepped forward, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me hard. "Did you hear me?" I had just lost my baby. Every nerve in my body felt like it was being stabbed with needles. The shaking made me feel like my bones were snapping in half. Tortured by the pain, I squeezed two words through my teeth. "Thank you." Sebastian finally looked satisfied. He dropped me back onto the bloody floor and walked out. Laying on those freezing tiles, the tears refused to stop. I had always known I was a foster kid. The family that took me in treated me like garbage. They beat me over the smallest things and starved me constantly. Sebastian was the one who noticed my bruises in high school. He started sneaking me portions of his own lunch every day. When the mean kids cornered me and called me a beggar, Sebastian threw punches to protect me. Once, I accidentally broke a plate while doing chores. My foster parents tied me up and beat me, screaming that I was worthless trash. When I didn't show up to school for three days, Sebastian tracked down my address. He fought my foster parents to get to me. He was just a teenager. He got beaten black and blue, but he refused to back down until a neighbor finally called the cops. I thought about those memories constantly. My love for him was built on a foundation of profound gratitude. I gave him my soul. I gave him every penny I saved. I thought our bond was bulletproof. I never imagined he could become a monster. The bleeding was getting worse. A terrifying weakness washed over me. For a second, I thought it would be easier to just die right here on the floor. But then my biological parents flashed in my mind. They went through hell to find me. We had just found each other. I could not die. I had to survive for them. I dragged my fingers across the tile, desperately reaching for my phone to dial 911. But I was so weak I couldn't even lift my arm. Just as my fingertips brushed the screen, heavy footsteps entered the room. Someone snatched the phone away. I tried to look up to see who it was, but the world went pitch black, and I passed out. When I opened my eyes again, the smell of cheap antiseptic burned my nose. I was lying in a rundown, back-alley clinic. Sebastian was sitting in a plastic chair next to the cot. He crossed his legs, a twisted smile on his lips. "Hazel, I saved your life again. Why are you always so ungrateful?" My voice was a raspy whisper. "How am I ungrateful?" He ignored my question. He turned to the shady doctor in the corner. "Are we done here? As long as she's not bleeding out, she's fine." The doctor hesitated. "The bleeding has stopped for now, but she needs rest and..." Sebastian didn't even let him finish. He grabbed my arm and violently yanked me off the cot. I stumbled, barely able to stand, as he dragged me outside and shoved me into the passenger seat of his car. "Where are we going?" I gasped. He didn't say a word. The car ride was a dizzying, nauseating blur. When the engine finally cut off, I looked out the window. My breath hitched. The Belvedere Estate. This was the exact luxury venue where my parents were hosting their gala tonight. They were supposed to officially introduce me to high society. Why did Sebastian bring me here? Did he know about my parents? Before I could process anything, he dragged me out of the car by my wrist. He kicked open the heavy oak doors of a private VIP lounge. "Raina, I brought the trash." My heart stopped. I was tossed onto the plush carpet. Sitting on the leather sofas were a dozen women dressed in couture gowns. Raina sat in the center, dripping in diamonds. When she saw me, she dramatically pulled her feet up onto the sofa, acting totally disgusted. "Seb, get this filthy woman away from me. I don't want to look at her." Sebastian grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back. "Don't be scared, babe. I've got her handled." He glared down at me, his eyes full of venom. "Hazel, why did you go online and post rumors calling my wife a homewrecker?" I shook my head weakly. "I didn't." He let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Who else would it be? Do you really think playing the victim works anymore?" He stood up tall, pulling out his marriage certificate for the entire room to see. "Raina and I are legally married. We are husband and wife. This clout-chaser here isn't even a decent side piece. Don't believe a word she says." To prove his loyalty to his rich wife, Sebastian leaned down and slapped me hard across the face. My cheek burned, but I stayed glued to the floor. I didn't even flinch. I decided that slap repaid the debt of him saving me back in high school. We were officially even. Raina walked over in her designer heels. She put on a fake crying voice for her friends. "Hazel, Seb and I are married. Why are you so obsessed with destroying my life?" "I didn't post anything," I muttered. Raina leaned down, whispering directly into my ear so the others couldn't hear. "I know you didn't, you idiot. I made those posts myself. I did it to make Seb hate you. I wanted him to drag you here and humiliate you." She smirked. "Do you know why I chose this venue? There is a massive billionaire gala happening in the main ballroom tonight. All the elites are here. I am going to make sure everyone in this city knows you are a dirty mistress. You will never show your face in public again." I stared at her, my eyes wide with shock at her pure malice. Suddenly, Raina shrieked. She threw herself backward and started sobbing. "Why did you bite me!" Sebastian lost his mind. He stepped forward and kicked me squarely in the stomach. I curled into a ball as he rained kicks down on me, treating my body like a punching bag to vent his rage. When he finally backed away to catch his breath, Raina's wealthy friends swarmed me. They dumped cold iced lattes over my head. They tossed dirty napkins and trash on my clothes. They circled me like vultures, hurling insults. "You delusional gold-digger. You really thought you could marry into Sebastian's level?" "He's a VIP guest of Mr. Kensington tonight. You are nothing but street trash." "Exactly. Look around you. This is The Belvedere. You don't even belong in the parking lot." In my hazy, pain-filled state, I felt like a teenager again, surrounded by the bullies at my old school. But the boy who used to stand in front of me was now the one leading the pack. Suddenly, one of Raina's friends held up her phone. "Hey guys, look what I've got. It's a video of this whore getting her abortion." The entire group gasped and crowded around the screen. The video played my agonizing screams. But nobody in that room felt an ounce of pity. Their faces were twisted in pure disgust. One of them got so worked up she kicked me in the ribs. "You are disgusting. Trying to trap a man with a baby?" Another girl laughed. "Post it everywhere. Let's make her famous so guys know to avoid her." Pure terror gripped me. I scrambled up, desperately trying to snatch the phone, but someone shoved me from behind. Fingers grabbed at my clothes, tearing the fabric. Flashes went off everywhere as they recorded my humiliation. "Beat the homewrecker! Teach her a lesson!" they chanted. Running on pure adrenaline, I shoved through the circle of women and bolted for the lounge doors. But I barely made it into the grand hallway before they caught up to me. They pinned me against the marble wall, slapping me and shoving their cameras directly into my face. Through the gaps in the crowd, I locked eyes with Sebastian. He stood by the lounge door, watching me get torn apart without a single shred of emotion on his face. Just as my legs gave out, a booming voice echoed down the corridor, followed by heavy footsteps. A squad of men in dark suits forcefully shoved the screaming women aside. The girls immediately started cursing. "Mind your own business! Do you want to get sued?" "What, are you sleeping with this dirty mistress too?" "We'll get you canceled along with her!" But Sebastian's face instantly drained of all color. He practically sprinted down the hall, bowing his head in extreme submission. "Mr. Kensington! Good evening, sir. I'm Sebastian." The powerful man didn't even look at him. His eyes were locked on me. His chest heaved, and he looked like he was on the verge of breaking down in tears. I forced a weak, bloodstained smile. "Dad," I whispered. "You're here."
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