Chapter 1

1

The day of the crash, Sebastian Vaughn ignored my life-threatening injuries.

He carried away his first love, Gwen Elara, who only had a tiny scratch on her arm.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, weakly begging for help.

He just watched from the sidelines with a cold, detached gaze.

"It's just a little blood, Xyla. You won't die," he said.

"Gwen is terrified of pain. I'll come back for you later."

But Sebastian never came back.

He had no idea that I lost our three-month-old miracle that day.

My heart turned to ash.

......

The moment I learned the tiny heartbeat inside me had stopped, the pain made my entire body tremble.

The doctor tried to offer comforting words, his face full of pity.

"We need to notify her family immediately. It would be best for her recovery," he suggested.

"Family? Don't you already know him?" my best friend, Seraphina, spat out.

"The great Dr. Sebastian Vaughn ignored his pregnant wife and still hasn't shown his face. Why? Is he dead? If so, tell me where the party is so I can go celebrate."

The doctors and nurses looked embarrassed and hurried out of the room.

I tremblingly placed my hand on my lower stomach. It was flat.

Only yesterday, a life was blooming there. Sometimes I thought I could feel its vibrant energy, but now, there was nothing.

Tears fell like heavy stones, and I sobbed until I couldn't breathe.

Seraphina didn't know how to comfort me, so she just cried along, cursing under her breath.

"I always knew Sebastian was a cold-blooded snake. You served him hand and foot all these years, and you even carried his child, yet he treats you like trash."

She sounded truly heartbroken. I loosened my clenched fists, revealing palms covered in blood where my nails had dug in.

It was so red. Just as red as the day of the crash.

It happened in the evening. I was out for a stroll to help with my digestion when I ran into Gwen.

She was incredibly unreasonable, blocking my path no matter which way I tried to go. I looked at her, confused.

Before I could say a word, a car slammed into me and sent me flying.

The second the pain hit, I tried desperately to protect my belly.

But against such a violent impact, my efforts were useless.

I could only watch as a crimson pool spread beneath me. My stomach felt like it was going to explode.

Gwen pretended to crawl toward me with effort, but I heard her. The moment the car sped away, she whispered.

"Just die. Once your brat is gone, Sebastian will belong entirely to me."

This was a premeditated murder. I suppressed my grief and called the police.

My baby was only three months old. He never got a chance to see the world before he vanished, so his killer had to pay!

A day after I gave my statement, the police arrived at my hospital room. Sebastian was with them.

He walked into the ward impatiently, his face like a mask of ice.

"Have you had enough of this drama? It was an accident. You only have a few scratches, yet you have the nerve to call the police?"

"By your logic, since you were both there, I have reason to suspect you were the one trying to commit a crime."

He spoke clearly, his words sharp and calculated.

I had expected this. A coward who abandons his pregnant wife at a crash scene would never stand by me.

"Sir, please watch your tone with the patient. We are here to investigate a case," the officer said, glancing at Sebastian professionally.

I detached myself from the sadness and tried to keep my voice steady.

"I walk there every day for exercise. There have never been accidents. Yesterday, Miss Elara blocked me several times. The surveillance cameras can prove it, so I have reason to..."

"Xyla, give it a rest! Gwen only went to see you to apologize. She was hurt too. Her face was white with pain. Are you blind?"

He directed all his fury at me, venting as if I were his worst enemy.

The officer frowned. I quickly grabbed Seraphina's wrist to stop her from lunging at him.

There was no point in explaining things to a man this blind and heartless. He was a fool, and I hated that I was only seeing it clearly now―after it cost my baby's life.

After Sebastian was escorted out, the police collected more evidence and didn't leave until evening.

I stared blankly out the window. The sunset was even redder than yesterday.