Chapter 1

Silas Sterling―the man who once gave me a world of warmth.

Now, because of Bianca White's schemes and lies, he looks at me like I am his greatest enemy.

He truly believes the child in my womb is a bastard.

"Get out! Get the hell out of here! I don't ever want to see your filthy face again!" Silas's voice was as cold as ice, cutting through me as he held Bianca in his arms.

I stumbled toward the door in utter despair.

As I collapsed at the top of the stairs, I felt a sharp, tearing pain.

I looked down to see blood pooling between my legs.

"Help... the baby... please... help me..."

01

The scent of disinfectant stung my nose as I lay trembling on the delivery table.

The C-section incision felt like a jagged tear across my abdomen.

Blood had soaked through three layers of padding, clinging to my inner thighs, cold and viscous.

The air conditioning in the delivery room was broken.

A freezing January wind whistled through the cracks in the window, turning my exposed arms a sickly shade of blue.

"Mr. Sterling, the patient has lost over 5000cc of blood! We need to start a transfusion immediately!" The nurse rushed to the door, waving a blood type chart.

I forced my head to the side, catching a glimpse of Silas Sterling's back as he made a phone call.

He was wearing a charcoal-grey custom suit today.

The luxury watch peeking from his cuff glinted under the harsh fluorescent lights.

It was a painful contrast to the old, jagged scars on my wrist.

"Be a good girl, Bianca. Don't be scared," his voice was so soft it could have melted sugar.

My fingers subconsciously brushed the wedding ring on my fourth finger.

"I've asked the housekeeper to make that organic bone broth you like. I'll be back to feed you soon."

"Silas!" I rasped, my vision blurring from the agony. "Sign the consent form! I need blood!"

He hung up and turned around.

His eyes, hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses, swept over me like I was a piece of trash.

"Lyra Moore, what kind of pathetic game are you playing now?"

He tossed his phone onto the bedside table.

The screen was still lit, showing a selfie Bianca White had sent him.

She was wearing my silk robe, posing with a peace sign on our marriage bed.

Her belly was slightly rounded.

"I'm not playing games," I choked out, blood bubbling in my throat.

I gripped the bedsheets with all my strength. "The baby... our son..."

"Your son," he corrected me sharply.

He pulled a folder from his briefcase and slapped it against my face.

"See for yourself. This DNA report. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

The sting of the paper cutting my cheek was nothing compared to the ice-cold void in my chest.

I recognized that report.

Bianca had "accidentally" dropped it in front of me last week.

The results clearly stated: "Paternity Excluded."

But I remembered perfectly.

During the time I conceived, Silas had stayed at my place for two whole weeks because he was drunk and vulnerable.

"It's fake!" I struggled to sit up, but he kicked me squarely in the chest.

The pain from my incision exploded, sending stars dancing across my vision.

"Fake?" He leaned down and grabbed my chin.

His grip was so tight I thought he might shatter the bone.

"Lyra, you married into the Sterling family carrying a bastard. You played me for three years. You still have the nerve to lie?"

The heart monitor let out a piercing alarm as my blood pressure plummeted.

Through my fading vision, I saw a nurse rush in holding a bundle.

"Mr. Sterling, the baby is suffocating! We need to resuscitate him right now!"

Silas didn't move.

He looked at the infant―a tiny life born two months early, weighing barely three pounds.

He didn't even flinch.

"Throw it away," he said carelessly. "There's no point wasting resources on a mistake."

"Silas Sterling, you're a monster!" I screamed, trying to lung at him.

The IV tubes yanked me back, slamming me onto the bed.

I didn't notice Bianca standing at the door.

She was wrapped in Silas's overcoat, her hand over her mouth in a look of "shock."

"Lyra, how could you speak to Silas like that? He's the victim here..."

She cut herself off, clutching her stomach.

"Oh! The baby kicked. He must be frightened..."

Silas immediately rushed to her side, his voice full of a tenderness I had never heard.

"Careful, Bianca. I told you not to come to a place like this. It's bad luck."

As they turned to leave, I saw Bianca look back.

She mouthed a single sentence to me: "I'll take good care of your son."

The heart monitor's alarm flatlined into a steady, haunting drone.

I stared at the cracks in the ceiling and started to laugh.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, blooming like a dark flower on the white pillowcase.

Remember this, Silas Sterling.

Even if I have to crawl back from hell as a ghost, I will never let you go.