Chapter 1

My husband, Xavier Sterling, ordered a group of thugs to beat me until I lost my eight-month-old unborn baby. All because his ex-girlfriend, Lexi Leighton, framed me.

I begged him for mercy, but he sent me straight into a surgery room for a hysterectomy instead.

He told me I was disgusting. He said I didn't deserve to carry his bloodline ever again.

My own brother, Vance, believed Lexi's lies too. He hated me so much he wished I would just drop dead.

To clear Lexi's name for a crime she committed, they personally threw me into prison.

After years of torture behind bars, I finally decided to cut them out of my life forever.

But now, they are the ones kneeling at my feet, begging for my forgiveness.

……

"Please... don't hurt my baby..."

I was sprawled on the frozen ground, pleading with the thugs surrounding me.

They didn't say a word. They just kept kicking me with their heavy boots.

They kicked my stomach, my ribs, my head, and my face.

The winter wind was razor-sharp. A sudden, agonizing pain bloomed in my abdomen, and I felt something warm flowing out of me.

It stained the white snow a dark, terrifying color. As the sky grew dim, I couldn't even tell what was happening to my own body.

I used every ounce of strength to crawl toward Xavier. I grabbed the hem of his pants and forced my head up. "Xavier, please... make them stop... my stomach hurts so much..."

"You know how to feel pain?" he sneered. "Did you ask Lexi if she was in pain when you stabbed her?"

"She's lying in a hospital bed because of you! You deserve every bit of this!"

Xavier's voice sounded manic. His face was twisted in a mask of pure hatred.

He knelt down and gripped my jaw so hard I thought it would snap. "You're a vile bitch, Vera. Lexi is too kind to press charges, but that doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook."

He punctuated his words by slapping me hard across the face, several times.

My cheeks burned, and my vision blurred into a dizzying mess.

Still, for the sake of the life inside me, I clung to him. "Xavier... I didn't... I didn't stab her... she did it to her―"

The pain in my lower belly intensified. It felt like someone was using a dull knife to slowly carve the life out of me.

Xavier lost his temper at my denial. He raised his foot and kicked me square in the face.

The force sent me sliding across the icy ground until I slammed against a tree.

Under the pale moonlight, I saw the pool of blood staining the snow. It looked like a scene from a horror movie.

The cramping came in waves. I knew my baby was screaming for help.

I gritted my teeth and dragged myself back to Xavier, clutching his boots. "Please... for the sake of our child... have mercy. It's our baby..."

Xavier let out a cold, mocking laugh.

He looked down at my broken form with absolute disgust.

"Our child? You think you're worthy of carrying my child?"