Chapter 1

I was eight months pregnant when I suddenly went into labor. However, my husband, Aldrich Lohan, locked me up in the basement instead and gave me a tocolytic injection to delay labor.

He did all of these simply because he wanted the child of his sister-in-law to be born first. That way, my child wouldn't be able to inherit the rights to being the heir of his family as the firstborn grandchild.

The basement was cold and damp, the chill seeping into my bones. I felt my arms and legs go numb, and yet, the pain in my uterus nearly made me pass out.

I begged with all of my life for Aldrich to send me to the hospital, but he refused to change his mind.

"Anton saved my life," he said, referring to his older brother, Anton, who had married Chrissy.

"But after his death, he's survived only by Chrissy's baby. I must let her baby inherit all the rights to the family! Chrissy lost nearly everything, but you're still here, enjoying everything I give you like you're entitled to all of it. This is just a small compromise, Kelsey."

My vision was starting to black out. Even though the drug was already circulating in my bloodstream, the pain never let up. In fact, the pain just got more and more unbearable.

I fought hard out of my constraints and fell off the bed. Then, I crawled over to Aldrich's feet and tugged at the hem of his pants. "Please, I'm begging you, Aldrich, send me to the hospital. My child will die like this!"

Aldrich hesitated, his heart softening just a tiny bit right at that moment. But just as he was about to speak, the private doctor next to him, Orlando Walters, suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lohan. The injection I administered is the most advanced drug of its kind around the world. Nothing bad will happen to your wife or your baby."

I watched helplessly as the brief moment of gentleness in Aldrich's eyes turned ice-cold, laced with a hint of frustration. He then kicked me aside.

"Dr. Walters says you're fine, so why are you still lying? Chrissy was pregnant for nine whole months, and you're telling me that you're about to give birth at eight? Who knows whether you're inducing labor on purpose?"

I held a hand to my stomach, which was contracting tremendously, and moaned aloud in pain.

"I'm not lying! It really hurts… Aldrich, I swear to God, I won't let my child claim his inheritance rights. Please, just let me give birth!"

However, Aldrich couldn't care less about my cries for help anymore.

"I don't believe you. Even if there's just a slight chance of it happening, I refuse to let anyone take away the rights from Chrissy's baby."

With that, he shut the basement door behind him and turned to leave.

I forced myself to calm down. I grabbed my phone and tried to call for help, but I realized then that Aldrich had even removed the SIM card from it, and there was no way for me to make a call.

I was wrought with despair. In the end, I could only drag my huge belly all the way over to the door and slam my hands against it as loudly as I could, crying for help.

Finally, I heard movement at the door. I grasped at the last of my hopes as I yelled, "Help! Help me! I'm locked in the basement, and I'm about to give birth!"

However, the voice that replied from the other side of the door sent a deep chill down my back.

"Mrs. Lohan, I've already administered the tocolytic drug via injection. There's no way you're giving birth."

It was Dr. Walters' voice.

He was supposedly the best gynaecologist in the country, and Aldrich had hired him to take care of me and Chrissy ever since both of us got pregnant. However, Dr. Walters heavily favored Chrissy over me. He was only concerned about her and only took great care of her without ever asking me if I was doing fine.

It wasn't until I suddenly went into early labor, sending Aldrich into a state of panic, that Dr. Walters suddenly informed him of a drug that would supposedly stop labor and delay contractions for the time being.

That was why I ended up being locked in the basement.

"That drug isn't working! I feel like I'm going to die from the pain! Please, please just let me out!"

"I think there's been a misunderstanding, Mrs. Lohan," Dr. Walters replied. "The drug is only supposed to prolong your pregnancy and stop contractions. I never said that it'd make it feel any less painful."

I was in so much pain that my tears just kept flowing down my face. My entire body felt damp and wet. I didn't even know whether it was from sweat or blood anymore.

"But if it continues like this, I'm going to die from the pain! If you don't send me to the hospital, my child is going to die…"

There were a few seconds of silence at the door. Dr. Walters probably finally felt a little sorry for me after hearing my painful screams through the door. He took out his phone and made a call to Aldrich.

"Mr. Lohan, Mrs. Lohan says that she's in a lot of pain. Should I give her an epidural?"

When I heard Aldrich's voice on the other end of the line, I screamed as loudly as I could so that he could hear me. He was my last hope, after all.

"Aldrich! Please! I'm going to pass out from the pain! The baby will die if that happens!"

Aldrich went silent for a long while, as if he was thinking. He finally decided to say something a short while later.

"If that's the case, let her—"

However, his sentence got interrupted by a soft, gentle female voice right next to him.

"Aldrich, can you get me a pudding cup? I suddenly feel like having one. Oh, is that Kelsey? Is she also going into labor? You don't have to worry about her. Giving birth doesn't hurt a single bit at all. Dr. Walters takes really, really good care of us.

"Look! I can even stand up and dance for you now, if you want me to. Also, Dr. Walters is attending to her now, isn't he? I believe nothing bad will happen to her."

As soon as he heard this, Aldrich's tone immediately turned angry as he changed his mind.

"What epidural does she want? Chrissy isn't even hurting one bit at nine months! Don't you dare fall for her pity tricks!"

And then, Aldrich ended the call.

I heard Dr. Walters' voice from the other side of the door again. "You heard him, Mrs. Lohan. Mr. Lohan forbade the epidural."

I lay on the ground in despair as the excruciating pain wracked through my entire body. Of course, Chrissy wouldn't feel a single hint of pain!

Dr. Walters had only ever been taking good care of her since she got pregnant. He personally planned out her pregnancy diet, living situation, and also gave her regular prenatal checks. But he never once did anything for me.

Once, I twisted my ankle at the top of the stairs and suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot across my belly. He just casually glanced at me and said that it wasn't like I was going to lose the baby because of that, and then left.

Moreover, Aldrich had sent Chrissy to Thornton Hospital, the best private hospital in the entire city. They took immaculate care of her there.

She wasn't the one being locked up in the basement, being forcefully held down against the bed as tocolytic injections were administered into her, or getting kicked in the belly.

Of course, she wouldn't feel any pain at all!