Chapter 6

I started forcing myself to eat. No matter how bad the morning sickness was, for the sake of the child, I forced myself to swallow.

I silently swore that no matter how stormy it got outside, I would do everything to protect this little life.

However, this brief peace lasted only two days.

That afternoon, Alexander walked in with the doctor.

Unlike his previous ecstasy, Alexander's face was as pale as a sheet, and he looked like he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Ivy..." Alexander's voice was terribly hoarse. He sat by the bed and buried his head deep in my palms. "The doctor says your heart can't handle the pregnancy. If you insist on having this baby, you will die."

I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

I looked at the doctor in disbelief.

The doctor avoided my gaze and whispered, "Donna , your vitals are alarming. If the pregnancy continues, there is a high probability that both of you will die. The Don made this decision for your safety."

"No! You're lying!" I pushed Alexander away like a madwoman and shrank into the corner of the bed. "My health has always been fine! How could I have heart disease! I want a different doctor! I want a re-examination!"

"Ivy! Calm down!" Alexander rushed over and hugged me tightly, his eyes red. "I want this child too! But I can't lose you! We can have children later!"

To comfort me, Alexander cupped my face and said something that plunged me into an ice cave:

"Ivy, listen to me. I know you like children... Elena is due soon. I've arranged it. When she gives birth, I'll give that child to you to raise. It will be under your name. That will be our child..."

My blood froze instantly.

This was the ultimate cruelty.

He wanted to kill my own flesh and blood, then make me raise my enemy's child?

"Alexander, you are a devil..." I looked at him in despair, the last light in my eyes extinguishing. "I hate you... I will hate you forever!"

No matter how I resisted, I was forcibly pushed into the operating room.

On the cold operating table, the anesthesiologist injected the drugs.

But I didn't lose consciousness completely.

My body couldn't move, but I could clearly feel the cold instruments entering me. The excruciating pain of flesh being stripped away made me want to scream, but I couldn't make a sound.

Amidst this hellish torture, I heard the sound of high heels outside the door.

Then, Elena's triumphant voice.

"Oh, how pitiful." She seemed to be standing right next to the operating table, looking down at me. "Such a healthy baby, turned into a pool of blood just like that."

"Miss Elena, keep your voice down," came the attending doctor's voice. "Although she was given anesthesia, the patient might still be subconsciously aware."

"What are you afraid of? Here is the check for one million dollars. Take it." Elena chuckled lightly. "Thanks to your forged medical report. Not only did you help me get rid of this bastard, but you also filled Alexander with guilt toward her. Now, let's see who can shake my position."

So... that was it!

Agony and hatred intertwined, almost exploding my chest.

There was no heart disease! My baby was healthy!

They conspired to murder him!

Tears slid silently from the corners of my eyes, mixed with cold sweat.

Alexander, Elena... I swear, as long as I don't die, I will make you pay with blood!

After the surgery, I was wheeled back to the ward.

The anesthesia hadn't worn off, and everyone thought I was still in a coma. Alexander guarded me for a while before his men called him out to deal with a family emergency.

The room was empty.

I struggled to open my eyes.

With trembling hands, I reached into the hidden compartment inside my pillow and found the micro-communicator I had hidden for a long time—the last card Papa left me before he was taken.

I dialed an encrypted number.

It connected quickly, and an old, steady voice answered, "Princess?"

It was one of Papa's loyalists, an expert in explosives and forgery.

My throat was dry and hoarse. "Prepare some supplies for me."

After hanging up, I flushed the communicator down the toilet.

After that, I became like a walking corpse, refusing to say a single word to Alexander.

Meanwhile, opposition within the family grew louder.

The elders were already dissatisfied with me. Now that I was the "daughter of a traitor" and had lost the heir, they unanimously demanded that Alexander depose me as Donna .

Alexander was under immense pressure.

To quell the anger of the masses, and to give me a chance at "rebirth."

"Ivy, you know the family rules." He looked at me with a depth I didn't understand. "Accept the 'Judgment of the Revolver.' Russian Roulette."

"One bullet, one in six chance. If you survive, the past is wiped clean."