Chapter 4

Katherine walked in from the hallway, smiling sweetly. "Thanks to your designs, Tess, I made it to the finals. Since you're so generous, why not draw my final round designs as well?" she said.

I let out a disbelieving laugh. "In your dreams."

She pretended to be startled, tears welling up in an instant, and fled into Gabriel's arms. "Gabe, I just think that if I could win the design competition, then I'd be more worthy of you," she said.

With that single line, she altered the course of my future.

At a glance from Gabriel, Joshua suddenly grabbed me and dragged me toward the studio. "Ms. Carter, it's only a few more designs. It will not take much of your time," he said.

There were too many of them, and I clearly couldn't take them on by myself.

My C-section incision was tearing as I clung to the doorframe and pleaded, "My postpartum bleeding hasn't even cleared yet. A woman who just gave birth really needs rest."

Gabriel's gaze was calm. "You're an orphan. What are you acting delicate for? You used to harvest wheat in pouring rain for three days and nights just to get a bite to eat, and now you've learned to slack off?"

Katherine, who was pregnant, went out of her way to bring me a stool and spoke in a gentle tone. "Tess, don't be mad at Gabe. He's such a typical guy. He doesn't understand how hard it is for a woman right after giving birth.

"But I really do need your help. The finals are coming up in a few days, and you wouldn't let me down, would you?"

She pressed down hard on my shoulder, her gentle tone laced with a hidden threat.

Gabriel shot me a cold look before comforting Katherine softly. "She's tough and doesn't need rest. You don't need to feel guilty."

Then he bent down and gripped my chin.

"If you design something Kate is satisfied with in the next few days, I'll add another five million dollars to your divorce compensation. If not, I'll make you pay back every cent you've taken," he said.

I fixed my gaze on the man I had once loved. "You may not see me as a person, but my son is still waiting for me at the hospital."

A trace of hesitation flickered in Gabriel's eyes, but Katherine grabbed his hand.

"Gabe, I understand how Tess feels. If she doesn't want to help, maybe we should just let her go. But I might end up banned from the design competition for life, and Mr. Donovan Senior will never acknowledge me again," she said.

Holding her hand, Gabriel turned to me with a warning in his voice. "Tessa Carter, there's a vast gap between our financial situations. If I want to take custody of Adrian, it would be effortless. Think carefully."

It was an outright threat. Fighting back my rage, I stated my condition. "If you want me to design for her, fine. But I want my son with me."

They finally relented and brought Adrian to me.

The studio door was locked, so I couldn't leave. When I realized that all the baby formula in my maternity bag had been replaced with flour, and I could no longer produce milk due to exhaustion, I nearly broke down.

They wanted to starve my son.

How could people be this vicious? How could they push someone step by step into a hopeless situation?

I pounded on the door for a long time, but as expected, no one responded.

With shaking hands, I mixed the flour with water and fed Adrian the thin paste.

"Adrian, don't be scared. Once we get through this, I will find a way to take you out of here," I said.

Officer Rowland said that my parents were coming for me!

…

Katherine stopped by from time to time to check on my progress.