Chapter 2

As soon as the doctor finished speaking, Everett dragged me into the room.

"Doctor, her blood type matches. Take it."

I struggled desperately, but Everett held me down. I could only watch as the needle pierced my arm.

Everett stroked my cheek soothingly and coaxed in a gentle voice, "It'll be over soon. Think of it as atonement for what you did."

I squeezed my eyes shut and emptied my heart of every ounce of feelings I had for Everett.

After two bags, I started to collapse, but Everett gripped my arm tightly. A hint of urgency crept into his voice as he said, "Doctor, shouldn't we draw more for the two children?"

The doctor shook his head quickly. "No, we can't. If we draw any more, Ms. Quinn will die."

Without hesitation, Everett pushed my arm forward.

Cold sweat poured down my face. I opened my mouth, trembling. "Everett, let me go. Their kidnapping had nothing to do with me!"

Everett just looked at me with disappointment. "You're still making excuses."

In the end, they forced me to give two more vials.

Pain flickered in Everett's eyes. He reached out to help me up.

The next second, Autumn called his name frantically from inside the hospital room. Everett turned and walked away without hesitation.

After the transfusion, they tied me to the floor beneath the twins' hospital bed like some kind of animal.

Everett's parents glared at me furiously. When they saw I was awake, his mother, Emilia Crawford, slapped me across the face.

"You're an animal! We were right to oppose you and Everett from the start! How could you hurt two three-year-old children?"

Emilia beat me until I could barely breathe. Everett just stood there watching.

In the past, he would have rushed over to shield me and take the blows with me, but now...

His hand trembled slightly as he fed the twins their soup. The eyes that used to look at me with love now held only coldness.

"Just bear it, Stella. You brought this on yourself."

Emilia laughed coldly and kicked me in the stomach.

I felt blood flow from between my legs. The very next second, I collapsed heavily to the floor.

In the last moments before I closed my eyes, I saw Everett running toward me in a panic. When I woke again, I heard Everett's voice before I even opened my eyes.

"It's better that this baby's gone. Stella could hurt the twins even though she didn't have a child of her own. If she'd had her own kid, God knows what she would've done.”

"Let's just pretend this baby never existed. Don't tell her.”

"The Ashford heir will only be Autumn's child anyway. My parents would never accept Stella's baby."

A tear slid silently from the corner of my eye. Had Everett ever truly loved me?

I waited until the footsteps faded before opening my eyes. My hand trembled as I touched my stomach.

I should have left all those years ago. One wrong decision had cost two lives.

I stared at the ceiling lifelessly. Then the door opened.

Autumn looked at my half-dead state and smiled.

"Stella, you're still alive even after all that? You really are hard to kill."

She sounded almost impressed, then pressed hard on my wound.

"Oops, sorry. That was an accident. But compared to a miscarriage, this is nothing, right? You couldn't even protect your own baby. You're not fit to be a mother. I'd say I did you a favor."

Autumn burst into shrill laughter. I used the last of my strength to hurl the thermos at her.

Autumn did not get angry at all. A flash of triumph crossed her eyes. Then she collapsed heavily to the floor.

The next second, Everett's furious roar echoed from the doorway.

"Stella! What the hell are you doing?"

He slapped me hard across the face. I spat out a mouthful of blood.

When he saw my deathly pale face, Everett's hand began to tremble. Soon, Autumn spoke from the floor, her voice thick with tears.

"Everett, don't hit Stella. This is my fault. I came to apologize because I know Stella lost her baby because of me. Even though Stella hurt our babies first, I still wanted to say I was sorry. But..."