04 The end he wanted

Lila’s POV

There’s a faint beeping.

Steady. Soft. Distant.

I blink, once, twice, the sterile white ceiling slowly coming into focus above me. It smells like antiseptic. Like quiet dread. Like hospitals always do.

For a second, I forget where I am.

Then it all rushes in—like a dam breaking.

The stairs.

Claudia’s voice.

The fall.

The coldness.

Liam.

And the last thing I remember… is him walking away with her in his arms.

Not me.

Not us.

Her.

I sit up abruptly, a sharp cry tearing from my throat as pain lashes through my lower abdomen. My hands fly to my stomach.

My baby,” I gasp, clutching my belly. “My baby—no, please—”

“Ma’am! Please, calm down!” A voice breaks through the fog. Joan, one of the housemaids and closest person to me in the house.

She rushes to my side, her eyes wide and red-rimmed, her hands trembling as she grips my shoulders. “Lila—thank God. You’re awake. I thought—” Her voice cracks. “I thought we’d lost you too.”

“Where is my baby?” I rasp. “Joan, please… tell me. Tell me my baby is alive.”

She hesitates.

Too long.

Too silent.

No.

My heart sinks.

I search her face for hope—any scrap of it—but it’s not there. Only pity. Only pain.

“No,” I whisper, voice shaking. “No. Don’t look at me like that.”

She tries to speak. I don’t wait to hear it.

I rip the sheets off me and swing my legs over the side of the bed. The pain is intense, like fire ripping through my muscles, but I don’t care. I need to see. I need to know.

“Ma’am, you can’t—”

“I have to,” I choke out, shoving past her.

I stagger through the hallway like a ghost, gripping the wall for balance. I round a corner—then freeze.

That’s when I hear it.

Clear. Cold. Final.

“We’ve managed to save Miss Claudia and the baby as per your request,” a doctor says quietly. “But I’m sorry… we couldn’t save your wife’s baby.”

It feels like the world stops.

I don’t move. I can’t.

My legs buckle beneath me, and I slump against the wall, eyes wide, ears ringing.

No. No, no, no…

My hand finds my stomach, pressing in desperation.

Gone.

They’re… gone.

My baby is gone.

And then Liam speaks. Calm. Unmoved.

“Thank you, doctor.”

Not even a pause.

Not even a second of hesitation.

He chose. He chose her. Over me. Over us.

“However,” the doctor adds, “Claudia’s pregnancy is still very fragile. She’ll need extensive care until delivery. Any stress could trigger another… incident.”

“I’ll make sure she gets everything she needs,” Liam says, his voice full of care. Of devotion.

He’s smiling.

Smiling.

And I break.

Even now—even now—he chooses her.

He chose to save his mistress’s child and let mine die.

He knew.

He knew about the baby, and he still signed my death sentence.

It’s clear now. No confusion. No room for hope.

He didn’t just abandon me.

He killed my child.

I clench my fists at my sides, trembling with grief and rage, my eyes burning red with betrayal.

I’ll never forgive you, Liam. Never.

You wanted freedom? You wanted peace?

Well, now that my baby’s gone, there’s truly nothing left between us.

And I promise—

I’ll set you free.

Just like you always wanted.

*****************

Liam’s POV

Three days have passed since the hospital.

Three quiet, peaceful days.

Claudia rests on the chaise lounge near the window, a light blanket over her legs. Her hair is brushed to perfection, her bump tucked under the pale pink silk robe I bought her this morning.

I spoon warm soup to her lips, gentle. Careful.

She looks up at me, her voice soft. “Liam… I haven’t seen Lila. Do you think she’s gone for good?”

I don’t answer right away. Just adjust the blanket around her shoulders and say flatly, “If she’s smart, she won’t come back.”

Seriously, “I couldn’t care less where she is, Claudia. This house has finally found peace without her chaos.”

I truly don’t. Ever since she came into my life, things have been… wrong. Chaotic. Forced.

“Good riddance,” I mutter.

Claudia fiddles with her spoon. “I just… I feel a little guilty, Liam. Maybe if I hadn’t helped her with her bag that night—”

I cut her off. “Don’t start that.”

“But what if—”

“She tricked you,” I snap, slamming the bowl down. “She used you to fake an accident. She wanted sympathy. Attention. Maybe even to hurt you.”

“And here you are still thinking about her?” I shake my head, my voice sharp. “Claudia, I’m sure she only tricked you into helping her with her bag, just so she could push you down those stairs. It’s her own fault it backfired.”

I pause, bitterness thick in my voice.

“Honestly, even if it hadn’t… I wouldn’t have let her keep my child.”

I mutter, more to myself than to her, “It’s better this way. That child… it was never supposed to exist anyway.”

“Glad you made that happen.”

The voice cuts through the air like a blade.

We both freeze.

Slowly, I turn toward the door.

Lila.

Standing there like a ghost that’s clawed its way back to life.

Her skin is pale. Her eyes are dark and sunken. Her hair hangs limp at her shoulders.

But her presence… it hits like thunder.

She’s not crying.

She’s not begging.

She’s just looking at me.

Like I’m already dead to her.

She steps into the room slowly, her voice low, even.

“I’m glad you made that decision, Liam. It would’ve been tragic for my child to be tied to a man like you.”

My heart thuds once.

Then twice.

There’s something in her eyes—something I’ve never seen before.

Not love.

Not longing.

Not even hatred.

Just pure, cold clarity.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

She doesn’t flinch.

Doesn’t move.

Her silence screams.

And for the first time… I’m the one who feels small.