Chapter 5

I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke again, I was back in my bedroom at the York residence.

A faint sound came from beside me. I slowly turned toward it, only to catch Nicholas looking away.

Neither of us spoke.

It was a long while before he finally broke the silence.

"I've scheduled your surgery for three days from now. Who knows whose filthy blood this child carries? I'm not about to raise another man's baby."

I didn't want to cry, but my eyes still burned with unshed tears.

Nicholas and I had always loved children.

At first, we were too poor to even consider having one.

Later, we were so busy that we never had time to try for one.

But when we renovated our home, we'd made sure to set aside two rooms for children.

We used to imagine whether we'd have a boy or a girl, what we'd name them, and which elementary school they'd attend.

This baby had been unexpected.

If none of this had happened, perhaps this baby would have been the greatest surprise life could have given us.

I closed my eyes, swallowing the pang of bitterness in my heart, and nodded. "Okay."

"Your pregnancy has made Zelda feel very insecure."

Nicholas took my hand and ran his fingertip over my wedding ring.

"I didn't buy her a ring when we got married. She said she couldn't choose one herself because whatever you liked had to be the best. Her pregnancy has been complicated, so I need to keep her happy. You're not going to need this ring anymore anyway. Why don't you take it off and give it to her?”

I nodded and said, "Okay.”

But I'd worn the ring for so long that it fit snugly around my finger.

Nicholas struggled for quite a while, but he couldn't get it off.

I said, "There's soap in the bathroom. Try lathering some up before you take the ring off."

He frowned. "No need."

The moment he finished speaking, he grabbed my finger and gave it a sharp yank.

A searing pain shot from my fingertip through my entire body. I heard the sickening snap of bone and cried out in pain, instinctively struggling to break free.

Nicholas acted as if he hadn't heard me. He bent my finger back and forth, then wrenched the ring off.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead as I called after him. "Nicholas, my finger is broken. Please call a doctor for me."

The only response was the dull thud of the door slamming shut.

I tried to get help myself, only to discover that the door had been locked from the outside.

I pounded on the door. "Is anyone there? Please, someone get me a doctor!"

The maid answered impatiently, "Mr. Zane said you're not allowed out of this room until your surgery. He doesn't want you bringing bad luck to Ms. Zelda."

After that, no matter how loudly I called out, no one answered me again.

I drifted in and out of consciousness as a fever came over me. In the middle of the night, I heard hurried footsteps and frantic cries echoing down the hallway.

I was about to open my eyes to see what was happening when a sudden force dragged me out of bed.

Nicholas was seething. Without saying a word, he dragged me down the hallway.

My skin burned as it scraped against the wooden floor. I had just started to struggle when Nicholas raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

The blow left my ears ringing, and I was completely dazed.

It wasn't until he forced me down onto a bed strewn with shards of broken glass that I realized what was happening.

The glass tore into my back. The overpowering stench of blood made me gag uncontrollably.

Nicholas looked down at me, curled up in a pathetic heap, his eyes cold and unfeeling.

"Zelda has always had trouble sleeping. It wasn't until tonight that I discovered her mattress was covered in broken glass. You did this, didn't you?"

I tried to explain. "I didn't..."

He cut me off impatiently. "Enough!

"You chose that bed yourself. You were the one who willingly gave it up for Zelda after she said she liked it. Who else could have done this but you? Lauren, you disgust me.

"Since you enjoy scheming so much, I hope you enjoy getting a taste of your own medicine.

"Zelda slept in this bed for three years. Now it's your turn to spend the next three years here."

He ordered the maid, "Don't give her any medication, and don't let her escape."

The maid followed his orders, using ropes to tie my wrists and ankles to the bedposts, stretching my limbs apart.

A chill of terror ran down my spine and spread throughout my body. My hands and feet went cold. Nearly overcome with desperation, I screamed after him at the top of my lungs, "Nicholas, have you lost your mind? You're holding me against my will! You're deliberately hurting me!"

But no one dared disobey him.

My hoarse cries were the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

Eventually, I wasn't even allowed to scream.

The maid taped my mouth shut, explaining that Zelda was a light sleeper and my shouting would disturb her rest.

But I was in so much pain. It hurt so much...