CHAPTER 004

Aurora's pov 

"Diego," I called, crawling after him, my knees scraping the jagged floor of the house.

"Please let me keep this baby, I'll do anything you want, derive it if everything you own, I—I won't make any noise about you and Lillian, please just let me keep this one..." I begged, my throat clutching at the desperate plea to him.

He stared down at me, running his eyes considerably over my already ragged body before speaking.

"Okay."

"Okay," That one word sounded like he was giving me a lease on life, to let me keep our child...his child.

"T—thank you," I muttered, grabbing his feet as I bowed down to him.

He yanked his feet from my grasp and turned to me, staring down at me.

"I'm bringing Lillian back to the house with me tonight, I need you to make her favorite broccoli and sausage, if she makes one complaint, you won't lose that baby but I'll make you wish that you did," He threatened before walking out of the room.

I dragged my battered body up from the floor, taking in frantically the air that I'd been deprived of as Diego Walker out of the room, while I pushed myself up to the kitchen, wiping the tears that dripped down my face.

Now wasn't the time to cry, he'd already allowed me to keep the baby, and there was nothing else I could want... Except that there was a lot more that I wanted.

My body ached with each move I made, cutting and cleaning the kitchen that carried the stench of their lovemaking.

I wiped another line of tears away with the back of my hands and started cooking.

I couldn't bear it if Diego carried out his threat.

A few hours later 

I'd taken out the last meal from the cooker when the door was flung open, I could hear Lillian's chuckles accompanied by Diego's hearty laughter as they made their way into the room.

My body tensed with every move they made closer to the kitchen, and I could only dish the meals before they reached me.

"I swear, thank your Stars you had this made before I came back with Lillian, you know very well what the consequences were," He gruffed, taking in the aroma of the food.

Lillian rolled her eyes and walked back out with Diego while I carried the meal after them, the plate burning into my hands from the heat of the food.

I placed the food on the table, while Diego and Lillian stared like I was sort of their maid.

"Where's the water?" Diego asked, raising his voice.

"I—I..."

"Shut the stupid fuck up and bring the water, do you want me to die from thirst!" He yelled again, making me flinch before hurrying to bring them water.

I placed the jug full of water on the table and watched as Lillian took a spoon to eat.

"Wait baby," Diego said, staring at me.

"Come and have a taste of this food," He said, taking me by surprise.

"W—what?" I asked, unsure of what was happening.

"Are you mad? Come take a spoon out of this food. I can't trust you to not have poisoned it," Diego snapped, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

My heart pounded violently in my chest. Poison? Did he really think I’d try something like that? I wanted to scream, to remind him that I was the one who begged to keep his child, that I had nothing left but this tiny life inside me. But I knew better than to argue.

With shaky hands, I stepped forward, picking up a spoon from the table. Lillian watched me with a smirk, swirling her wine in her glass like this was some sort of twisted entertainment.

"Eat," Diego ordered.

I dipped the spoon into the broccoli and sausage, my stomach twisting into knots. The food was still hot, burning the tip of my tongue as I forced it down.

"Swallow," he barked.

I obeyed, gulping it down past the lump in my throat. It tasted like ash, like the remains of my pride disintegrating inside me.

Diego watched me for a long moment before leaning back with a satisfied grunt. "Good girl," he muttered. "Now get out of my sight."

I turned away quickly, barely able to keep my steps steady as I made my way back to the kitchen. The moment I was out of their view, I clutched the counter, my body trembling with exhaustion and humiliation.

I couldn't live like this...

I barely walked a few steps away from them when I felt a tight, hot, burning grip on my stomach.

"Fuck..." I muttered, my forehead bridling with sweat almost immediately.

"P—please help me," I begged to the extent my voice could allow.

My body churned with inexplicable pain and I clutched my stomach, the pain so sharp it felt like something inside me was being ripped apart. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the cold floor, gasping for breath.

"Please... I think something's wrong," I whimpered, but my voice came out weak, barely above a whisper.

Diego stood up menacingly slowly and walked towards me together with Lillian, their eyes glinting with something I couldn't read—happiness.

"I think it's working already," Lillian said, leaning closer to Diego.

My eyes narrowed, trying to put a meaning to her words.

"I didn't know it was that effective, now watch..." Diego added, both of them smiling at my miserable state.

My head banged with extreme pain, sweat bridling down my face, and slowly... I felt a sticky liquid drip from my thighs.

A choked sob escaped my lips as realization dawned on me. They did this.

The food. The water. They poisoned me.

I tried to move, to crawl away, but my limbs refused to obey. The pain in my stomach intensified, twisting like a knife carving through my insides. I gasped for air, but it felt like I was drowning, my body sinking into an abyss of agony.

Lillian giggled, tucking a strand of perfect blonde hair behind her ear as she watched me suffer. "See, baby? I told you it wouldn’t take long."

Diego crouched beside me, gripping my chin between his fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze. His dark eyes were void of emotion, only amusement dancing within them. "Did you really think I’d let you keep it?" he sneered. "That bastard inside you? That mistake?"

A sob tore through me. My baby. No. No, no, no!

"Please," I gasped, the word barely leaving my lips. "Please, don’t do this. I’ll leave. I won’t say anything. Just let me—"

Diego’s grip tightened, cutting off my words. "It’s already done," he whispered, his voice cold, final.

A fresh wave of pain crashed over me, and I screamed. My body convulsed, my vision darkening around the edges. I felt the warm trickle of blood pooling beneath me, the sickening sensation of my baby's life slipping away.