ZERO RESULT

"What did you say just now, Bella?" Lucienne asked with a sharp gaze.

"I'm sorry, Lucie. I'm just worried. Your husband and I have sex almost every night. I'm just afraid that he'll—"

"Shut up your big mouth and don't get cocky! My husband is faithful to me. He won't be interested in your games in bed. My sexual services are more satisfying than yours. Remember that!" Lucie raged. She stared at Bella threateningly.

"Remember your limits if you want to get a lot of money for your mother's medical expenses!" she concluded.

Bella fell silent. She was also confused as to why she had suddenly said that to Lucie. Maybe ... it was because Bella hated Lucie's arrogant and conceited attitude. 

**********

Two months had passed.

And on the first morning since signing the contract, Bella woke up with a dull ache in her lower abdomen. As she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, she already knew—even before seeing the bloodstain on her underwear.

Menstruation.

She stood frozen in front of the bathroom mirror, her face pale. Her breath was ragged.

"Why am I still not pregnant?"

She thought she’d feel relieved. But what came instead was an odd wound. A wound from feeling like a failure… even though she’d never asked for this role in the first place.

"Definitely, Lucie will be angry if she knew I am getting period."

Her hands gripped the sink tightly. Her eyes stared at her reflection, which seemed increasingly foreign.

Her body was healthy. Young. But still a failure.

As if her body knew, this wasn’t love. This wasn’t the life she had chosen. Her body refused to comply.

Bella sat on the bathroom floor, hugging her knees. She cried. Not because of the pain in her stomach, but because of the pressure that never let up.

Every night she spent with Aaron felt pointless. Every cold embrace, every breath on her body... none of it amounted to anything.

And now—this blood seemed like an announcement:

"You haven't succeeded. You haven't been useful."

******

That night

Aaron didn’t come to her room. There was no schedule. But the door to her room was knocked on by Mrs. Reeds, the fifty-something housekeeper who was always quiet and professional.

“Sorry to disturb you, Miss Bella,” she said politely, “Mrs. Lucienne is requesting an update on your progress. Is there anything I should convey to the family doctor?”

Bella stared at the woman with swollen eyes, then replied flatly, “Tell her I’m menstruating today.”

Mrs. Reeds bowed her head slightly. “Alright, Miss. Thank you.”

The door closed again.

And Bella knew that within less than an hour, the news would reach Lucienne Lockwood’s desk. Perhaps also Aaron’s ears.

---

The next morning

Bella found a white envelope on her bedside table. Inside was a thin sheet of paper with the official letterhead of the Lockwood family’s private hospital.

“Starting next week, Miss Bella will be required to undergo further fertility tests. Hormone levels, ovulation, and an initial ultrasound will be conducted. Please attend as scheduled.”

Below the letter was a small handwritten note. No signature. But Bella knew who wrote it:

“Our time is not eternal. Don’t grow too comfortable in failure.”

Bella crumpled the letter. Blood still flowed through her body. But the sense of worth within her… was beginning to fade.

*

******

*

The hospital where Bella was examined was no ordinary hospital.

The building was located at the back of the Lockwood family's exclusive estate—named the Lockwood Private Medical Center, complete with a special floor dedicated to fertility and elite reproductive services.

Bella arrived in a black company-logoed car, accompanied by Mrs. Reeds.

There was no waiting line. No waiting room. As soon as she stepped inside, three white-clad staff members immediately escorted her to the fourth floor. Along the hallway walls, photos of the Lockwood family were displayed: weddings, children, charitable projects, and a portrait of young Aaron standing beside Lucie with a perfect smile.

Bella felt as though she were entering a family shrine. And she wasn’t a pilgrim—she was the object.

The examination room was filled with sterile white light. Inside, Dr. Elspeth Monroe, a woman in her 50s with a neutral voice and professional tone, was waiting.

“Please lie down on the examination table, Miss Moore,” she said without making eye contact.

Bella complied. The thin hospital gown covered part of her body, but couldn’t hide her shame and fear.

The examination began: blood pressure measurement, blood sample collection, hormone testing, and finally—a transvaginal ultrasound.

Bella bit her lip as the device was inserted. She held her breath, staring at the ceiling light. The room was cold. But even colder were the hands touching her body without feeling.

“The ovaries are in normal condition. The uterus is clean. No congenital abnormalities,” Dr. Monroe said while taking notes, never once looking at Bella’s face.

“Am I… infertile?” Bella whispered.

“Theoretically, there’s no issue. Your cycle is just a bit longer. Ovulation is delayed. We’ll help speed it up.”

Bella furrowed her brow. “With medication?”

Dr. Monroe looked at her briefly. “With a hormonal program and ovulation-inducing injections. Also scheduled intercourse during the fertile period. We’ll monitor it closely.”

“How long?”

“If it fails within the next three months, it will be reevaluated by the Lockwood family. There’s a follow-up protocol.”

Bella knew what that meant: replacement.

After the examination, Bella sat alone in the small, curtained room, putting her clothes back on. Her knees were weak.

Mrs. Reeds entered, handing her a piece of paper.

“This is the ovulation induction schedule. The medication is administered every Monday and Thursday. You will also be informed when to be with Mr. Aaron.”

Bella held the paper as if it were a sentence.

As they walked out, she passed through a glass room that wasn’t fully closed. Inside, Lucienne stood beside another doctor, reviewing the results of Bella’s examination on a screen. Her eyes studied the graph seriously.

Lucienne didn’t look at Bella. But for some reason, Bella knew, every inch of her body was no longer her own. It belonged to a larger system—to the name Lockwood.

"Oh my God, should I just back out? But I don't have the money to pay the penalty." Bella looked worried.

"Huuuuuuuhhhhh! I'm really frustrated with all this. This wealthy family is really stressing me out and driving me crazy," she grumbled.

"What if I fail? What if I have a disease or some other reason that prevents me from getting pregnant? Oh, they'll force me until I give them what they want. An heir." Bella continued talking to herself.

"But how? How if I fail?"