Chapter 3: The Consent Form

Elena’s POV

My love for Lucian had vanished at this moment.

As Lucian towered over me, I swiped away my tears. All the puzzle pieces snapped into place.

Lucian had been looking for a reason to get rid of me so he could be with Lydia.

It was the perfect excuse that my child belonged to another guy. He wasn’t going to believe the truth, no matter what I said.

So, with a steely heart, I got to my feet.

"You can have him," I said, locking eyes with Lydia.

Then I brought my eyes to Lucian as I bit back tears.

"File the divorce papers, Lucian. This marriage is over."

Turning to leave, I felt empty inside. But as I placed my hand on the doorknob, a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen.

Hunching over, I grabbed my stomach and gasped.

Fearing that something was wrong with the baby, I paused, my hand still on the doorknob.

Had Lucian shoved me so hard he harmed the baby?

Or had the intense emotional turmoil caused my body too much stress?

Another wave of pain tore through my stomach, and this time, I cried out in pain.

A nurse appeared in the hallway.

"It's my stomach," I said, my face pale. "I’m pregnant."

”Are you Ms. Elena Wellington?” The nurse asked me while holding a form.

I immediately nodded. "Come with me," the nurse replied, grabbing me by the elbow. Fortunately, I have medical records at this hospital, so I could get help this quickly.

She led me down the long corridor and into a treatment room. "Lie down," she instructed.

The protective paper liner of the bed crinkled as I did what she said and lay down.

Moments later, a doctor appeared. With his brows furrowed, he glanced at the clipboard in his hands.

"I think something’s wrong with my baby," I said, my jaw clenched tight.

The pain was sharp now, like a bee sting, radiating through my lower stomach.

"Mm hm," he replied with a curt nod.

He came to the bed and turned his back to me.

"I’m not very far along," I told him. "I’ve been under a lot of stress…"

My voice trailed off as he turned around. My eyes widened in shock.

He had a needle in his hand, poised in the air. The silver shone under the bright operating table lights.

A needle? This wasn’t right. The doctor hadn’t even examined me yet.

Before I could ask, the nurse took my wrist and the needle slid into my vein.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"It’s just some anesthesia," he replied, his tone bored and flat.

"Why do I need anesthesia?" I asked, struggling to sit up.

I had the uncanny feeling that something was terribly wrong.

"Just lay back and try to relax," the nurse said, gently trying to shove me back down.

A sense of dread prickled down the back of my neck.

The doctor pulled over a stool and sat at the end of the bed.

"Open your legs," he instructed.

"Wait," I gasped. "What are you doing?"

"To terminate your pregnancy," he said, his tone devoid of any inflection, as though it were the most banal thing in the world.

I bolted upright, my eyes wide.

"What? No," I shook my head and tried to close my legs.

"Your family arranged it," he replied. With a hand on each of my knees, he pressed down to open up my legs.

No. I couldn’t lose my baby.

The anesthesia was making me a bit groggy, but I dug deep and used the last bit of strength I had to jump off the bed.

I tore out of the treatment room, desperate to call Lucian. Even though we were just talking about divorce, he was the most powerful man I knew.

He could stop this.

He WOULD stop this.

This was his child, after all.

Scurrying down the hall, I whipped out my phone just as the nurse walked out of the treatment room.

Frantically, I dialed Lucian’s number while the nurse locked eyes with me.

"Lucian," I said, my voice breaking as he answered. "You have to help me. I am being forced to terminate my baby. Something isn’t right here."

"Stop your nonsense, Elena." Lucian’s voice crackled through the line, "I don't believe what you're saying about the procedure. You are a liar."

"It’s not a lie!" I sobbed, my heart hammering so hard it hurt.

"The doctor... he’s not listening! Lucian, please, this is your child! If you don't come now, it’ll be too late!"

"You mean someone else’s baby you’ve been trying to pin on me?" Lucian let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"The report was faked! Lydia lied to you!" I screamed, but my vision was already starting to blur.

The pre-op medicine

they had forced on me was kicking in.

"Listen, even if what you said is real, you deserve it." He barked with an icy tone.

“I won't save you. I won't allow you to give birth to someone else's child!”

Click.

The dial tone was the loudest sound I had ever heard.

Lucian had hung up. He wasn’t going to help me.

I stared blankly at my phone. His last words

“not allowing me to give birth to someone else's child”

filled me with dread. Earlier, the nurse mentioned "my family agreed to my procedure"—who agreed? Was it Lucian?

Was it because Lucian hated me that he arranged this surgery?!

The nurse grabbed me by the elbow. Suddenly, my vision swooned. Feeling light-headed, I braced myself against the wall.

"Come on, now," the nurse said. "That anesthetic is kicking in. Come lie down before you pass out."

The anesthetic pulled at me, threatening to blacken my vision.

I fought against it as the nurse led me back. But it was no use.

By the time we got back to the treatment room, I could barely walk.

"Don’t fight it, love. It’s easier if you just relax," the nurse said, pushing my shoulders down onto the bed.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my tongue felt too thick. The doctor pressed open my legs.

"Do you have the consent form?" the doctor asked. His voice sounded tinny and far away.

"Yup," the nurse said. "It’s right here."

With my last bit of strength, I turned my head to the side.

Through the haze, I saw the nurse holding up a document.

And right at the bottom, I saw it.

It was the last thing I saw before everything went dark.

Lucian’s unmistakable signature.