Chapter 3: Shattered Hope

Chapter 3: Shattered Hope

The sound of the teacup shattered on the marble floor and echoed loud through the hallway like a gunshot.

Melinda stood frozen outside Stanley’s study, her hand still covering her mouth and her heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest. The words kept ringing in her ears: ‘breeding vessel… take the child… get rid of her.’

She couldn’t breathe for a second.

Inside the study, the voices stopped. Footsteps approached quickly. Stanley opened the door wider and saw her standing there, surrounded by broken pieces of the cup and spilled tea.

“What happened?” he asked with a sharp loud voice sharp. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her pale face. “Were you listening?”

Melinda tried to speak, but her throat felt tight. Tears burned in her eyes. “I… I came to ask if you wanted tea,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to… I heard everything.”

Stanley’s face hardened. He stepped closer, towering over her. “And what exactly did you hear, Melinda?”

She looked up at him, her voice shaking with pain. “You said I was just a breeding vessel and that after I give birth, you’ll take the baby and throw me away. Is that true? Is that really all I am to you?”

For a moment, Stanley didn’t say anything. Then he let out a tired sigh, like she was being difficult. “I told you from the beginning this wasn’t a love story and you agreed to the terms. Don’t act surprised now.”

“But I’m carrying your child!” Melinda cried, placing both hands protectively over her stomach. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you? I thought… I thought maybe once the baby came, you would see me differently.”

Stanley’s expression remained cold. “The child is what matters and not you. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be for both of us.”

Melinda felt like the floor was spinning. All her hopes, all the nights she had cried silently after he used her body, everything crashed down at once. She had sold herself to save her mother, but now she was trapped with a man who saw her as nothing but a tool.

“I hate you,” she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Stanley’s jaw tightened, he grabbed her arm, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to make her look at him. “You can hate me all you want, but you’re not going anywhere. You’re pregnant with my heir, and you will stay here until the child is born. Do you understand?”

Melinda pulled her arm away and stepped back. “Yes… I understand.”

She turned and walked away quickly, ignoring the broken cup on the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she made her way to the bedroom. Once inside, she locked the door and sank onto the bed.

“How could I be so stupid?” she whispered to herself. “He never cared, not even a little.”

She cried for a long time till her body began shaking. But slowly, through the pain, something else began to grow inside her.

She touched her stomach. “I won’t let him take you,” she said softly to her unborn child. “You will never be his pawn, I promise.”

***

The next morning, Melinda acted normal in front of Stanley. Stanley seemed satisfied with her silence and left for work as usual.

But inside, her mind was racing. She needed a plan. She doesn't want to stay here and wait to lose her child.

Later that day, she visited her mother in the hospital. Her mom looked much stronger now, thanks to the treatment Stanley was paying for.

“You look tired, my dear,” her mother said, squeezing her hand. “Is everything okay with your husband?”

Melinda forced a bright smile. “Yes, Mom. Everything is fine. I’m just adjusting to married life.”

As she sat there, an old friend from college, Elena, came to visit her mother too.

Elena was a nurse at the same hospital. When they had a moment alone, Melinda whispered, “Elena… I need your help but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

Elena looked worried. “What’s going on?”

Melinda told her everything surrounding her cold marriage, the overheard conversation, and her pregnancy.

Elena’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s horrible,” Elena said. “You can’t stay with him, he sounds dangerous. Especially with those mafia connections people whisper about.”

“I know,” Melinda replied. “But I need time to plan, I have to disappear completely, at least for the baby’s sake.”

Elena nodded. “I’ll help you, but be careful. Men like Stanley Stewart don’t let go easily.”

When Melinda returned to the mansion that evening, Stanley was already home. He was waiting for her in the living room.

“You were gone a long time,” he said, his voice sounding suspicious. “Where did you go?”

“Just to see my mother,” she answered calmly.

Stanley studied her face for a moment. “Good! Remember what I said, no secrets. You belong to me now.”

Melinda nodded, but inside her heart was burning. She smiled sweetly at him, hiding her true feelings.

That night, as Stanley slept beside her after another cold encounter, Melinda lay awake staring at the ceiling.

She had made up her mind about escaping but as she quietly slipped out of bed to get a glass of water, she noticed something strange, one of Stanley’s guards standing outside the bedroom door, watching the hallway more carefully than usual.

A chill ran down her spine.

“Is he already suspecting something?” She mumbled