CHAPTER 1

Anna’s POV:

Dominic and I have been married for two years. But if you looked at us now, you would never believe we were once deeply in love.

We stood before family and friends, promising to love each other forever. Back then, I truly believed nothing could ever tear us apart.

But I was wrong. Just a year after our wedding, everything changed.

The warmth in Dominic’s eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by coldness and hatred. The man who once looked at me with so much love began treating me like I was his greatest mistake.

No matter what I did, it was never enough. My presence annoyed him. My voice irritated him. Every little thing I did seemed to make him hate me even more.

It didn’t take long before he stopped hiding his affairs. He openly brought other women into his life, caring little about how much it shattered my heart.

You may be wondering what caused such a drastic change. The answer was painfully simple.

I couldn’t give him the one thing he wanted most.

A child.

For the past year, we tried everything to have a baby. We visited countless hospitals and underwent every medical test the doctors recommended. The results were always the same.

We were both healthy.

There was no medical reason why we couldn’t have a child. Yet month after month, my womb remained empty. And the hardest part wasn’t the waiting.

It was the hope.

Five different times, I experienced every sign of pregnancy. I felt constantly tired, my appetite changed, I was nauseous every morning. Each time, my heart filled with excitement as I imagined finally telling Dominic that he was going to be a father. But every dream ended the same way.

Dr. Anthony, our trusted family doctor, would study my test results before looking at me with a sympathetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Anna,” he would say gently. “You’re not pregnant.”

I would leave the hospital with tears in my eyes, trying to convince myself that maybe next time would be different.

Then, almost like clockwork, I would start bleeding heavily the very next day.

It happened once.

Then twice.

Then three times.

By the fifth time, I stopped allowing myself to hope.

Five times, my body gave me hope. Five times, I believed I was finally carrying the child Dominic and I had prayed for. And five times, that hope was ripped away from me.

Each loss shattered another piece of my heart until I barely recognized the woman staring back at me in the mirror. I sank into a dark depression, blaming myself for something I couldn’t understand.

But today, the fear is different. Dr. Anthony called and insisted on seeing both Dominic and me in person. Whatever he had to disclose, he refused to say it over the phone. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.

I sat frozen on the edge of the living room sofa, fully dressed and waiting for Dominic. When I heard his footsteps, my chest tightened.

Dominic descended the stairs slowly. He stopped at the bottom, his dark eyes raking over me from head to toe. His gaze didn't hold anger; it held pure, unadulterated disgust. It was the look you give a piece of filthy trash you accidentally stepped on.

Once upon a time, those same eyes had looked at me with so much love that I believed I was the luckiest woman alive.

Now, they looked at me as if my very existence offended him.

A painful lump formed in my throat as tears threatened to fall. Without saying a single word, Dominic had wounded me more deeply than any blow ever could.

"Get your pathetic ass up and meet me outside," Dominic barked, his voice dripping with venom. "And just so you know, whatever the doctor says today determines whether you get thrown out of this house or not."

He didn’t wait for me to answer.

Without another glance, he turned and walked toward the front door, leaving his cruel words hanging in the air.

I lowered my head and closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to steady my trembling heart.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, quickly got to my feet, and hurried after him.

Keeping up with Dominic felt impossible. He walked ahead without once looking back, as though I didn’t exist.

Sometimes, I couldn’t help but wonder… How did the man who once loved me so deeply become someone I could barely recognize?

We met during our college years.

I was just an orphan girl who had earned a scholarship to one of the country’s most prestigious universities. Dominic was different. He was the only son of the school’s owner—the future heir to the Thomas family fortune.

Despite coming from two completely different worlds, we fell deeply in love.

His mother, Grace Thomas, hated me from the very beginning. To her, I was nothing more than a poor orphan who wasn’t worthy of carrying the Thomas family name.

But Dominic had stood by my side. He fought with his family countless times. He defended me against every insult and every objection. In the end, he chose me over their approval, and we got married.

Back then, I truly believed our love could overcome anything.

Looking at him now… I realized I had been terribly wrong.

The same man who once promised to protect me was now treating me as though I were a disease he couldn’t wait to get rid of.

"Are you going to get into the car, or are you just going to stand there looking like a complete fool?" Dominic shouted, slamming his hand against the car door.

His outburst was so sudden and so loud that the driver immediately averted his gaze, pretending to focus on the road ahead. It was obvious he didn’t want to witness my humiliation.

Heat rushed to my face as shame washed over me.

Lowering my head, I clenched my trembling hands together.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

I quietly opened the back door and slid onto the seat, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Dominic didn’t even spare me a glance.

"Are you actually stupid enough to think I’d sit next to a barren woman?" he hissed. "Get your filthy ass out of my sight and go sit in the front with the driver. I don’t want to look at you.”

His words were so cruel that I froze, unable to move.

I looked at him, desperately searching for even the smallest trace of the man I had fallen in love with.

“But… Dominic,” I said softly, my voice shaking. “This is where I always sit.”

"Is your hearing as useless as your womb?" he roared, leaning forward, his face twisted in rage. "I said get the fuck out of the back seat!"

His words hit me like a hard punch to the chest.

I could no longer hold back my tears. They rolled silently down my cheeks as I quickly climbed out of the back seat and walked around the car.

My vision blurred as I opened the front passenger door and slipped inside.

My hands shook so badly that it took me several tries before I could fasten my seatbelt.

Behind me, Dominic let out a long, disgusted sigh, as though even breathing the same air as me was unbearable.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, silently praying that this nightmare would one day come to an end.

The drive to the hospital passed in an agonizing, tense silence. The moment the car pulled up to the entrance, Dominic threw his door open, stepped out, and slammed it behind him so hard the entire vehicle shook. He marched into the building without looking back.

I wiped my face, pushed my emotions down, and ran through the hospital doors, desperately trying to keep up with his furious, fast pace.

By the time I rushed into Dr. Anthony's office, Dominic was already seated. The doctor was waiting for us.

"Welcome, Mr. Dominic," Dr. Anthony said gravely, extending a hand. Dominic gave it a brief, tight shake before dropping into his chair. I quietly took the seat beside him, keeping my eyes on my lap.

"Let's skip the small talk, Dr. Anthony," Dominic said, his tone sharp and impatient. "Tell us why you called us here. I have a lot of important things to do today."

Dr. Anthony didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes lingered on Dominic for a moment before slowly shifting to me.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, I will tell you both why you're here," Dr. Anthony said.

The expression on his face wasn’t one I had ever wanted to see.

I instinctively gripped the edge of my chair, bracing myself for whatever words were about to leave his mouth.

I had a terrible feeling it was going to destroy what little was left of mine.