Chapter 1

Vanessa's POV

The silence in the car was suffocating.

After a long moment, I finally parted my lips and managed to ask, "Why? Why would you do this to me?"

My vision blurred with tears. It felt as though the tiny life growing inside me was becoming heavier by the second, weighing me down until I could barely breathe.

When my husband, Christopher Monroe, saw the tears streaming down my face, he pulled over to the side of the road and gently wiped them away.

"My late brother never had the chance to have children. Serena has no one to rely on for the rest of her life. Giving her a child is the only way I can help her.

"If you terminate the pregnancy, I'll arrange a position for you at the institute. I'll make it up to you. But if you refuse, I'll send you to back to your hometown. From then on, you and the baby will be on your own. The choice is yours."

His words left me feeling trapped, with no way out and nowhere to turn. I was so devastated that I didn't even have the strength to cry anymore.

Just hours ago, he'd been the one insisting on resting his head against my belly so he could listen to our baby's heartbeat. He'd been so overwhelmed with emotion that tears had streamed down his face.

"We're finally going to have a baby! I'll give you every cent I earn from now on, and I'll personally make sure our child grows up to become a top scholar!"

Yet now, in the span of just a few hours, he was forcing me to decide whether our baby would live or die.

I slapped him hard across the face, my eyes bloodshot with fury.

"Christopher, you're a complete bastard!"

His jaw tightened, but he didn't lose his temper.

"Let's go home. I'll make you your favorite stew."

His tone remained casual and gentle as he reached over to fasten my seat belt, as if we'd never had this conversation.

But I recoiled from his touch as though he'd suddenly turned into a stranger. His face gradually blurred before my eyes.

After my previous miscarriage, I'd suffered from severe postpartum depression.

The doctors at the local clinic had been at a loss for how to help me, so Christopher had used his connections to find a specialist overseas who could treat me.

Through countless sleepless nights, he'd stayed by my side, patiently enduring my emotional breakdowns while bringing his work home from the institute so he wouldn't have to leave me alone.

Thinking back on all the love we'd once shared, I couldn't help asking, "But you promised you'd protect our child and me. Does that promise mean nothing to you?"

My reaction finally wore down what little patience he had left.

"I never forced you to terminate the pregnancy!"

"But you're already doing that!" My voice was so hoarse that I could barely get the words out.

Christopher froze.

Just then, one of his co-workers, Henry Collins, came rushing toward us on his bicycle.

"Dr. Monroe! Your sister-in-law is complaining of severe stomach pain. Could you drive her to the hospital?"

Christopher's expression changed instantly. Without a second thought, he shoved me, his pregnant wife, out of the car.

"Walk home by yourself. It'll give you some time to cool off."

With that, he sped away in his jeep without so much as looking back, leaving me alone on the side of the road.

I hit the ground hard and tried several times to get back on my feet, but I couldn't manage it.

I didn't know how long I sat there crying before I finally managed to make my way home in a daze. Once I got inside, I went straight to the landline telephone, which I rarely used and kept only for emergencies and special occasions because calls were so expensive.

I picked up the receiver and dialed a number.

"Hello. My name is Vanessa Foster. I'd like to join the team heading to Altara to provide support."