Chapter 1

The midwife I had secretly brought in barely glanced at my newborn before her medical tools scattered with a crash across the floor. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped to the ground, out cold.

An eerie silence filled the room, broken only by the soft, wet sounds of the three little ones on the bed, whimpering in my ears.

"Ow... Ow..."

Their cries were faint but hit me like a sledgehammer.

Puppies? That could not be right. How utterly bizarre!

Lydia, the maid, clutched her mouth, her body quivering like she was caught in a gale.

"Monster...monster...

"Chloe, it's all over for you. It's really all over...

"To give birth to...to this. Don't you know what they'll do to you on this island?"

I was sprawled on the bed, drenched in a cold sweat. The pain in my body was nothing compared to the fear gripping me.

"This can't be happening... It has to be a mistake..."

I pinched my leg fiercely.

It throbbed with pain.

No, that nightmare was my reality.

The three little creatures, eyes shut tight, nuzzled against me, their warmth against my skin.

Panic overwhelmed me, and I burst into tears.

This was it: the end of everything.

Ethan Gibson would surely have me thrown to the sharks!

Just days ago, another woman, one of the chosen, had twins. The island was abuzz, ready to throw a grand celebration.

However, Ethan had dismissed them with a single glance, saying, "Not mine."

She pleaded and swore her loyalty while the infants wailed.

Ethan remained stone-faced, gave a dismissive wave, and, like discarding garbage, his guards dragged them to the sea.

Gunshots echoed, and they were gone, the water stained red with their blood, a feast for the sharks.

That was the price for bearing 'humans.'

I...I had given birth to dogs.

On that godforsaken island, they probably all thought I was cursed.

Whispers about Ethan's family curse were everywhere, and he hated anything that even hinted at it.

I was certain that they would have either tossed me to the sharks or, even worse, burned me alive without hesitation!

"Chloe, open the door."

A man's voice shattered the silence outside.

My heart slammed against my chest, gripped by an invisible hand.

It was Ethan, the billionaire.

That voice was etched in my memory.

A year back, he declared that the woman who bore his child would become the Gibson family's queen bee.

A swarm of women buzzed in, eyes on the prize.

I was cornered, scrambling for cash to save my sick grandma, so I threw my hat in the ring.

Somehow, my simple resume was the golden ticket.

On the island, I knew I could not match Hannah's stunning looks, Larisse's statuesque frame, or Wendy's blue-blooded charm. I was just biding my time, waiting for my consolation prize.

However, then came a full moon night in the garden, where I stumbled upon Ethan, wild-eyed and not himself.

The moon draped us in its glow, tracing our silhouettes.

Heat rose by degrees, his touch tracing fire on my skin, his teeth tugging at my shirt button.

An exotic scent filled the air, stoking a fire inside me, drawing me to him like a moth to a flame.

That night, we were intimate, and he even left a bite mark on my neck.

From that night, I got pregnant.

Now, voices pierced the silence again.

"Mr.... Mr. Gibson… There's a birth..."

Lydia heard it: a chance to turn the tide.

She dashed for the door, ready to spill the truth to Ethan.

"Please, don't say a word!" I cried out, reaching to stop her.

However, I was exhausted, having just given birth.

I tried to lift myself up, only to fall back onto the bed with a thud.

"It's not my problem! I don't want to die!" Lydia did not care.

Her screams pierced the air as she gripped the doorknob for dear life.

Footsteps approached from outside: Ethan's armed bodyguards.

I was petrified, struggling to breathe.

"Why isn't this door opened? Don't want to let me in?" Ethan's voice was icy, menacing like the angel of death.

"I...I can't... It won't budge..." Lydia was on the verge of tears, her trembling hands unable to turn the knob.

"Knock it down," Ethan commanded, cutting through the excuses.

An instant later, a thunderous crash shook the heavy door.

The lock screeched, a metallic wail.

The three little ones on the bed, sensing danger, fell silent.

They clung to me, shivering against my stomach.

As the door began to give way, I shut my eyes, hopeless.