Chapter 7

Scarlett's POV

The car ride back to Liam’s mansion was suffocating. The air inside felt thick, like it was pressing down on me, making it harder to breathe.

Two of his bodyguards sat on either side of me, their large frames boxing me in. My wrists hurt from where they had grabbed me earlier, but I barely noticed because my mind was racing, trying to think of a way out.

“This is kidnapping!” I screamed suddenly, my voice shaky but loud. “You can’t just take me like this. Let me go!”

Neither of them responded. They didn’t even glance at me, like I wasn’t worth their time.

That only made the fear and anger boil inside me.

I leaned forward and tried to grab the phone on the console. “I’ll call the police! I’ll…”

One of the men caught my wrist mid-air and pushed me back into the seat. His voice was cold and detached. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

My chest heaved as tears welled up in my eyes. “Please,” I begged, my voice low. “Please, just let me go. You don’t have to do this.”

The man on my right finally turned to me, his face hard but not unkind. “Miss, listen to me,” he said, his tone low. “For your own sake, stop. Don’t try to fight him. Don’t make this worse.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. “What do you mean?” I whispered, though deep down, I already knew.

He hesitated, his gaze flicking towards the driver before he leaned closer. “Our boss doesn’t tolerate disobedience. If you keep pushing him, you’ll end up dead. Is that what you want?”

I froze, his words hitting me like a punch to the gut.

My spirit, already fragile, shattered completely. Dead.

He said it so casually, like it was just a fact, not a warning.

The fight in me disappeared, leaving only an empty, sinking feeling in my chest.

I slumped back in the seat, staring blankly out the window as the city lights passed by in blur.

What was the point? If I couldn’t escape, if I couldn’t fight back, then what was the point of anything?

A few minutes later, the car stopped in the dim parking lot. Liam told his men to grab me. I kept struggling and held on tightly to the car door. Liam just picked me up directly and carried me into the elevator. "Scarlett, it's no use resisting. Stop struggling."

“Let me go,” I said weakly, but it was more out of habit than hope. I knew he wouldn’t listen.

I watched as the elevator ascended to the top floor, my heart pounded harder with each floor, dread building in my chest. He led me out. The decor here was nothing like that of an ordinary hospital. Instead, it was extremely luxurious. The floors were all paved with marble. The floors gleamed under the golden lights, and the walls were lined with expensive artwork.

It all felt so out of place, so wrong for what was happening.

When the doors finally opened, I was pulled into a large room, and the sight of it made my blood run cold.

The room was sleek and modern, with walls painted in muted gray. In the center stood a strange, high-tech chair, surrounded by monitors displaying numbers and graphs. Thin wires dangled from the chair, and I immediately knew what it was.

It looked like an electric shock testing instrument.

I didn‘t have a clue what Liam was up to.

A man in a white coat was standing by the chair, adjusting some of the wires. He looked up as we entered, his face blank and professional. “Ah, you’ve brought her,” he said, his voice calm, like this was just another routine job for him.

I stumbled back, my knees almost giving out. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, no, no.”

The doctor glanced at me, his gaze clinical. “Miss Scarlett, I’m going to need you to lie down.”

My throat tightened, and I turned to Liam. “You can’t do this! You can’t… this is insane!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the large room. “You can’t just… just hook me up to some machine like I’m a criminal!”

One of the nurses stepped forward and grabbed my arm. “Miss, cooperate, or this will get rough.”

I pulled my arm free, fear gripping my chest. “Get off me!” I screamed. “I won’t do it! I won’t…”

Liam didn’t say anything at first, just glanced at the doctor and then at me.

“What’s the problem?” he asked, his tone calm, almost bored.

Liam sighed, stepping closer to me. His gaze was cold. “Scarlett,” he said, his voice low, “I’m really not in the mood for games. Sit down.”

I shook my head violently, backing away until I hit the wall. “No,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I won’t.”

His eyes narrowed, and he crossed the room in two quick strides. Before I could react, his hand gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You’ve spent the whole night getting on my nerves.” His voice dropped to a growl. “I have had enough of your rubbish. I need to know the truth about my child.”

Tears streamed down my face as I struggled against his hold. “How many times do I have to tell you that I have no idea what you are talking about?!” I cried. “I have never been pregnant! I don't have your child.”

“Then prove it,” he said, gesturing towards the chair. “If you’re so sure, sit down. Let’s see what the date says.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. He wasn’t going to let me go. He wasn’t going to stop. And no amount of pleading or screaming would change that.

One of the nurses grabbed me again, this time with more force, and dragged me towards the chair.

I kicked and fought, but it was useless.

They pinned me down and tied the thin wires around my arms and chest. Then the doctor worked quietly, his hands quick and skillful as he adjusted the machine.

When it was done, I was left strapped to the chair, my body trembling. The wires felt cold against my skin, and the monitors beeped softly, their flashing lights adding to my panic.

The doctor stepped back, folding his arms as he looked at me. “Miss Scarlett, I'll ask you some questions, and you just have to answer them truthfully. Once there's any lie, you'll be given an electric shock. It's really not going to be pleasant for you. ”

I glared at him, my chest heaving. “This is insane,” I spat. “You’re all insane.”

Liam smirked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “You’ve made that clear, Scarlett,” he said. “Now, let’s get started.”

The doctor pressed a few buttons on the machine, and the wires tightened slightly around me.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “Now what?”