Chapter 1

Alice’s POV

“Hold her down.”

I thrashed, panic surging through me, but two nurses forced me onto the delivery bed.

“Dad… please…” I sobbed, my vision blurring with fear and pain. “This is my child…”

“Your child? No. From now on, this is Lily and Adam Kastner’s baby.”

Atlas Fairborn—my father, yes, but also the merciless head of Fairborn Industries—stood a few steps away, his expression unreadable, as if I were a stranger. My stepmother clutched his arm, a faint, unsettling smile tugging at her lips. Lily, my stepsister, sat nearby, her fake baby bump obvious as she filmed the scene, claiming it was “to document the birth for Adam.”

A needle pierced my vein, sharp and icy. As the numbing fluid spread through me, his words echoed in my mind—calm, final, merciless.

"After the shameful act you pulled, you dare to disobey me?! Is this what I taught you?!" he reprimanded, his gaze icy, making a shiver run down my spine. "You slept with that man beneath our class and are carrying his child!"

I pressed back against the hospital bed, my hands cradling my eight-month belly, as if it would somehow protect my child.

Eight months ago, I shared a passionate night with my boyfriend Jace. I didn't remember the details of that night because I'd had too many drinks, but later the pregnancy test showed positive.

I was so happy that I was going to be the mother of his child. But my father disapproved of him, and I had no idea he despised him so much until the moment I gave him the news.

I was scared of my father's wrath. But I had no idea what he planned until he told me he'd accept the child only if I handed it to Lily, my stepsister.

"You disgraced this family, Alice," Francoise, my stepmother, stepped forward, twirling the pearls on her expensive neckpiece. "You slept with a bartender who has no family worth or status." She spoke with a disgusted look on her face. "If word gets out that this baby is his, it will ruin our reputation—"

"Silenec, Francoise!" My father shot back, his face flushing red with anger. She immediately shut her mouth, knowing better than to provoke him further.

His wrathful gaze shifted back to me. "Thankfully, your sister has secured a marriage to Adam Kastner by promising him a child." He motioned at Lily, who was sitting on a chair beside my bed, wearing a prosthetic belly.

"A child that's mine. You can't just take it," I declared, clutching my belly tightly. It was sad how I had borne the pain of carrying this little life all these months, and my family wanted to hand it over to Lily, who did nothing but pretend to her fiancé that she was pregnant.

Lily needed a baby to secure her marriage to the Kastner family, who were the richest family in the city. The marriage will benefit my father’s company. So they wanted to take my baby.

Father scoffed."You should have been like Lily and secured a partner from an influential background. Sometimes I wonder if you're even my own blood." His words hurt more than a beating would. I didn’t miss the smirk on my step-mother’s face. 

I swallowed back the bitter tears threatening to spill. I used to be the apple of his eye, yet now he treated me like a stranger. All because I chose love.

"It's alright, Dad. If Alice doesn't want me to get married to Adam and have a home, then I will accept it," Lily sobbed, looking down at the floor with tears in her eyes.

I could see through her act clearly. Since the moment she became my stepsister, she always pretended to be nice and kind. Yet she tried to make my dad hate me with every chance she got.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Lily," Francoise cupped her daughter's face. "Your sister will help you. She will make something good happen from her terrible mistake." She threw a glare at me.

I shook my head. "It isn't a mistake. Jace loves me, and we plan to raise this baby."

"Shut up, Alice!" My father's roar made me shiver, and I saw him raise his hand as if he was going to slap me. I flinched and clutched the edge of the bed with my free hand for support. "Your decision has caused me enough harm."

"But Dad, Jace is a good guy. He'll be a good father," I defended, hoping he had some compassion left within him to see what he was forcing me to do. If I handed my child to the Kastners, not only would they steal a part of me, but it would hurt Jace as well. 

"He's a worthless man. Just like you." He pointed at me, and my face turned pale. I couldn't believe that after all these years I'd hear my beloved father say this to me. His eyes glistened with tears. "You were my pride, my gem. But look at what you did." He spat the words, breaking my heart. "You broke my trust, Alice. I cannot accept that child you carry. I'm giving you a chance to do something right."

"You should be grateful," Francoise said, nodding to the doctor. "Your bastard will grow up as a Kastner heir instead of being whispered about its entire life. We're giving it a better future than you ever could."

The doctor stepped closer. "Ms. Fairborn, this injection will induce labor," he said in a detached, professional tone. "You'll start contracting within the hour."

"No." I shook my head frantically. "No, I don't consent. It’s too early for the baby—"

My father's hand clamped down on my shoulder. "You lost the right to make decisions when you brought shame to this family."

From her chair, Lily let out a perfectly timed whimper. "Oh... oh, it hurts."

She pressed her phone, and Adam Kastner's voice filled the room through the speaker. "Lily? What's wrong?"

"The baby," Lily gasped, clutching her fake belly. "Darling, I think it's coming. The contractions... they're so strong..."

"I'm five minutes away," Adam said, his voice tight with concern. "Hold on, sweetheart. I'm almost there."

I looked at my dad and saw something that looked almost like regret flicker across his face.

"Dad?" I called him, hoping he'd listen out of his love for me. "Please. I know I disappointed you. I will leave this city with Jace, and no one has to know. But this is your grandchild. Doesn't that mean anything?"

He looked at me, and his facial muscles softened. But then his eyes hardened again.

"No," he declared without an ounce of emotion. "It doesn't."

My hope shattered.

The needle pierced my skin. I gasped at the sharp sting, then felt the slow, terrible burn of the medication entering my bloodstream. The doctor pressed the plunger with steady precision, and I watched in horror as the clear liquid disappeared into my body.

Then I felt a sharp pain in my belly.