Chapter 1

Alice’s POV

“Hand me your child after you give birth, Alice, or there will be consequences!” Lily, my step-sister, shouted at me while we were inside the delivery room of St. Mary’s Hospital. 

I clutched my belly protectively as I sat on the bed in a hospital gown and looked at her coldly. “Just because you faked your pregnancy to your fiance doesn't mean I’ll sacrifice my own beloved child for your selfish gains! So keep dreaming!” 

My step-sister had used a prosthetic belly to fake her pregnancy for nine months to force Adam Kastner, the young master of the most powerful Kastner family into marriage. Now she needed a baby to present to the family to secure the marriage. 

She was after my child since I was eight-months pregnant. Unlike her fake nine-months belly, mine was real and it even hurt to tie a shoelace while carrying my child in my womb for so many months. 

After all this pain and hardship I carried for months just so I could bring this life into the world, she expected me to give it all away? Never! 

"Alice, you just need to cooperate a little bit," my stepmother Françoise said, pushing open the hospital room door. "You're still young and have a future ahead. Having a baby will keep you stuck, so why not give it to your sister?"

She smiled like she was talking about handing over a candy to my stepsister, not my own child. 

"Lily will marry into the Kastner family," Françoise continued, examining her perfectly painted nails. "And the Fairborn family will have a better life from now on. You'll be under the spotlight as well."

"I don’t want that," I shook my head. "Nothing equals my child’s value, not even money or reputation." I declared firmly. 

It had been twenty three years since my mother’s death and my father married Françoise. All those years I endured bullying from my stepmother and stepsister. I thought the pain they put me through was the end of their torture. 

But I was wrong. Now they wanted to steal my child like it was some kind of a property. 

I needed to find a way to get out of this. The door opened again and my father walked in. Seeing him gave me some relief. 

“What’s the matter here?” he asked as he looked around. 

“Darling, Alice is refusing to give the child,” Françoise informed, crossing her arms. 

“Dad, this is my child,” I pleaded, hoping he’d stop them and protect me. 

“Please tell them that they can’t take my baby from me—-Ah!!!”  My father's hand came out of nowhere, hitting my face so hard my head snapped to the side. 

My eyes widened as I looked at him in disbelief, the left side of my cheek burning in pain. “Dad?” 

My stepmother smirked. 

"Your sister's wedding must go smoothly," Atlas Fairborn said icily, his gaze devoid of any warmth for his own daughter. "The Fairborn family cannot afford any trouble right now. So you’ll do as we say!"

His words felt like a knife plunged into my chest. My head was buzzing and whatever hopes I had of turning the situation around evaporated in an instant. I struggled to sit up, and the baby in my belly seemed to sense something and kicked me hard. 

I wrapped a hand around my belly, as if I was assuring my child that I’d protect it. No one would take it away from me. Not even my father. 

"Dad," I said, my voice calm despite the pain I felt."It will take at least nine months for a baby to fully develop. I'm only eight months pregnant. It’s early,” I hoped my words would knock some sense into his head. 

But he only scowled at me. “You don’t have to bother with the child’s health. Your only duty is to give birth to Lily’s child properly.” 

I was shocked by his words. Lily’s child? 

I couldn’t believe my father was willing to hand over his grandchild to someone as undeserving as Lily. I was the one who endured all the pain of carrying a life inside me while she went to clubs and enjoyed her life. 

“No. I refuse to give away my child.” I said. I had never refused my father anything in my entire life. For him, I tolerated Françoise’s terrible behavior. But not today. 

This child was my life and I wouldn’t give it away. 

Silence followed. 

Then Françoise started to laugh as if I had cracked some joke. "You refuse? Alice, do you think you have the right to say no in this family?"

She walked closer to my bed and bent down, her face inches from mine. "You're going to give birth today," she whispered. "Whether you want to or not."

The door opened, and a nurse walked in carrying a tray. On it was a syringe.  My heart started pounding so hard I thought it might burst.

"What is that?" I asked as sweat started to cover my forehead. 

Lily stood up from the sofa, checking her lipstick in a small mirror.

"Adam knows I'm giving birth today," she said casually, snapping the compact shut. "He pushed back his project in Italy just to see me and our baby, after nine months. You need to give birth today so our family is complete.” 

She walked over to my bed, her fake belly bouncing slightly with each step."That's oxytocin. A birth-inducing injection. Once it's in your body, it won't take long for the baby to come out." She pointed at it and flashed me a demonic smile. 

"No," I cried in pure horror, pressing back against the pillows. "You can’t do this to me. This is wrong!” 

I watched as the nurse started to prepare the syringe. 

Lily leaned close to my ear, her voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "Oh, come on, sis. My mother raised you for ten years after your real mother died. Compared to the kindness she showed you, you’re just handing me one baby. Don't be so dramatic."

She tilted her head, pretending to think. "Actually, Mom," Lily looked at Françoise, "if she still refuses to give birth after a while, just have the doctors cut her open and take it out. Oh, and don't give her anesthesia."

My blood turned to ice. “What?! Have you lost your mind?” 

"Consider it punishment for refusing," Lily added with a sweet smile.