Chapter 1

When Joanna Reynolds went into labor, the pain hit me so hard that I bit my fingernails to the quick.

Every contraction, every tear, every stitch she endured after giving birth was transferred to me through the specialized chip.

The torture lasted a full six hours.

By the time it was over, my clothes were drenched in sweat, and my bloody fingers had smeared horrifying dark red streaks across the hospital floor.

Patients passing through the hallway stared at me with morbid curiosity. They pointed at me, whispering to one another.

"She's not even the one giving birth. Why's she screaming like that? Is she out of her mind?

"Maybe she has some kind of psychotic break. I saw something about this in the news before. Apparently, some women who can't have children lose it and start acting crazy outside delivery rooms…"

Not long after, Chase Russell's voice drifted through the crack in the door.

"How are you feeling? It doesn't hurt at all, does it?"

"Chase, the chip you developed is incredible," Joanna answered in a soft, delicate voice. "I didn't feel a thing during the delivery, and I didn't even need an epidural for the stitches afterward. I felt perfectly fine."

I bit down hard on my lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading across my tongue. But even that couldn't stop a broken whimper from escaping my throat.

Finally, the delivery room door swung open.

Chase walked out with Joanna nestled against him, her cheeks glowing as she giggled in his arms. She looked as though she'd merely woken from a nap, and not just gone through childbirth.

Meanwhile, I lay sprawled on the floor, drenched in sweat and barely able to move.

The smile vanished from Chase's face the moment he saw me. He seemed to catch a foul smell and recoiled in disgust.

"Renee, have you no shame?" he scolded. "You're a grown woman, and you couldn't even control yourself?

"Come on, you're my girlfriend. Do you really have to make such a humiliating spectacle of yourself and make me look bad in front of everyone?"

I opened my mouth, but I was too exhausted to get a single word out.

"Chase, she did endure all that pain for me," Joanna said, feigning concern. "Even if she embarrassed you, you shouldn't blame her for it."

"How painful could giving birth really be?" Chase countered with a sneer. "She's just being dramatic."

I forced myself to my feet. Swallowing back my tears, I quietly pleaded, "Chase, could you give me a ride home? My phone's dead…"

Chase glanced back at me and frowned. "Give you a ride? Look at yourself. You're filthy as hell, and you still have the nerve to ask me that? I have a thing about cleanliness. Don't push my limits."

With that, he didn't spare me another glance. He simply wrapped an arm around Joanna and walked away with her.

Just before he disappeared down the hallway, he tossed one final remark over his shoulder.

"Go home and clean yourself up. Don't embarrass me again!"