Chapter 4

It was like a thunderbolt striking my head. My body swayed. Sheer willpower was the only thing keeping me upright.

“Who… did it?”

That crash had cost me my uterus and almost taken my only daughter.

I had believed it was proof of Ethan’s love. He had been resuscitated over and over in intensive care, hanging by a thread after sacrificing himself to save me.

“Our findings indicate that Mr. Carter personally arranged the accident.”

I almost laughed.

My numb heart felt as if it had been ripped open.

The nightmare that had imprisoned me for five years had been created by the man sleeping beside me.

What had he been thinking through all my bouts of depression and suicide attempts, every time I had struggled to stay alive by clinging to his love?

I closed my eyes, grief stealing my voice.

Dad had already gathered all the evidence for me. He had also found enough weaknesses in Carter Group to bankrupt it. He told me to wait. He would come for me soon.

But I didn’t want to wait anymore.

I called Chloe.

“Do you really want to give up your son and let him call me his mother?”

“Of course, Nancy. I—”

I cut her off coldly.

“I’ve couriered the divorce agreement to you. Whether you can get him to sign it is up to you.”

“And stop acting like we’re close. It makes me sick.”

That same evening, I received the divorce agreement with Ethan’s signature.

Chloe dropped the act. She sounded smug on the phone.

“What can I say, Nancy? Ethan fell in love with me the moment you brought me here.”

“He took my virginity in his office while you were pregnant. He said I gave him more excitement and pleasure than he could count.”

My stomach cramped. I fought back my nausea.

“If he loves you so much, why has he still refused to make you Mrs. Carter, even after you had a miscarriage and then his child?”

“I guess your great love isn’t worth much after all.”

I hung up without waiting for her screams to end, then picked up my daughter.

“Sophie, how about Mommy takes you to Grandpa’s house?”

She obediently tightened her arms around my neck and nodded hard.

But I never got the chance to leave. After packing our bags, I received a call from the hospital.

“Hello, is this Ms. Nancy Bennett? Sophie Carter’s follow-up test results indicate that her fever was an early symptom of leukemia…”

I could hardly believe my ears. I hurried to the hospital with my daughter, only for a group of bodyguards to rush out and snatch Sophie away!

They pinned me to the floor. I watched helplessly as my crying daughter was carried off.

“Nancy, I’m sorry, but Noah is only a year old. He’s still so little. Please save him!”

Chloe nestled against Ethan’s chest, sobbing as if her heart were breaking.

Ethan avoided my demanding gaze and said only:

“There’s a problem with Noah’s kidneys. Sophie is the only match. Don’t worry. I’ve found the best surgeon…”

I went limp on the floor, staring at him in disbelief.

“So you’re going to make five-year-old Sophie give him a kidney? Ethan! She’s your own daughter!”

He frowned impatiently.

“I know! But Noah is my son too! It’s just one kidney. She won’t die!”

I watched them inject my daughter with an anesthetic. No matter how much I begged on my knees, apologized, or screamed curses at them, nothing worked!

I broke down and tried to block the gurney. Even when its wheels rolled over my fingers, I couldn’t stop it.

Then another group of bodyguards burst in. One kicked the corrupt doctor aside, while another stomped on Ethan’s wrist hard enough to break it!

Over Ethan’s terrified cry of pain, a commanding voice roared:

“Let’s see who dares lay a hand on my daughter or granddaughter!”