Chapter 4

“Liam Cross! Let me out!”

I screamed desperately, but there was no response from outside.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second, and my body began to show signs of dehydration.

The baby in my belly also squirmed uneasily, as if protesting the terrifying environment.

“Baby, I’m sorry. Mommy is so sorry.”

I looked down at my belly, tears mixing with sweat, streaming down my face.

The high heat made me dizzy, and I started to hallucinate.

I saw the first time Liam and I cooked together, my finger accidentally burned.

He was so anxious he nearly cried, carefully applied aloe vera, then carried me to the sofa.

He pretended to be angry, but his voice was gentle.

“You’re not allowed in the kitchen again. If you’re hungry, just call your husband!”

Whenever my period pain made me curl up in bed, he would clumsily brew ginger tea with brown sugar.

He’d drop three drops on the back of his hand to test the temperature before personally feeding it to me.

I looked into his loving eyes, thinking he would never change, not in three lifetimes.

But now, he had tied me in this scorching room, abandoning me and our baby to die.

Suffocating heat, unbearable pressure.

I felt my consciousness slowly peeling away, the cramping in my lower abdomen growing increasingly intense.

I curled up in the corner, using my last ounce of strength to protect my belly.

Don’t be scared, baby. Mommy’s here…

The next morning, when Liam opened the sauna door.

What he saw was me, passed out, lying in a pool of blood.

He rushed over, immediately picking me up.

“Summer! Summer!”

Through a haze, I heard the ambulance sirens.

When my consciousness cleared, I was lying in the guest room bed, an IV drip in my arm.

Liam sat nearby, focused on typing code on his laptop.

“The baby…”

My voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.

Hearing my faint whisper, he quickly leaned closer, his gaze slightly evasive.

“The baby… it’s gone.”

“You’ve paid your debt to Scarlett. From now on, just stay here in the mansion and be a good housekeeper.”

He picked up a bowl of soup, scooped out a small spoonful.

After blowing on it a few times, he brought it to my lips.

“This is a restorative broth. I made it myself to help you recover. Drink it.”

My chest constricted with pain. I pushed him away.

“I owe Scarlett nothing! There were only two spots that year, but I was the top honors graduate in the entire state!”

“That last spot was clearly stolen by you. The one who killed Scarlett should be you!”

Liam’s movements stiffened. A flicker of panic crossed his face.

But quickly, that panic was replaced by enraged shame.

“Slam!”

He shot up, a resounding slap landing hard on my face.

My cheek instantly swelled, blood oozing from the corner of my mouth.

“Summer Reed, what are you talking about?!”

He roared at me, his face contorted in a sneer.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have been with Scarlett years ago!”

“You manipulative woman, you still refuse to admit your fault! You’re beyond hope!”

I stopped arguing, only offering a faint, mocking laugh, reminding him.

“Your true love is calling. Go answer it.”

Liam glanced at his phone, then, as if trying to escape something, stormed out, slamming the door.

I hadn’t eaten in days.

That night, I was ravenous and had to use the wall for support to go downstairs to find food.

But as soon as I reached the second floor, I heard sounds of intimacy coming from Liam’s room.

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