Chapter 6

Seraphina's POV

At the hospital under the Summers Corporation.

The red light of the emergency room glared harshly.

Peyton leaned against the corridor wall, his white shirt cuffs stained with blood. Lily's blood. His gaze emptily fixed on the emergency room door, his whole being like someone whose soul had been extracted.

I stood at the end of the corridor, watching that man pace anxiously, a dense pain spreading through my chest.

Once when I had a fever and was hospitalized, he guarded my bedside just like this, eyes red, saying he was afraid something would happen to me.

Once when I casually mentioned feeling unwell, he could cancel all meetings and spend the entire night accompanying me through every examination.

Now none of this belonged to me anymore.

The emergency room's red light went out. A doctor walked out, removed his mask, and shook his head.

"Mr. Summers, Miss Lily's injuries were too severe. The baby couldn't be saved."

Peyton's body swayed. His eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins. He rushed into the hospital room.

Through the glass window, I clearly heard his choked voice, full of heartache and love.

"Lily, don't be afraid. I'm here. It's my fault for not protecting you and the baby."

"We'll have another child in the future. I'll stay with you for the rest of my life."

I closed my eyes. The last trace of hope completely extinguished.

He made promises to the woman who killed my child.

While my biological son received nothing.

I didn't want to watch anymore, didn't want to wait anymore. I just wanted to completely escape this place full of lies and blood.

I turned around. Just as I took one step, two dark figures suddenly blocked my path.

They were Peyton's personal bodyguards.

"Mrs. Summers, Mr. Summers instructed you to come with us."

"I'm not going."

I forcefully pushed them away, trying to break free, my heart full of resistance.

I knew Peyton's personality too well. If I stayed now, all that awaited me was endless torment.

The bodyguards' faces were cold and hard, showing no mercy whatsoever.

One of them raised his hand and struck hard at the back of my neck.

A sharp, blunt pain hit me. My vision went black, and I completely lost consciousness.

When I woke again, a pungent moldy smell and cold atmosphere enveloped me.

Pitch darkness surrounded me. Only one dim yellow light bulb swayed and flickered.

This was the basement of the Summers family's old mansion.

The place where my child's urn had been hidden before.

I struggled to sit up. My whole body was sore and weak, my wrists painfully chafed by rope.

Footsteps approached from far to near. Peyton walked in, his face devoid of its usual tenderness, leaving only coldness and forcefulness.

"You're awake?"

I looked up at him, my eyes desolate, without a trace of emotion.

"Peyton, you actually dare treat me like this?"

"You and Lily conspired to switch my child, kill him, burn him as medical waste. Doesn't your heart hurt?"

My voice wasn't loud, but carried bone-deep hatred. I bit down hard on every word.

Peyton frowned deeply, his face full of impatience. His tone was light and dismissive.

"What lies are you telling? Wasn't your child dead when he was born?"

"Lily even painfully gave you her own child to raise, and you're still not satisfied?"

Ashton said the child was alive when born. How could he say my child was dead at birth?

Just as I was about to question him, I heard Peyton say.

"In a moment, apologize to Lily, and this matter will be over. I'll still consider you my wife. I won't pursue what happened before."

I turned my head away, forcefully avoiding his touch, my eyes cold.

"I did nothing wrong. I absolutely will not apologize."

The ones who killed my child were them. The ones who betrayed our marriage were them. What right did they have to demand I apologize?

The smile on Peyton's face instantly vanished. His expression darkened terrifyingly as he sternly rebuked me.

"Seraphina!"

He turned to look at the bodyguards outside the door, coldly ordering.

"Watch her. Without my orders, don't let her step out of here!"

With that, Peyton turned and left. He was clearly anxious to go care for Lily.

The basement's iron door was slammed shut, locked, completely cutting off the outside light.

I curled up in the corner, freezing all over.

Not long after, several thin black shadows suddenly slid through the gap in the iron door, slowly crawling toward me.

Snakes!

Peyton clearly knew I was most afraid of snakes.

My face went deathly pale. Trembling all over in fright, I desperately shrank back, pounding on the iron door with all my might, screaming for help.

"Open the door! Let me out! Is anyone there!"

From outside the door came the bodyguards' cold mocking laughter, completely devoid of warmth.

"Just accept all this."

"You caused Miss Lily to lose her child and nearly cost her life. Mr. Summers is very angry and told us to punish you severely!"

"No one will come save you."

My hand pounding on the door gradually weakened. Watching the snakes get closer and closer, only despair remained in my eyes.

So my life was this cheap in their eyes.