Chapter 5
“Peter! Have you lost your damn mind?!” “How far are you planning to go? Do you have to destroy him—and our child—before you’re satisfied?!” Before I could say a word, Harvey’s tears had already begun to fall. “Andrea… if I die… you have to give birth to our baby…” “Please… promise me you’ll protect him… no matter what…” Andrea’s face was filled with pain and tenderness as she helped him up, her voice soft and full of affection. “Shh… don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.” Then, without sparing me another glance, she walked toward the door. Just before leaving, she gave an order to the guards at the entrance. “Take him to the storage room. Let him reflect overnight. Don’t turn on the lights.” I stared at her in disbelief and shouted hoarsely, “Andrea, have you forgotten I’m claustrophobic?! Are you trying to kill me?!” She paused—but didn’t turn back. “I haven’t forgotten. But you hurt Harvey. There has to be a price.” With that, she walked out. The bodyguards followed her command without hesitation. They dragged me into the cramped storage room. As the door slammed shut, darkness swallowed me whole. Then a sharp, stabbing pain pierced through my lower abdomen like a knife. It was only then I realized the kick Andrea had given me earlier had landed directly between my legs. And now, blood was seeping out. I staggered to the door and began pounding on it with all my might. “Someone—please! Help!” “My lower abdomen hurts so much—I’m bleeding! I need to go to the hospital, now!” One of the guards, alarmed by my screams, called Andrea for instructions. Her voice came through the phone, cold and emotionless. “Don’t believe him. He’s faking it.” “Listen carefully. No one opens that door without my permission.” With that, she hung up. I collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony, blood soaking beneath me through the night. The next morning, a housemaid came to grab supplies and was so horrified by what she saw, she immediately rushed me to the hospital. The moment the doctor who had previously canceled my IVF saw me, he ordered emergency surgery. As the cold anesthesia coursed through my veins, I faintly heard nurses in the hallway cheerfully announcing, “Congratulations, Mr. Hayes and Madam Hayes—the mother and baby are both safe and healthy!” At the same time, in the operating room where I was lying, blood was pouring out due to the delay in treatment. The doctors were panicking. “What do we do now? His wife is listed as deceased, and we need a family member’s signature for this operation!” Just as they were at a loss—a sleek Maybach pulled up at the hospital entrance, drawing murmurs from the staff. “Who is she? Even the hospital director came out personally to welcome her!” “Did you see the man behind her? That’s the top male specialist from New York! People have offered him five million just to get an appointment!” “Oh my god, whoever her husband is must be the luckiest man alive—power, money, connections…” At that moment, the doors to the operating room burst open. Helena stepped in, gently wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. “Uncle Tobias, I’m entrusting my man to you.” “Don’t worry. He’ll come out of this without a scratch.” — A month later, Andrea threw a lavish full-month celebration for the baby. It was only then that she remembered Peter. She casually snapped a photo of the child and sent it to his phone—only to discover she had been blocked. Assuming he was still sulking over that night, she decided to soften her tone and coax him back with a few gentle words. Just as she reached for her phone again, her assistant came rushing into the banquet hall, out of breath and holding an envelope. “Miss Hayes—he’s getting married. The wedding is… it’s today!”