The ultimate price for his soaring success? My life, and the life of the baby I carried. I had a fling with a younger guy back in the day. Once I had him hooked, I dumped him. Later, he became a billionaire CEO. He found me, broke and bankrupt, and married me. Everyone said I hit the jackpot. But they didn't know he brought different women home every single night. I didn't cry. I didn't fuss. But it drove him mad. He retaliated by getting his mistress, Serena, pregnant. I stayed calm, cool as ice. He slammed me against the wall. "Chloe, do you actually love me or not?" Later, Serena and I broke our water at the same time. I fell to my knees, telling him I loved him, begging him to take me to the hospital. He hugged me tight, a cruel smile on his face. "I knew it!" "You liar." He shoved me away, hard. He scooped up Serena, then walked out without a backward glance. "I'll send you to the hospital later. The pain of childbirth is your punishment!" 1 All I saw was his retreating back as he rushed away. My lower abdomen ached as if all strength had been drained from me. I collapsed heavily to the floor. Amniotic fluid gushed out, soaking my thighs, spreading a wet stain on the ground. Weakly, I raised a hand, calling out to a maid nearby, my voice hoarse. "Please, take me to the hospital..." The maid looked at me, her face full of dilemma. "Mrs. Miller, Liam specifically told us we must wait for him to return. I wouldn't dare..." "You wouldn't dare?" I clutched my abdomen, my voice trembling from the pain. "If anything happens to me or the baby, Liam will never forgive you. Take me now!" The maid, terrified, finally scrambled to her feet and rushed out. She had barely reached the door when Liam's personal assistant, David, blocked her path. "David, Mrs. Miller is in labor. She needs to go to the hospital right away," the maid stammered nervously. David glanced at the fluid on the floor, then at my contorted face, his tone calm. "Mr. Miller said to wait for him. Mrs. Miller is just using her pregnancy to manipulate us again. Help her back to her room to rest." "If we delay any longer, the baby will be gone! Will you take the blame?!" I desperately pushed myself up, pointing a trembling finger at him. David offered a polite, fake smile, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "Mrs. Miller, Mr. Miller is with Miss Serena at the hospital, making sure her baby is safe. He said to wait for him to return." "You know Liam's temper. No one dares to cross him." "I'm in labor! The baby can't wait!" The agonizing contractions returned, like a knife twisting and tearing inside my abdomen. I curled into a ball, cold sweat instantly soaking through my clothes. "What are you waiting for? Help Mrs. Miller to bed, now." David snapped, his voice sharp. Two maids immediately rushed forward, ignoring the intense pain in my roughly grabbing my arms and dragging me towards the bedroom. abdomen, At that moment, I suddenly felt a warm liquid gushing out. I looked down-it was blood! "Blood! I'm bleeding!" Frantically, I grabbed a maid's hand, screaming. "Take me to the hospital, quickly! Any later and the baby will really be in danger!" "Mrs. Miller, I can't make that decision. I'll call the family doctor over first." The maid pulled her hand away, guilt written on her face. "I don't want a family doctor! I need to go to the hospital!" "Mrs. Miller, please don't get angry. I'll go ask David right away." The maid finished speaking and ran out in a panicked hurry. The pain in my abdomen was like a knife carving into my very bones. Cold sweat, mixed with blood and amniotic fluid, soaked the velvet blanket. Time ticked by, but no one came. Dragging my bleeding body, I painfully shifted to the edge of the bed and grabbed Martha, who had just walked in, by the hem of her uniform, crying out. "Martha, please, go check! I can't hold on any longer..." Martha nodded, her face full of sympathy. "Mrs. Miller, just hold on. I'll go hurry them up now." But as she turned, David blocked her. He slowly walked towards me. His gaze swept over the blood-stained blanket, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. It was quickly replaced by cold indifference. "Let Dr. Miller take a look first." As he spoke, Dr. Miller quickly entered with his medical bag. Several maids immediately stepped forward and pinned down my struggling limbs. "Let go of me! I need to go to the hospital!" I twisted my body desperately, tears mixing with cold sweat. "The baby can't wait!" Dr. Miller, expressionless, examined me. Then he took out a few white pills and instructed Martha to give them to me. "What's that?" I shook my head wildly. "I won't take it! Are you trying to kill my baby?!" "It's medication to delay labor. The contractions will lessen after you take it." "No! That will cause the baby to be oxygen-deprived!" Dr. Miller remained coldly impassive, not saying another word. "Dr. Miller, your wife is also about to give birth, isn't she? If she were lying here right now, would you make her take this medication? Aren't you afraid of karma?!" I endured the intense pain and looked at David again. "David, if anything happens to me and the baby, you'll be the murderer! Liam Miller won't let you get away with it!" Dr. Miller and David exchanged a glance. Just as David was about to agree to send me to the hospital, his phone suddenly rang. It was Liam. He answered the call, responding respectfully, the hesitation on his face completely gone. "Mrs. Miller, you heard him." His voice was filled with helplessness. "Mr. Miller said to absolutely wait for him to return. It's not that I won't help you, it's that I truly don't have the authority to decide." With that, he gave Martha a meaningful look. Two maids immediately held down my shoulders, forcibly prying open my mouth. Martha took the opportunity to pop the pills in. I struggled to vomit, but the pills still slipped down my throat. Tears streamed silently down my face. I looked at the ceiling and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. The laughter only made my tears flow harder. "This is excellent. Remember this day! If anything happens to my baby, I will become a vengeful spirit and drag you all down to hell with me!" "Mrs. Miller is unstable. Give her a sedative shot. Don't let her hurt herself or the baby. Martha, keep an eye on her." David frowned, then, after speaking to Dr. Miller and Martha, he turned and left. I stopped struggling, letting the thick needle pierce my arm. Turns out, in Liam's heart, his mistress was far more important than his own flesh and blood. To save her baby, he would let his own child struggle on the brink of death. The despair I felt in that moment was equal to my regret for having been so determined to marry him. I thought if I was good enough, he would see it. Sometimes, for a fleeting moment, I believed he loved me. But now I knew: if he doesn't love you, he just doesn't. Even carrying his child couldn't earn me a shred of his concern. I caressed the rising curve of my abdomen. Amniotic fluid and blood had long since soaked the entire bed. I slowly closed my eyes, tears once again wetting my face. "Liam Miller, if anything happens to my child, I will never let you go!"