When I was eighteen, I plunged into a frozen river to save my childhood sweetheart, Declan Thorne, a talented swimmer. I got severe frostbite, damaging my uterus. The doctors told me I’d been in the ice too long, sustained severe damage that would make having children incredibly difficult. Declan knelt by my hospital bed, swearing to cherish me forever, even if we never had kids. And just like that, he pampered me, making me the city’s most privileged elite. This year, at thirty-two, marked our tenth wedding anniversary, a decade we’d built side by side. But on our anniversary, I received an anonymous envelope. Inside were growth photos of Declan’s eight children. I stared at my husband, who was meticulously massaging my leg. My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise, making it hard to breathe. Yet, he looked up and said, “Aria, perhaps we should adopt some children.” He then shamelessly, brazenly, brought his mistress and their eight children right into our home. That day, tears blurring my vision, I dialed his best friend’s number. “Liam, I’m giving you a chance. Come help me put on a show!”
“Aria, I think we should…” “We should adopt a few children to look after you when I’m not around.” He said this while leading a boy and a girl out from a nearby room in the lobby. Looking at their eerily similar faces, I felt a bitter, cynical twist in my gut. Declan walked over and pulled me into a deep hug. “They’re just adopted.” “I’ll still love you most, always!” “That whole thing was so many years ago…” “Aria, maybe we both need to move on.” The memory of almost dying to save him, only for him to betray me, hit hard. The suffocating terror of the river water, the feeling of drowning from all those years ago, flooded me again. “Get out! All of you, just get out!” I fiercely pushed away the two children standing in front of me. Declan’s voice turned sharp, a furious roar. “Aria Maxwell, don’t be so unreasonable!” “They’re just kids. Why are you throwing a tantrum at children?” We’d been childhood sweethearts, and this was the first time he’d ever yelled at me. My heart splintered, like shattered glass. I stormed out of our tenth wedding anniversary dinner. But he didn’t grab my hand like he usually would. The other guests had no idea what had just transpired. They only saw me, pushing the kids away like a madwoman, and their whispers and stares followed me. That evening, Declan came home with the children. I was packing my bags to leave. “Aria, if you don’t like them, I can arrange for them to stay on the second floor.” My packing paused for a beat, then resumed. “Whatever.” It wouldn’t concern me anyway, not anymore. Declan let out a sigh of relief. When I finished packing and reached the living room, I heard the children’s noisy shouts coming from the far right room on the second floor. He’d put the children in *my* old room! I raced upstairs. What greeted me was an utter disaster, the room torn apart. The letters Declan had written me, the tiny straw cricket he’d woven, the handcrafted ring he’d given me when he proposed… And all the toys my parents had given me! Everything was strewn across the floor and the bed, broken. My throat felt like an invisible hand was choking it, and a metallic taste, sharp and bitter, flooded my mouth. *Slap!* I slapped Declan hard across the face. “Declan, do you have any heart at all?!” Declan’s head was turned, and in his eyes, I saw no trace of the love he once held for me. “Aria Maxwell, do you always have to be so demanding?” Declan glared at me, his eyes blazing, while the boy behind him made a mocking face at me. Suddenly, all those years of shared history felt like a cruel joke. I turned to leave, but the boy picked up a jade pendant, clearly intending to throw it out the window. My pupils constricted. “Stop!” Declan spun around. “It’s just a pendant!” “Aria, what kind do you want? I’ll buy you a new one, okay?” “Why argue with a child?” With Declan’s permission, the little boy flung the jade pendant out the window. That was the last birthday gift my mother gave me before she passed away. “No!” The pendant shattered on impact. My eyes burned red with unshed tears. “Go pick it up for me!” My hand had just brushed the boy’s shirt when Declan rushed over and shoved me to the ground. My fingers hit the floor awkwardly and fractured, a searing pain shooting from my hand through my entire body. Declan pulled the boy into a protective, comforting hug. “Aria Maxwell, I never realized you were so vicious!” I remembered how, once, a nanny accidentally broke my hair clip, and he’d lost his temper, making her kneel and apologize to me. Now, he held the boy, led the girl, and walked away without a backward glance, leaving me alone, sobbing uncontrollably. I went to the hospital alone. Dr. Reed, while bandaging my hand, sighed. “What’s gotten into Mrs. Thorne this year?” “Mr. Thorne used to protect you like the apple of his eye. You rarely visited the hospital. Now, you’ve actually broken your finger.” The doctor’s words were like a dull knife, twisting slowly in my chest. I stayed silent, biting back tears. While I was being bandaged, I received a text from him. [Aria, I was too hasty earlier. I’ve prepared a surprise for you.] My heart ached until it felt numb. No surprise he could offer would compare to the “surprise” of these two children. I pushed down the pain and dialed Declan’s best friend, Liam Hayes. “Liam, interested in helping me put on a show?”
I deleted the text message from Declan. I just wanted to grab my luggage and leave, but as I opened the front door, Declan enthusiastically pulled my hand, leading me into the living room. “Aria, are you upset with the kids because you don’t want to take care of them?” “It’s okay, I found a nanny to look after them.” “Now you can relax!” “She just happens to have six children of her own, so she’ll need to live with us.” “Don’t worry, she’s a professional when it comes to kids…” He chattered on, completely ignoring my reaction, beaming as if he’d accomplished some great life feat. Looking at the eight children, big and small, in the living room, my stomach churned. I covered my mouth, feeling nauseous. Seraphina Vance glided over, her hand reaching out to steady me. “Hello, Mrs. Thorne, I’m the new nanny.” Her grip tightened imperceptibly on my broken finger, a searing pain that made me gasp. Blood instantly bloomed, soaking through the gauze. She leaned in close, her voice a poisonous whisper. “Sweetheart, the unloved one is the mistress.” She then shrieked loudly, staggering backward. “Mrs. Thorne, if you don’t like me, just tell me to leave! Why did you push me?!” Declan rushed forward in one stride, catching her. “Aria Maxwell, have I spoiled you rotten these past few years?” “Why is your temper so terrible?” His words from our wedding day echoed in my mind, the solemn vow he’d made before the priest: “Aria, I’ll pamper you into the most cherished princess!” I lifted my bleeding hand. “It wasn’t me!” “Enough!” Declan’s eyes instantly filled with resentment. Looking at the family of ten before me, I felt utterly superfluous in my own home. I turned and went back to my room to get my luggage. Seraphina gently patted Declan’s arm. “I’ll go comfort Mrs. Thorne.” She walked in and closed the bedroom door, dropping her fragile act completely. Seraphina grabbed my arm, yanking me close to her. “A barren hen like you, still clinging on?” “I come from a lineage renowned for its boundless fertility. As you can see, all eight of those children are mine, children I bore for Declan.” “A woman who can’t even have children, truly a disgrace to us women.” “If I were you, I’d have left gracefully long ago.” I stared at the beautiful woman before me. A chill ran down my spine. I didn’t want to engage in a pointless argument; I just wanted to leave. But she blocked my way again. “Do you really think you still hold a place in his heart?” She grabbed my hand and, with it, slapped herself hard across the face. My palm went numb from the impact. As expected, her scream drew Declan’s attention. Declan rushed in, caressing the red mark on her face with tenderness. Then he turned and shoved me, sending me tumbling. My lower back hit the corner of a cabinet, and pain shot through my entire body. He wasn’t done. He swung his hand, connecting with a sharp crack across my face. Blood welled up at the corner of my mouth, and my cheek burned with searing pain. “Aria Maxwell, you’ve gone too far!” “I’ve gone too far? What about your promise to protect me forever?!” His pupils constricted, his expression flustered. But when he heard Seraphina’s sobs again, he chose to turn away from me, helping Seraphina out of the room. After they left, I was in too much pain to move. “Mr. Thompson, call a doctor…” “Mrs. Thorne, all our family doctors are currently in the nanny’s room, tending to *her* face…” “Mr. Thorne won’t let them come.” Declan had once arranged for ten family doctors for me. And now, all of them were attending to Seraphina’s face! The butler’s words were like needles, piercing my entire body, leaving only a dull, aching throb. I bit back the tears, refusing to let them fall, and dialed 911 myself. “Mrs. Thorne, congratulations! You’re two months pregnant!” “Though you’ve had a slight scare, please be sure to take good care of yourself when you go home!” I instinctively touched my lower abdomen, disbelief washing over me. Tears streamed down my face. My hand trembled as I called Declan. “Declan, we… we’re having a baby.” There was no joy, no surprise as I’d hoped. Only a sneer. “Aria, are you really so desperate to fight with the kids that you’d make up a lie like that?” I froze, unable to speak. Before the call disconnected, I faintly heard a woman’s soft moans from his end. I tilted my head back, forcing the tears not to fall. When I got home, Declan walked out of the nanny’s room. The hickeys on his neck were a glaring, painful accusation. I forced myself to ignore them and handed him a document. He paused for a second, then laughed, signing his name with a flourish. “Aria, I’ll buy you whatever you want, but you need to be obedient, okay?” “Tomorrow, I’m planning a party to announce that all eight of these children are mine!” I laughed, a bitter, angry sound. He wasn’t even pretending anymore? “You said you only adopted two. Why are you claiming the other six now?”
Declan stammered, his eyes darting away. “Seraphina’s children were constantly getting bullied at school. If I acknowledged them, no one would dare mess with them anymore.” “She’s a single mom, it’s not easy for her, you can understand that, right?” He reached out, taking my hand and gently stroking it. A wave of nausea washed over me. I pulled my hand away and left. I just had to wait for Liam to finalize the property division, then I’d be free. The next day, when I arrived at the banquet hall, Seraphina and Declan were dressed in extravagant evening wear, greeting guests at the entrance. Anyone who didn’t know them would think they were the couple of honor. In the past, Declan always had custom gowns made for me for every event, big or small. I walked up to Declan, gesturing to my simple attire, then to Seraphina’s elaborate gown. “What is the meaning of this?” Declan waved his hand dismissively. “Seraphina hasn’t worn such beautiful clothes before. Anyway, the children are the stars tonight.” “It doesn’t matter what you wear, does it?” Even though I was determined to leave, seeing the husband I’d loved for so many years like this, my heart still twisted with a sharp, familiar pain. I wandered aimlessly through the banquet, eventually finding myself in the children’s resting room. Looking at the two sleeping infants in their cribs, I thought of my own baby, who would someday be just as adorable, and reached out to hold them. Suddenly, the older children who had been playing nearby rushed over, grabbing my arms and biting down hard. The others ran to the door, screaming that I was trying to kill the babies. They ganged up, pushing me to the floor, pulling my hair, and splashing water on me. Soon, the guests and Declan rushed into the room. The children, seeing them, immediately sat on the floor and started crying. Declan shoved through the crowd, hurrying to my side. Without a word, he slapped me, not once, but ten times. I was too stunned to speak, my cheeks swelling painfully. Seraphina clutched a child, sobbing hysterically. “Mrs. Thorne, just because you can’t have children, do you have to harm other people’s children?” It happened so fast. I hadn’t even processed it, only felt the screaming pain from every part of my body. “That’s right, Mrs. Thorne! Mr. Thorne’s kindness to you is well-known in the elite circles.” “He doesn’t mind you can’t have children. Can’t you even let him adopt a few?” Everyone started to accuse me. Declan, without asking a single question, had already decided I was trying to harm the children. The guests’ words only fueled the fire. “Someone, lock this vicious woman in a room! Let her out after the banquet!” I cried out in disbelief. “No! It wasn’t me!” He ignored me. I was locked in that hotel room for three days. No phone, no one brought me food. I was dizzy and lightheaded from hunger every day. I kept pounding on the door until my palms were raw and bleeding. Declan had completely forgotten about me. He only remembered when he came back to settle the hotel bill. When he saw me, my hair was disheveled, and I was pale and gaunt. I felt a warm liquid trickle down my legs. Gathering my last ounce of strength, I rasped out, “Declan, save… save our baby!” I collapsed before him. Not long after, I was jolted awake by a splash of icy water. “Aria, why do you keep lying about having a baby?” “I told you, I’ll still treat you well after adopting the children!” Seraphina stood nearby, her eyes gleaming with unconcealed triumph. “Mrs. Thorne, lying will teach the children bad habits.” “I heard you’re terrified of water. We should soak you in the bathtub to teach you a good lesson, to set an example for the kids.” After that drowning incident all those years ago, I never went swimming again. Even showering, I had to do it quickly. Declan knew about my fear of water, yet he stood by, watching me with cold indifference. My hands were tied and hoisted up. Seraphina operated a mechanical arm, dipping me into the water, then pulling me out, then plunging me in again. “No! Please, no!” “My baby!” “Mrs. Thorne, you’re clearly on your period. And you’re still lying about being pregnant.” “Hmph! Give her a lesson she won’t forget, so she won’t dare to lie again.” The air in my lungs grew thinner and thinner. My lower abdomen ached, as if hammered. But nothing, nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I felt my child slipping away from me, little by little. In the depths of despair, on the verge of death, I lost consciousness. 5 I woke up to the stinging smell of antiseptic. When I opened my swollen eyes, Liam Hayes was sitting by my side. He shot up the moment he saw I was awake.
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