My life took a turn after I got pregnant. I became the most envied woman in Harbor City. My brother, Julian Hayes, was the richest man in Harbor City. My husband, Derek Thorne, was the second richest. Throughout my entire pregnancy, they cancelled all their plans to be with me for prenatal check-ups. They spoiled me beyond belief. Everyone said I was a princess, cherished in the palms of my brother and husband. But on the day I went into labor, I suddenly developed an amniotic fluid embolism. My condition became critical. The doctor, covered in sweat, held the consent form, but he couldn’t reach my brother or my husband. In despair, I received a video. It showed them on a beach, having a barbecue, full of laughter and cheerful chatter. My brother, Julian Hayes, was diligently holding an umbrella for my stepmother, Eleanor Pierce. And my husband, Derek Thorne, was intimately embracing my stepmother’s daughter, Valerie Pierce. In the video, my brother chuckled, “His phone’s off. Just waiting for the good news that she and the baby would be gone.” Derek Thorne stroked Valerie’s pregnant belly, his eyes full of doting affection. “Aurora Hayes, that idiot, still thinks the baby is mine.” “She has no idea that the man sleeping next to her every night is just some guy I hired from a club.” I lay on the delivery bed, my mind fading, my hatred blazing. Just as I was about to give up, the nurse suddenly slipped my phone into my hand. It was an anonymous text message— A paternity test report between me and Caleb Vance. Below it, there was a line of text: “Aurora, hold on. I’m outside the operating room. I’ll sign for you. I want both you and the baby!”
“That stupid woman is finally going to die. Saves me the trouble of pretending. His phone’s off. Just waiting for the good news that she and the baby would be gone.” My brother’s voice was full of sick pleasure. My husband, Derek Thorne, stroked Valerie Pierce’s pregnant belly, his eyes full of doting affection. “Aurora Hayes, that idiot, still thinks the baby is mine.” “She has no idea that the man sleeping next to her every night is just some guy I hired from a club. Just thinking about touching her made me sick.” I lay on the delivery bed, listening to my husband and brother’s voices in the video. My whole body was ice cold, and waves of gut-wrenching pain tore through my abdomen. My family, my loved ones, the people I had cherished so deeply, turned out to be nothing but devils in human skin. Hatred intertwined with the excruciating pain in my belly, threatening to tear me apart. My phone buzzed. It was a provocative message from Valerie. [Sister, you can die in peace.] [Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your brother and husband for you.] [Oh, and by the way, your child—if he’s lucky enough to survive, I’ll raise him myself. I’ll make sure he knows from a young age what a low-class woman his birth mother was, hahahaha!] Valerie’s messages kept coming, her malicious words piercing my heart like daggers. “Pfft—” I spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the pristine white sheets crimson. The monitor let out a sharp, piercing shriek. “The patient is crashing! Hemorrhaging!” “Prepare for defibrillation!” Just as my consciousness was about to completely shatter, Caleb Vance tightly gripped my hand. “Aurora Hayes, look at me!” His face was etched with anxiety and sweat, but his voice was unusually firm. “Aurora, listen to me, you can’t give up!” “For the baby, for yourself, live!” “Don’t you want to know the truth? Don’t you want revenge? Live, and I’ll help you!” “Deliver this baby. I will be his father. I will help you reclaim everything that belongs to you!” His voice slammed into my heart. Yes, I couldn’t die. I hadn’t even seen those four beasts kneeling before me, begging for mercy and repentance! How could I let my child be born motherless, falling into the hands of those demons! I bit my lip hard, using all my strength to follow the doctor’s instructions. “Ah—!” I couldn’t stop a primal scream from escaping my lips. “It’s a boy! He’s here!” The nurse’s voice came, full of joyful surprise. My taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and I plunged into complete darkness. When I woke up again, I was lying in a quiet, comfortable VIP hospital room. The nurse saw me wake up, came over to adjust my blanket, and said with a happy tone, “Miss Hayes, you’re awake? That’s wonderful. You and the baby are both safe, and he’s a very healthy boy.” Mother and son safe. My lips trembled slightly, and tears silently streamed down my face. Thank goodness, my baby and I had pulled through from the brink of death. “Where’s the baby?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “The little master is in the incubator. Dr. Vance said he’d bring him over for you to see once you woke up. You’re incredibly lucky. We were all so scared that day.” I reached out and held the baby, but my mind kept replaying the video and text messages I received during labor. Every single image was like a knife, slowly twisting in my heart. My brother, my beloved husband, had been putting on an act from beginning to end. They had been enjoying my selfless devotion and love while secretly plotting to kill me. And I? I had been lost in the web of lies they wove, foolishly believing I was the happiest person alive. How laughable! I forced myself to calm down, took out my phone, and dialed a detective’s number. “Help me investigate two people: Derek Thorne, and my brother Julian Hayes. I want to know all the dirty secrets between them and Eleanor and Valerie Pierce.”
The next afternoon, the detective emailed me the investigation files. I leaned back in bed and opened the documents, my heart sinking little by little into an icy abyss. It turned out that Julian Hayes, the brother I had called for over twenty years, was the illegitimate son of my father, Richard Hayes, and my stepmother, Eleanor Pierce. My mother was pregnant with me when my father cheated with Eleanor. To give Julian a legitimate place in the Hayes family, my father publicly claimed Eleanor was a distant cousin and had her move into the Hayes mansion with Julian. Julian had known his true identity since he was eight years old. All these years, he enjoyed my mother’s unwavering and meticulous nurturing while secretly scheming with Eleanor to seize the entire Hayes family fortune. And Derek Thorne had been having an affair with Valerie Pierce long before he and I got married. He had deliberately approached me and married me only for the sake of his family’s business and the massive fortune under my name. They had calculated my due date, planning that “accident” to ensure I died on the delivery table. Then, they could legitimately seize everything I owned. I gripped my phone, my knuckles white. I forced back the pain and scrolled down, only to discover that my mother’s death three years ago wasn’t an accident. Eleanor and Valerie had deliberately provoked her, causing her heart attack, which ultimately led to her death in the hospital. I remembered my mother holding my hand on her deathbed, urging me to be careful of Julian and Eleanor and Valerie Pierce. At the time, I thought she was just afraid I’d be bullied by my stepmother, and I even reassured her that my brother was very good to me. Now, thinking back, I was ridiculously stupid! My mother had suspected something, but I had been too immersed in their lies, played for a fool by those two wolves. Since they didn’t want to be my family, why should I cling to them, begging them to come back with my child in tow? My child, absolutely cannot live in that kind of filth! I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes, took a deep breath, and called the lawyer my mother had trusted most during her lifetime: “Mr. Davies, activate that secret股权协议 (stock equity agreement) my mother left behind.” To prevent the Hayes family fortune from falling into the wrong hands, my mother had left an agreement: The agreement stipulated that the shares of Hayes Group could only be inherited by children born to her and my father during the period of their legal marriage. In other words, Julian, that illegitimate son, had no right to inherit any shares of Hayes Group. “Also, please draft a divorce agreement for me. I want Derek Thorne to leave with nothing!” “Understood, Miss Hayes.” After hanging up, I had my assistant “accidentally” leak a piece of news. #Hayes Heiress Gives Birth to Son, Transferred to Harbor City’s Top Post-Natal Care Center for Recovery.# Learning that I hadn’t died, Julian and Derek appeared at my hospital room door the next morning, their faces etched with apparent anxiety. “Aurora! How are you? Why was your phone off?” Julian was the first to rush in, his face full of worry and lingering fear. “We rushed over as soon as we heard the news. I’m so sorry, Aurora. It’s all my fault. I had an urgent company meeting that day, and I put my phone on silent. I completely missed the hospital’s call.” Derek also stepped forward, holding my hand, his eyes red. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I almost died of fright when I heard about your amniotic fluid embolism.” “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to that stupid forum. I should have been by your side.” What a performance! I pulled my hand away and forced a small smile. “It’s fine, I don’t blame you. I’m fine too, don’t worry!” Derek picked up the nourishing broth from the table and spoon-fed me, his voice gentle. “Honey, you just gave birth, you’ve been through so much. Eat something quickly and recover well.” “Don’t worry about the company. Julian and I are here. Just rest easy. Once you’re out of recovery, I’ll hand the company back to you.” Heh, what a perfect multi-part scheme! When their murder plot failed, they intended to take advantage of my weakness to legitimately seize control of the company. I suppressed my disgust and obediently drank the broth, putting on a show of gratitude. My voice was hoarse, “Honey, Julian, I’m fine. Just a little tired.” “But the company, my body truly can’t handle it right now. Honey, why don’t you manage it for me temporarily?”
Derek and Julian exchanged a glance, a flicker of undetectable triumph in their eyes. “Of course, Honey, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to manage the company perfectly for you.” The fish had taken the bait! I nodded and had my assistant bring over a document I had prepared earlier. “Honey, this is a power of attorney for some company and family matters. Please sign it, so it’ll be easier for you to handle things.” In reality, I had prepared two documents. One was the power of attorney for managing company and family affairs; the other was the divorce agreement. I stacked the two documents together, revealing only the title of the power of attorney and the signature line at the bottom. Derek, thinking he had completely fooled me, quickly picked up the pen and signed his name on the last page. As I took back the agreement, a huge weight finally lifted from my heart. Derek, your good days are over! You and Julian, one by one, I won’t let any of you off! Just then, the hospital room door slammed open. Eleanor and Valerie Pierce strutted in, brazenly. Valerie caressed her belly, her voice delicate. “Sister, I heard you gave birth. We specially came to see you.” She walked to my bedside, deliberately jutting out her slightly swollen belly, and whispered mockingly in my ear, “Sister, you truly are an idiot. Do you think Derek loves you? He’s always loved me.” “I’m carrying his child too. Once I give birth, I’ll be the rightful Mrs. Thorne.” “And you, you’ll only be fit to hold your bastard child and be thrown out of the house.” Eleanor Pierce smugly stepped forward and whispered in agreement, “Aurora Hayes, Aurora Hayes, your mother was so shrewd back then, but it’s a pity she gave birth to an idiot like you.” “But, seeing how pitiful you are, if you kneel down now with that bastard child and beg us, I might just soften my heart and throw you and your child a crumb, allowing you to stay in the Hayes family and enjoy life.” I trembled with rage, roaring, “Get out! Both of you, get out!” But Valerie didn’t retreat. Instead, she stepped closer, pressing her belly against my arm, a twisted smile on her face. Then, her body suddenly went limp, and she fell straight backward. “Ah! Sister, you… how could you push me? My stomach…” She clutched her belly, her face ashen, sitting on the floor, crying bitterly. “Valerie!” Derek’s face instantly changed. He rushed forward, clutching Valerie to him with a pained expression. He turned back, glaring at me fiercely, and sternly rebuked, “Aurora Hayes, you poisonous woman! Valerie came to see you out of kindness, and you dared to lay such a cruel hand on her!” “Are you so intolerant? Can’t you even tolerate a pregnant woman!” I hadn’t even touched her! “I didn’t…” I tried to explain, but Julian interrupted me, his face cold. “Shut up! Still daring to talk back?” “I don’t think you need to stay in recovery anymore. You’re just too idle, enjoying too much luxury, which gives you the energy to throw tantrums here.” “Since you love making a fuss so much, how about we send you to that notorious ‘re-education’ facility for disobedient women on the city’s west side, to learn some manners!” Julian said, reaching out to grab me and the baby in my arms. I desperately shielded my baby, shrinking back in terror. That facility on the west side of the city was a place specifically used to punish disobedient women in Harbor City. People who went in there rarely emerged unscathed. “Don’t touch me!” I shrieked, desperately hugging my child, retreating repeatedly. Derek also took a step forward, blocking my escape, his face full of cold indifference. “Aurora Hayes, don’t make us use force.” They cornered me against the wall. I had nowhere left to go, and my heart sank deeper and deeper. Just when I thought my child and I were doomed, the hospital room door was violently pushed open again. “Stop! Who dares touch my woman and my child!” Caleb Vance rushed in, his face ashen, shielding me and the baby in my arms completely. “Dr. Vance?” Julian froze for a moment, then his expression darkened. “This is our family matter. What does it have to do with an outsider like you?”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297172”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply