I lay on the delivery bed. The contractions were coming faster now, one after another. My husband, Adrian Lang, held my hand, his eyes soft with concern. “Hang in there, Serena. We’ll meet our baby soon.” I was trembling from the pain, but I still forced a smile. Then a nurse walked in with a syringe. I thought it was the epidural. But Adrian let go of my hand and stepped back. The needle pierced my skin. Then I heard his voice. “Get the dose right. Make sure she doesn’t deliver before Vanessa.” My eyes flew open. I stared at him in shock. He glanced at his watch. “Vanessa’s already six centimeters dilated. Buy us two more hours.” I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight back. But the drug was already in my system. The contractions suddenly weakened, as if something inside me had been forced still. … They moved me to a temporary room in the basement. Adrian’s sister, Chloe Lang, stood in the doorway, idly turning a scalpel in her hand. “Don’t blame Adrian, Serena.” “The baby Vanessa’s carrying is my brother’s only child.” She smiled. “It’s a boy and he’ll be the Lang family’s first grandson.” Her gaze dropped to my stomach. “So what if you go into labor first?” “You’re only carrying a girl.” I covered my belly with both hands. Another wave of pain broke through the medication, and my vision blurred. “Call a doctor. I’m about to give birth. Please…” Chloe laughed. She walked over and crouched in front of me, then tapped my cheek lightly with the scalpel. “Give birth?” “That drug will keep working for another three hours.” “Vanessa’s already in the delivery room.” “So stay here and wait.” “After her baby is born safely, you can have yours.” She rose to her feet and looked at the bodyguard outside. “Keep an eye on her.” “If she dares to scream, gag her.” The door slammed shut. The basement was lit by a single dim emergency light. I lay on the floor as blood slowly spread beneath me. Adrian had taken my phone the moment we arrived at the hospital. He said radiation wasn’t good for the baby. Now I understood. He was afraid I’d call someone. I curled up and tried to breathe through the pain. But all I could see was Adrian’s face. Cold. Calm. Like I meant nothing to him. Not his wife. Not the woman carrying his child. Three months ago, his older brother died in a car accident. He left behind his pregnant wife, Vanessa. At the funeral, old Mr. Lang held Vanessa’s hand, tears streaming down his face. “That child has to be born safe.” “The Lang family can’t lose its heir.” Back then, I even felt sorry for her. I stepped forward and said, “Dad, don’t worry. Adrian and I will raise our baby well too.” He looked at me and said nothing. Only now did I understand. He had already given up on my child. “Ah—” Another contraction tore through me. This one was stronger. The drug was wearing off. The baby was coming. I crawled to the door and pounded on it with all the strength I had left. “Someone! Please! I’m about to give birth!” “Please save my baby!” No one answered. I kept screaming until my throat turned raw. At last, I heard the bodyguard’s impatient voice from outside. “What the hell are you yelling for?” “Miss Lang told you to wait, so wait.” “But my baby—” He cut me off with a sneer. “If it dies, it dies.” “That’s your bad luck.” Then he spat out one last cruel sentence. “That’s what you get for carrying a girl.” My whole body went cold. I collapsed onto the floor. This wasn’t fate. They were trying to kill my baby.
I had no idea how long I had been trapped in that basement. The bleeding only got worse. Everything beneath me was soaked with blood. Just as the edges of my vision began to blur, the door swung open. It was not Chloe. It was not the bodyguard. It was the Lang family’s doctor, Carter. The second he saw me, all the color drained from his face. “Serena? What are you doing down here?” “Adrian told me you were resting in one of the VIP rooms.” I tried to answer. Nothing came out. Tears spilled down my face as I lifted a trembling hand to my stomach. Carter rushed over and dropped to his knees beside me. The moment he examined me, his expression changed. “Oh God.” “The baby’s crowning.” “Your water already broke.” “I need to get you into surgery right now.” He reached down to lift me, but the second my body shifted, a hot gush poured between my legs. Blood. So much blood. Carter’s hands started shaking. He turned toward the doorway and shouted, “I need help in here!” “She’s bleeding heavily!” But the hallway outside was empty. This private hospital belonged to the Lang family. Tonight, the entire building had been cleared for Vanessa’s delivery. All the doctors and nurses were upstairs, gathered outside her delivery suite. Carter yanked out his phone and tried to call for help. But there was no signal in the basement. “I’m taking you upstairs,” he said through clenched teeth. “Stay with me.” Then he bent down, gathered me into his arms, and ran. Or tried to. The stairwell felt endless. Every step sent a brutal jolt through my body. The pain was so intense I thought I might black out at any second. I could feel the baby dropping lower and lower. But she still would not come. The drug was still in my system. My contractions were weak and uneven. That was the worst part. “Doctor…” I clutched at his coat, barely able to force the words out. “If it comes down to it… save my baby.” “Don’t say that.” “You’re both going to make it.” At last, he reached the first floor and rushed toward the operating room. But the moment we got there, both of us froze. The OR doors were wide open. Inside, there was nothing. The surgical lights were gone. The operating table was gone. The monitors, the oxygen equipment, every last piece of medical machinery… Gone. The room was completely empty except for the wall outlets. Carter stood there in stunned disbelief. A strangled sound died in his throat. “How is this possible?” “I checked everything myself this afternoon…” Footsteps echoed down the hall. Chloe approached with two nurses behind her. The moment she saw us, one brow lifted. “Carter? What are you doing down here?” “Vanessa is upstairs in the delivery room.” “Why come all the way down here?” Carter pointed at the empty operating room. His voice shook. “Where is the equipment?” “Who cleared out this room?” Chloe looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. “We moved everything upstairs.” “Vanessa’s having a C-section, so of course she gets priority.” “If anything happens during surgery, she’ll need all the equipment close at hand.” “We couldn’t risk leaving her in a standard OR.” As she said it, her gaze shifted to me. Then she smiled. “Oh. Serena, you’re in labor?” “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.” “Vanessa comes first.” “So you’ll just have to hold on a little longer.” I stared at her beautiful, smiling face. Suddenly, I remembered something she had said to me six months ago. Back then, we were out shopping together. She had slipped her arm through mine and smiled up at me sweetly. “You’re so good to me, Serena.” “Better than any real sister.” That day alone, I spent over a hundred thousand dollars on designer bags for her. Looking back now, I was a fool.
Carter rushed into the nurses’ station like a man possessed. He tore through every cabinet, searching for emergency supplies. There was nothing. The shelves were empty. No clamps. No gauze. Not even basic medication. “Where are the drugs?” he shouted. “The meds to stop the bleeding. The ones to induce stronger contractions. Where are they?” A nurse lowered her head. “They were all taken to the third floor.” Carter froze. “What do you mean?” Her voice dropped even lower. “Mr. Lang ordered that everything be prioritized for Ms. Vanessa.” Carter slammed his fist against the cabinet. Then he turned to look at me. His eyes were red. His lips trembled. “I’m sorry, Serena.” “I’m so sorry.” “There’s nothing I can do.” Chloe walked over and lightly patted his shoulder. “Carter, don’t worry.” “Vanessa hasn’t delivered yet.” “Once she’s done, they’ll move the equipment back downstairs.” She glanced at my stomach and added in an almost careless tone, “Besides, even if the baby comes now, so what?” “It’s only a girl.” “If she dies, she dies.” “The Lang family won’t care about one little girl.” I stared at her. At the girl I had loved like my own little sister for three years. Then, with every ounce of strength I had left, I forced out two words. “You bastard.” Chloe’s expression darkened at once. She bent down and leaned close to my ear, her voice barely above a whisper. “Go ahead. Curse all you want.” “Once you give birth, you’ll be too weak to fight back. And when that happens, I’ll make sure you stay quiet.” “By then, Vanessa will take your place.” “As for you…” She straightened and smiled brightly. “If my brother is feeling merciful, maybe he’ll let you live. You can stay in the house. As a servant.” Carter could not hold back anymore. “Miss Lang, this is murder!” “Murder?” Chloe gave a cold little laugh. “Watch what you say, Carter.” “Women die in childbirth every day. That’s hardly unusual.” “Besides, this is a family matter. You’re an outsider. This is none of your business.” Then she motioned to the bodyguards. “Take Carter away. Leave Serena to me.” Two bodyguards stepped forward immediately. They grabbed Carter by the arms and dragged him toward the door. He struggled against them and shouted back at me, “Serena, listen to me! Try to keep the contractions going! Press your acupoints! Stay awake!” “Don’t give up! Your baby still has a chance!” His voice grew fainter and fainter. Then Chloe shut the door and turned back to me. She pulled a phone from her pocket and started a video call. “Adrian,” she said sweetly, “Serena’s about to give birth. Do you want to take a look?” A second later, Adrian’s face appeared on the screen. He was standing outside a delivery room. Doctors and nurses moved quickly behind him. “Chloe, stop messing around. Vanessa’s condition is unstable. The baby’s heart rate is dropping.” Chloe tilted the phone toward me. “Look at Serena,” she said lightly. “She’s bleeding a lot. Do you think she’s about to die?” Adrian looked at the screen. He frowned for a second. Then he looked away. “She can wait.” “Once Vanessa delivers, the doctors can go downstairs.” “Chloe, keep an eye on her. I can’t leave right now.” The call ended. Chloe put her phone away and shrugged. “You heard him.” “To Adrian, Vanessa comes first.” “As for you…” “You were nothing more than a womb.” “Now that you’re no longer useful, you get thrown away.” I closed my eyes. I refused to look at her again. Slowly, I slid one hand behind my back and felt along the inner lining of my dress. It was still there. A tiny device, no bigger than a button. My father had given it to me. I could still hear his voice from that day. “Serena, the Lang family is dangerous. If anything ever happens to you, press this.” Back then, I laughed and told him he was worrying too much. “Dad, I don’t need it. Adrian is good to me. So is everyone in the Lang family.” Now I understood how foolish I had been. I hooked a fingernail under the protective cover. Pried it open. Then pressed the button. There was no sound. No light. But I knew the signal had gone out. My father once told me that if I ever used it, someone would get to me within thirty minutes. But thirty minutes… could my baby make it that long?
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