The day I found out Kevin, the head of our crime syndicate, had cheated for the first time, I filed for divorce. But he locked me in our bedroom for five days and four nights, going through two boxes of condoms. Afterward, he wore a look of utter helplessness as he explained: “Our rivals set me up, drugged me, and forced me into a one-night stand with Serena. You have to forgive me.” The second time, I saw him with Serena at her prenatal appointment. Again, I brought up divorce. He pushed me against the wall, his voice laced with menace: “Audrey, you want a divorce? Over my dead body. You need to trust me. Serena is a plant from our enemies. I have to keep her close, it’s a deep cover operation. Once she has the baby, I’ll get rid of her immediately.” But then Serena had a miscarriage, and everyone suspected I was behind it. Serena lunged at me, her hands clamped around my throat like a madwoman: “Hate me all you want! Why would you hurt my baby?!” Even Kevin looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment: “I told you to wait, why would you touch *my* child?” With that, he ordered me to be locked in the basement. “You’ll stay down here until you’ve truly reflected on what you’ve done.” Curled in the corner, I sent a message on my phone: 【Erase all records of my child’s birth. Once the paperwork is complete, arrange for me and my child to leave.】
The blood-soaked basement door finally opened just as I was losing consciousness. Kevin scooped me up, pulling me into a tender embrace, his voice filled with concern: “You almost ruined our syndicate’s counter-scheme, I had to punish you like this to give the crew a proper explanation.” “You know I love you the most. Once my plan involving Serena succeeds, we can go back to how things were.” And his “plan involving Serena” meant getting her pregnant with his child again. He claimed it was the only way to keep Serena controlled and our enemies in the dark. I watched him put on his act of deep affection, my heart a barren wasteland. But Kevin, we could never go back to how things were. There would be no future for us. And he would never know that he already had a child, a child with me. The day he became the syndicate boss, he witnessed a subordinate’s child being held hostage by their rivals. The subordinate’s wife, in a surge of maternal instinct, died tragically in a hail of gunfire, protecting her child. From that day on, he would often tell me, haunted by the memory: “Let’s not have children. I don’t want a child to become your weakness, and I can’t bear the thought of losing you.” I agreed. But as I saw his eyes light up with joy, time and again, looking at other people’s children, I secretly wanted to give him a surprise. That year, Kevin went to Mexico for a mission and told me to stay away for a year. It was during that time I found out I was pregnant with his child. Afraid he’d worry, I kept it from him until the baby was born. Later, because of a premature birth, the baby was weak and had to stay in the hospital. And that’s when Kevin brought Serena into my life. My surprise never made it to him. Instead, Kevin handed me a massive surprise of his own. My phone vibrated, pulling me from my thoughts: 【Your expedited divorce papers are almost ready. The process will be complete in a week. Then, we’ll get you and Hugh out of here.】 I managed a faint smile. Good. In a week, Kevin and I would be nothing to each other. After that, Kevin started juggling his time between Serena and me. Afraid I’d be upset, he sent carload after carload of gifts. The latest jewelry, limited-edition handbags—all the things I used to love. “Trust me, we’ll be back to normal soon. I love you.” I’d lost count of how many times he knelt before me, proclaiming his love and his helplessness. It was laughable. He slept with Serena every night, yet he was terrified of upsetting me. Four days before the divorce was finalized, Serena, whether intentionally or not, suddenly showed up with a huge bouquet of sunflowers. I had a severe allergic reaction to pollen and was rushed to the hospital. Kevin, upon hearing the news, ripped into Serena. “If this happens again, you’re out!” Serena’s eyes reddened as she apologized, then covered her face and ran out. That night, Serena disappeared. Kevin and his men searched all night before finally finding her. When they did, she was covered in allergic rashes. She kept her eyes down, not daring to look at me, and stammered nervously: “I deserve this punishment. After all, I accidentally caused Ms. Audrey’s allergy.” I was utterly confused, but Kevin gave me a meaningful glance. It wasn’t until I overheard him talking to the doctor in private that I realized the truth. “Add Audrey’s allergen to her IV drip. Wait a night before treating her.” “She made Serena suffer, so she’ll get a taste of her own medicine.” I froze solid, my heart felt like it had been violently smashed to the ground, crushed repeatedly, making it impossible to breathe. 2. The next day, Serena and I were both discharged. Kevin drove us himself. I didn’t want to ride with them, but Kevin practically shoved me into the car. We hadn’t driven far when the steering wheel suddenly failed, sending the car careening directly toward the roadside barrier. In that critical moment, Serena suddenly lunged, shielding me. She slammed hard against the car seat. By the time Kevin reacted, he saw Serena protecting me. His hand instinctively shot out toward Serena, but then his gaze landed on me, and he snapped back to reality. “Audrey, thank God you’re okay.” He didn’t spare Serena another glance until she was taken away by the ambulance. But in the deserted hospital room, Kevin pinned her beneath him, his eyes seething with suppressed fury. “Who told you to jump in front? Don’t you know you’re pregnant?” “Are you trying to kill yourself? Is that what you want?” The next second, Kevin kissed her fiercely. She was pregnant again. My heart felt completely numb. I quietly backed out of the room. Kevin didn’t come home that night. It wasn’t until the next morning that he stood by my bed, his eyes full of disappointment: “I had that car checked. Someone tampered with the steering wheel.” I looked up, incredulous: “You suspect me?” Kevin sighed: “I told you, I’m only using Serena. Once I’m done with her, I’ll send her away. She’s no threat to you. She even risked her life to protect you. Why can’t you just accept her?” It was summer, but I felt bone-chillingly cold. Kevin actually didn’t believe me. In the days that followed, he deliberately started freezing me out. But I didn’t care anymore, because in two days, I would be leaving with Hugh for good. The day before I left was my fifth wedding anniversary with Kevin. I expected him to continue neglecting me, but instead, he chartered a luxurious yacht to celebrate. Yet, the moment we boarded the vessel, his subordinate informed him that Serena had disappeared again. That night, Kevin scoured every inch of New York, but still couldn’t find a trace of Serena. He smashed a vase, and shards scattered at my feet. “Audrey, tell me, where is Serena?” I shook my head: “I don’t know… I really don’t know…” It wasn’t the first time he’d suspected me because of Serena, but my chest still tore open with pain. Someone handed him Serena’s phone from before her disappearance. The last call was to me. Kevin rubbed his pounding temples: “Audrey, the evidence is right here. Are you still going to deny it?” I scoffed: “Just because of one phone call, you’re convinced I had someone kidnap Serena?” I remembered the call Serena made to me before she disappeared— “My allergy was self-inflicted. I intentionally messed with the steering wheel too. I knew I wouldn’t actually get hurt, I just wanted to put on a show for you, diving in front of you.” “A man’s pity and guilt are the strongest chains. I want Kevin to soften towards me, to compensate me, little by little, until I completely replace you.” Her ambition on the other end of the line was clear as day. “Audrey, I know you and Kevin have a child. Want to make a bet?” “Let’s bet whether you and your son are more important to Kevin, or if I and the baby in my belly are.” So Serena’s disappearance was a setup, all her doing, but Kevin wouldn’t believe a word I said. He looked at me with disappointment: “Audrey, Serena is crucial to the plan. Can you please stop messing around!?” 3. Minutes ticked by, the men he’d sent out still had no news, and Kevin completely lost his patience. “Serena told me you adopted a child from an orphanage.” My spine stiffened instantly. Kevin raised a hand, and someone dragged in a canvas sack. Something alive was squirming inside. He picked up a steel pipe nearby, his expression turning vicious: “Audrey, last chance. If you don’t tell me where Serena is, this child won’t make it.” “Hugh!” My eyes immediately turned bloodshot. I lunged forward, but someone held me back with an iron grip. Kevin raised the steel pipe high and brought it down with brutal force. “No!!” My pupils contracted, and the world dissolved into a blur of red, as if the blow had landed on me. A whimper escaped the sack. The person inside bounced, then fell heavily, becoming still. A dark stain of blood bloomed from the sack’s opening. “Ah!!!” I completely broke down. My entire world turned red. The second blow was raised again. “Stop it! That’s your child in there! It’s your own flesh and blood, Hugh!” I was tugged and pulled, screaming hysterically. Tears mixed with blood ran down my face, my eyes filled with shattered despair. Kevin’s hand, holding the steel pipe, paused: “Audrey, stop playing games. We agreed not to have children. Why lie to me about something like this?” I no longer cared about anything else. I struggled, crawling to his feet, my face drenched in tears as I pleaded: “He really is your child, he’s your Hugh… Please… let him go, call a doctor, save him…” Kevin bent down, pinching my chin: “Be a good girl, tell me where Serena is, and I’ll let him go.” I shook my head frantically, tears flying: “I don’t know, I really don’t know! Let the child go, please let him go!” Kevin’s eyes instantly turned cold, and the second blow came down fiercely. A muffled groan came from the sack, then absolute silence. “Ah… no…” I coughed up a mouthful of blood, my body convulsing violently. The third blow, the fourth blow… Ten blows in all. There was no sound left from the sack. “Hugh…” Seeing the stillness in the bag, the ground stained crimson, I collapsed to my knees, my body rigid as if electrocuted, yet shaking uncontrollably. I vomited another mouthful of blood, staining the ground before me. Kevin stepped forward, his black leather shoe sinking into the blood, and ground it into the sack. “Audrey, still not going to talk?” He stomped down again with brutal force. The sickening crunch of bones was sickeningly clear. “Hugh!!” I screamed in anguish, crawling forward but being held back with an iron grip. I roared hoarsely: “Kevin, I curse you! You’ll never have another child in your life!” Kevin’s body stiffened abruptly. Just then, someone rushed in: “Boss, we found Ms. Serena.” Kevin’s hand, which had been stroking my hair, paused: “Tell me the exact location!” He immediately stood up and rushed out without looking back. Not long after Kevin left, two men came in, intending to snatch Hugh from my arms. I snapped awake, pulling Hugh closer: “What do you want?” “Boss said to throw him into the sea to feed the sharks.” The men were merciless, forcibly ripping Hugh from my arms, disgustedly stuffing him back into the sack, and turning to leave. “Hugh!!!” I chased after them, my heart tearing apart, but they brutally locked me inside the cabin. When Kevin returned with Serena, he found me slumped on the floor, staring blankly. “Did you order Hugh’s body to be thrown into the sea to feed the sharks?”
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