Chapter 1

Five months pregnant, eight-year-old Tina pushed me down into the ten-meter-deep snake pit again.

Blood flowed from my body, pooling into a stark red puddle.

This was already my seventh 'forced' miscarriage.

"You killed my mom and brother, and the bastards in your belly don't deserve to live either!"

Dozens of snakes swarmed over, greedily lapping up the blood on my body, leaving bite marks deep enough to see bone.

Tina showed no remorse, her eyes as cold as her Snake Charmer father's, her tone mocking:

"Only my mom can give birth to my siblings. You disgusting homewrecker, you'll never replace her in this lifetime!"

"Go ahead and keep having my dad's babies if you dare. Sooner or later, I'll make sure you die in a pool of your own blood!"

Looking at this little girl I had cherished and lovingly cared for over eight years, I suddenly felt exhausted.

"Don't worry, this will be the last time."

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1

Enduring the pain in my lower abdomen and all over my body, I struggled to my feet.

Several crushed snake eggs appeared beneath me.

"You vicious homewrecker, these snakes were bred by my mom. Their eggs are far more precious than the bastard in your belly. I'm going to tell dad and make him beat you to death!"Tina's eyes turned red with anger as she pointed at me, unleashing a torrent of insults and venting her hatred towards me.

I tilted my face up, furrowing my brow as I looked at her:

"Tina, those two snakes your mother left behind before she passed away, along with their offspring, are all being carefully raised by your father in the greenhouse."

"And these? They're just pet snakes you bought from outside a few days ago. I even paid for them. Do you need me to show you the receipt?"

Exposed, Tina frustratedly kicked the pebbles and dirt clods at her feet into the pit, showering my head with soil.

She shot me a vicious glare before storming off with a scowl on her face.

I let out a sigh. Thankfully, these snakes weren't venomous.

The old butler quickly discovered me and hastily called for someone to pull me up, summoning the Thompson family's private doctor.

The baby still couldn't be saved. After the surgery, I was completely exhausted.

A servant brought a bowl of nutritious porridge. I had barely taken a bite when my mouth erupted in excruciating pain, accompanied by an intense metallic taste.

Several small, sharp glass shards had shredded the inside of my mouth.

Fresh blood trickled from the corners of my lips, dripping onto the pristine white bedsheets.

Tina ran over gleefully, laughing mockingly:

"You cheap whore, how do you like your glass-shard porridge? Appetizing, isn't it?""Rip open your belly right now, and see if you can still carry that bastard child."

"You stole my mom's place and killed my unborn little brother. You must pay for your sins in blood!"

She flipped the tray from the maid's hands onto me, then skipped away like a victor.

I stared silently at the burn blisters on my hand and the blood on the bedsheets for a long time.

When I had my first miscarriage, Tina was only four years old.

That day, she brought me a bowl of traditional medicine to help with the pregnancy.

I thought she had finally accepted me and happily drank it all, but soon I was in excruciating pain with blood gushing out.

Later I found out that bowl of medicine contained over a dozen sewing needles.

Those needles didn't rip open my belly, but they took away my first child.

After that, she used similar methods to make me miscarry six more times.

Ridiculous how I never learned my lesson, always falling for her momentary fake affection, not realizing the deep hatred underneath.

Familiar footsteps approached, and Dashiell appeared in the bedroom.

Like father, like daughter - that cold, arrogant aura, acting like nothing in the world mattered to them, was identical.He gave me a once-over and said coolly:

"I've brought you some coagulants and scar removal cream. Wouldn't want any lasting effects, and scars aren't exactly attractive."

I didn't miss the fleeting look of disgust and disdain in his eyes when he saw the bloodstains.

The doctor said respectfully:

"Mr. Thompson, your wife was carrying a male fetus this time. What a shame..."