Chapter 1

Nine months pregnant, Dashiell took me to a charity gala. Midway through, someone drugged me, causing premature labor.

He frantically rushed me to the hospital, shouting "Save the mother! Save the mother!" and called in over a dozen specialists for a consultation.

When I woke up, I found myself alone in the hospital room.

Fighting through the pain, I got up to search for Dashiell, but overheard his conversation with the doctor at the stairwell.

"Mr. Carlisle, why did you kill your own son? He still had a pulse."

"Only with his death can my child with Vivienne rightfully inherit my fortune."

"Vivienne just gave birth to my bouncing baby boy a few days ago. My mother is overjoyed. As for Seraphina, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

I covered my mouth, weeping bitterly.

So, the happy life I envisioned was just a fantasy.

I'll let Dashiell and Vivienne have their way then.

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1

Dashiell's words shattered all the beautiful dreams I had for our future.

My poor child, murdered by his own father before he could even see this world!The doctor spoke with a pained expression, "Mr. Carlisle, are you really going to have your wife's fallopian tubes blocked? She's already lost the baby. Do you really want to make her infertile forever?"

Dashiell was silent for a second. Then I heard his resolute voice, "Remove Seraphina's uterus completely. End her ability to bear children. From now on, I only have one son!"

He added, "Give Seraphina extra anesthesia. She's afraid of pain!"

Dashiell's phone rang. A somewhat familiar voice came through, "Mr. Carlisle, I've taken care of what you asked. Your wife also drank the spiked lemonade. Can I have the rest of my payment now?"

"No problem. You did well. From now on, stay as far away as possible. Never show your face to Seraphina again!"

It was the voice of the waiter from the charity gala. He was the one who handed me that drugged lemonade.

So it was all Dashiell's doing!

After hanging up, I heard Dashiell muttering to himself, "Vivienne risked her life to give me a child. I can't let her down."The warm May weather felt like spring, yet my entire body was ice cold.

My husband had hired someone to drug me and killed our own child, all to ensure that his child with Vivienne would inherit the family fortune.

Now, he even wanted to remove my uterus, ensuring I could never get pregnant again. I felt as if I were trapped in an ice cellar, my whole being retreating in fear.

After five whole years, it was as if I was seeing Dashiell for the first time.

Trembling, I returned to the bed, hiding under the covers to cry. Soon after, a nurse came in and hooked me up to an IV drip. I quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.

When I woke up again, Dashiell was sitting beside me, holding a child. He looked at me tenderly.

"Seraphina, you've been through so much. Our child is very healthy, but you had severe bleeding and an infection after the surgery. We had no choice but to remove your uterus. Don't worry, though. I'll love you forever."

Watching Dashiell act in front of me, my heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, pain spreading throughout my body.

Tears streamed down my face one by one. Dashiell held me, feigning concern. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of candy, and placed it in my mouth."Darling, don't cry. It breaks my heart."