I was three months pregnant when I went to the private clinic for my routine ultrasound. The moment I lay down on the examination table, the lead OB-GYN, Chloe Thorne, turned to her assistant and cold-bloodedly ordered, "Prepare the IV sedation. We're performing an immediate D&C." I bolted upright, instinctively shielding my stomach. "Are you insane? I'm here for a routine checkup, not an abortion!" Chloe pulled down her surgical mask, her lips curling into a cruel sneer. "You have the nerve to carry my husband's baby and walk right into his hospital? You've got some balls." My mind went completely blank. "Who exactly is your husband?" "Still acting, are we?" Chloe snatched a handful of photos from her desk and whipped them directly at my face. "My husband is the Chief of Medicine and the owner of this entire hospital!" I looked down at the scattered photos. They were candid shots of my husband, Julian Vance, discussing work with several female subordinates. I was so angry that I actually laughed. "You're saying he owns this hospital?" She lifted her chin arrogantly. "Of course. He's the king of this place. And as the first lady of this hospital, I'm telling you—you aren't leaving this room today with that baby inside you." Too bad for her, I had spent the last three years taking advanced kickboxing and self-defense classes. With a few swift moves, I knocked the assistant aside, bolted out of the operating room, and calmly dialed my phone. "Dad, take back the hospital you gifted to Julian. Right now. Also, his mistress is currently chasing me down with a scalpel, trying to kill me and your grandbaby."
My dad's voice went dead quiet. "Sienna, I'm heading over with my security team right now. Hold on and protect yourself!" After hanging up, I called Julian. The line was busy for what felt like an eternity before he finally picked up. "Sienna? What's wrong?" Julian's voice was raspy, heavy with exhaustion. He had been invited to perform a marathon surgery in a neighboring city and had been in the operating room for over twelve hours. I swallowed the anger burning in my throat and calmly told him what was happening. Julian panicked instantly. "Sienna, I'm driving back right now! Don't believe a single word Chloe says! She and I are absolutely nothing!" The moment the call ended, the frantic clicking of Chloe's high heels echoed down the hallway, getting closer and closer. "Get back here, you little bitch!" My strength was fading, and a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "Were you just calling my husband?" Chloe's eyes flared with pure malice when she caught up to me. When I didn't answer, she swung her hand and slapped me hard across the face. My head snapped back, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Chloe was trembling with psychotic rage. "Look at her, everyone! This gold-digging whore crawled into my husband's bed, and now she's carrying his bastard!" she shrieked, attracting a crowd of onlookers in the corridor. Before I could recover, she shoved me violently against the wall. "Ah!" A sharp pain shot through my back, and tears welled in my eyes. Chloe sneered. "Oh, look at you, playing the fragile victim! That's exactly how you seduced Julian, isn't it?" "Julian Vance is my husband!" I gasped. "Pfft! Who the hell do you think you are? A basic bitch like you actually thinks she can be the director's wife?" Ever since Julian took over the hospital, I had stayed away to avoid starting rumors about nepotism. But now, my silence was turning against me. The staring eyes of strangers and their hushed, judgmental whispers were suffocating me. When Chloe raised her hand to slap me again, I caught her wrist mid-air. "Chloe, that is enough!" The adrenaline finally broke through my fear. I stepped closer, staring her down. "Do you have any idea who I am? By what right do you think you can lecture me?" "I don't give a damn who you are! My husband runs this place. You mess with me, and you're dead in this city!" Suddenly, a figure rushed through the crowd and threw himself in front of me. "Sienna!" Julian had arrived, covered in sweat and dust from his mad drive. He pulled me tightly into his chest. The familiar scent of his cedarwood cologne wrapped around me, briefly quietening my doubts. Seeing me frozen, Julian gently shook my shoulders. "Did she hurt you?" The sheer panic in his eyes felt so real. Was I just overthinking things? My chest tightened, and the wall of strength I had built up crumbled. "Julian! This woman... she keeps saying she's your wife!" I cried, pointing at Chloe. Chloe stamped her foot in frustration. "Julian! Put this little whore in her place! Show her who actually runs things here!" "Shut up!" Julian roared at Chloe. Then, he turned back to me, his voice softening instantly. "She's just joking, honey. Don't take it to heart." Chloe went ballistic. "Julian! Why are you protecting this side-chick? She's trying to steal my husband!" "Side-chick?" I whispered, my fingertips turning white as I clenched my fists. "Julian, did you tell people I was just your side-chick?" The uneasiness in my heart bloomed into terror. My mind was spinning. Was he really... Julian leaned in and whispered in my ear, "The extended Sterling family has been looking for any excuse to steal your inheritance. If they find out I only got this hospital because of your dad, they'll target you next. I had to let people think our relationship was... unofficial. Just to keep you safe." His words acted like a soothing drug. The side branches of the Sterling family had indeed been ruthless lately. Keeping me out of the spotlight made sense. I mentally scolded myself for being so paranoid. Anyone in the world could betray me, but not Julian. He loved me.
"Sienna, come with me. We need to talk." Ignoring Chloe's hysterical screaming, Julian led me into the Chief's office and locked the heavy oak door behind us. On his desk sat a framed photo of me, smiling brightly in the sun. The edges of the silver frame were worn smooth, polished from what I assumed was constant handling. When we first took that photo, I hadn't liked how I looked. But Julian had insisted it was his favorite. My eyes softened, but as I stepped closer, my gaze caught a weird crease peaking out from behind the photo. While Julian's back was turned, I quickly slid the back of the frame open. Tucked underneath my picture was a photo of Julian and Chloe, arms wrapped around each other, sharing a passionate kiss. "Sienna?" Julian's voice startled me from behind. I quickly jammed the frame back together, wiping the cold sweat from my palms. "About today..." Before Julian could finish his explanation, the sound of a key turning in the lock cut him off. Chloe walked right in. "Julian, why is she in your office? Did you seriously give her a spare key?" My eyes narrowed as I looked at the key in Chloe's hand. "Don't start, Chloe," Julian said quickly. "It's just so she can deliver confidential files easily." "Deliver files? Or deliver herself?" Chloe mocked. Julian stiffened. "Since when did you become so petty?" Chloe laughed bitterly. "Julian, I'm not like Sienna. She's already slept around with God knows how many guys, and she still expects to be your legal wife!" The room went dead silent. My body turned to ice, and the color drained from my face. The darkest, most agonizing memory of my life rushed back. Three years ago, I was kidnapped and brutally assaulted by multiple men. When Julian and the police finally found me, there wasn't a single patch of unbruised skin on my body. In a fit of protective rage, Julian had hunted down every single one of those monsters and made sure they rotted in maximum security. My father had used all the Sterling family's influence to wipe that incident from existence. How on earth did Chloe know about it? Sensing my trembling, Julian reached out and covered my ears. "Sienna, don't listen to her garbage." I stared blankly at him. A massive pain was ripping my heart open. If he knew her words were garbage, why was he letting her drag my deepest trauma into the light? The words "why aren't you stopping her?" choked in my throat, unable to come out. "Garbage?" Chloe screamed, swiping everything off his desk. Papers and glass shattered on the floor. "It's because of this bitch that you're treating me like this! You whore!" Her screeching was giving me a migraine. "If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police!" I snapped. "Go ahead! Call them!" Chloe shrieked. "Let everyone see who you really are!" I reached into my bag, pulled out our marriage certificate, and held it up for everyone outside the glass door to see. "Julian Vance and I are legally married." Julian stared at the certificate, his eyes darting away guiltily when he met Chloe's gaze. Seeing the solid proof, the onlookers immediately flipped, whispering insults at Chloe instead. I smiled coldly. "Chloe, what do you have to say now?" "That marriage certificate is a fake!" she yelled. What?! The crowd gasped. My face hardened. "I'm calling the cops." But before I could dial, Julian snatched the phone out of my hand and canceled the call. "What are you doing?" I demanded. "Sienna, if we involve the police, the scandal will ruin the Sterling family's reputation!" Julian whispered urgently in my ear. A bitter taste filled my mouth. Julian, are you really worried about the Sterling family? Or are you worried about yourself? "Fine," I said, looking at Chloe. "I won't call the police. But she owes me an apology." "Never! Sienna, you are not leaving this hospital with that baby!" Chloe lunged at me, but Julian stepped in, blocking her. "Julian, you're stopping me?" Chloe cried, her voice cracking. "Without this baby, you could finally—" Julian cut her off with a hard, ringing slap to her face. But the unfinished sentence kept echoing in my head like a curse.
My throat felt tight. I looked at Julian, testing him. "Julian... our baby..." Julian pulled me into his arms, kissing my forehead gently. "Don't think too much, sweetheart." The scent of cedarwood clouded my senses, making my brain feel sluggish. Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my hand. It was a text from my dad. I looked down, and the words on the screen made the world spin around me. I stumbled, and Julian quickly caught me. "Sienna, what's wrong?" I pushed his hand away, keeping my eyes downcast to hide the storm brewing in them. "I'm fine." But in my head, a dark voice whispered: Your little fairytale is over, Julian. "Sienna, Julian doesn't love you," Chloe sneered, wiping the blood from her lip. "He's just playing a part." "Shut up!" Julian yelled. "Just accept reality, abort the bastard, and get lost!" Chloe continued. "I said shut the hell up!" Julian's roar actually made Chloe flinch. Her eyes filled with tears. "Julian... are you actually falling for Sienna?" I fixed my gaze on Julian, waiting for the answer I already knew was coming. "...Of course I love her," Julian said. The scene mirrored a moment from years ago. "Sienna, I love you!" "Julian Vance will love Sienna Sterling forever!" I tilted my head back, forcing my tears to stay inside. My dad's text was still burned into my mind. Julian, how could I have ever believed you? "Love?" Chloe laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. "If you love her, why did you fake-marry her?" My phone slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor. Even though I had suspected it, hearing the bloody truth out loud felt like a thousand ants devouring my heart. Julian gripped my shoulders, his fingers digging in painfully. "Sienna, don't listen to her! She's out of her mind! I love you, you know that. How could our marriage be fake?" "Julian, you don't even have the balls to admit it!" Chloe mocked. "Chloe, shut your mouth or I swear to God—" "Sienna..." An icy chill washed over me. "Let her speak!" I commanded. Chloe smirked. "Take a close look at the state seal on your marriage certificate, Sienna. You'll see who's lying." Julian frantically tried to snatch the certificate from my hand, hiding it behind his back. "She's just trying to break us up!" he pleaded, signaling his security guards to drag Chloe away. I fought to keep my voice from shaking. "Give it to me." "Sienna..." "Give. It. To. Me!" Julian's sheer terror confirmed everything Chloe had said. His hand trembled as he slowly handed the document back to me. I held it up to the light coming through the window. The watermark of the state seal was a cheap, printed imitation. It practically mocked my naivety. My heart squeezed so hard I couldn't breathe. Hot tears finally spilled over. "Why did you lie to me?" "I..." "Julian only married you for your money," Chloe answered for him. My eyes were red as I stared at him, desperate for a confession. "Is that true? Julian, I want to hear it from your mouth." Julian's dead silence drained the last bit of life out of me. "You really wouldn't believe it until you saw the proof, would you?" Chloe sneered, pulling a document from her bag and tossing it at me. With trembling hands, I opened it. It was a real, legally certified marriage license. The names listed were Julian Vance and Chloe Thorne. A tear fell onto the paper. "So... I'm the mistress?" I whispered, my voice so raspy it barely made a sound. "I'm sorry," Julian said. His voice didn't have a single shred of emotion. He stood there like a stranger, calmly watching my world collapse. I should have known. The rich girl saving the poor, brilliant boy was a cliché. But I had believed it. I had believed every single word. "Julian..." I laughed bitterly, saying the name that used to make my heart flutter. "You wanted this hospital that badly?" Clearly not expecting me to be so direct, Julian paused. "...Yes." He finally tore off his mask, revealing the monster underneath.
The blood boiled in my veins. "This hospital belongs to the Sterling family. You will never get your hands on it!" "Your family's?" Julian scoffed. "If it weren't for me, this place would have gone bankrupt years ago! Honestly, you should be thanking me." "That's not true! My dad only did that to—" "To test me?" Julian interrupted. "Sienna, do you actually believe that garbage?" I stared at the floor, numb. "So that's what you really think?" His silence was my answer. My blood turned to ice. Even the bright afternoon sun couldn't warm me. Chloe stared at my stomach, her eyes filled with dark malice. "Julian, if this little bastard disappears... will you be sad?" Julian answered instantly, his voice completely casual. "No." "Julian, this is your child!" I screamed. "You're dirty, Sienna," he whispered. Those words shattered whatever dignity I had left. Three years ago, when I was rushed to the hospital after the kidnapping, the doctors said my body was too damaged to ever carry a child. But Julian had spent years treating me, helping me heal, until this miracle finally happened. And now, he was calling me dirty. Chloe stepped toward me. I instinctively curled into a ball, covering my stomach. "What are you doing?" She kicked me hard in the ribs, sending me crashing to the floor, and then slammed her heel right onto my pregnant belly. "Once this baby is gone, everything the Sterling family owns will belong to Julian and me!" Chloe laughed maniacally. An agonizing, white-hot pain exploded in my abdomen. Every breath felt like inhaling fire. A broken sob escaped my throat. "Julian... save me... please..." Julian looked down at me, his eyes cold and dead. "Just bear with it. Be a good girl, Sienna. It'll be over soon." It was the exact same gentle tone he used to whisper in my ear during our intimate nights, coaxing me into surrender. Julian knelt down, placed his heavy hand on my abdomen, and pressed down with all his might. "AHHH!" I screamed in agony, my fingernails scraping against the hardwood floor until they bled. "Help! Somebody help me!" I shrieked at the guards standing outside. "I dare any of you to move!" Julian barked. His men blocked the door, instantly tackling a nurse who tried to call for help. I closed my eyes, completely defeated, lying motionless on the floor. The faint flutter in my womb slowly stopped. A warm, wet sensation began to pool between my thighs. My vision started to fade into blackness. "Julian... I hate you..." I muttered. With the last of my strength, I dragged myself toward the door, leaving a horrific trail of red behind me. "Wait," Chloe said, stopping me. "Julian, are we just going to let her leave like this? If she talks, we're ruined!" Julian stayed silent for a second. "What do you suggest?" Chloe let out a psychotic laugh. "Kill her." "Are you insane? That's murder!" I gasped, staring at her in disbelief. "You came in for a pregnancy checkup, found out the baby was severely deformed, got depressed, and jumped out the window. Who would ever suspect us?" Chloe said, dragging my limp body toward the open window. "Chloe, maybe we shouldn't..." Julian hesitated. "Julian, if this woman stays alive, we lose everything!" The conflict in Julian's eyes vanished, replaced entirely by pure greed. "Julian, do you really want me dead?" I cried out, trying to grab his arm. "If you let me go, I'll make sure my dad officially signs the hospital over to you!" I tried to appeal to whatever humanity he had left, but I had severely underestimated his greed. "Sign it over? I earned this hospital with my own talent. I don't need charity from the Sterling family!" "Your own talent?" I let out a bloody, mocking laugh. "What are you laughing at?!" Julian's face distorted with rage. With half my body dangling out of the window, I looked Julian dead in the eye and grabbed his collar. "Julian Vance... I will make sure you live to regret this day." Then, I let go. I fell backward into the open air. "Sienna!" Julian's panicked voice faded into the rushing wind. In those few seconds of falling, my entire life flashed before my eyes. Our childhood promises, our college years... all of it meant nothing in the face of greed. CRASH! Through the blinding pain, I heard a familiar voice screaming my name. "Sienna!"
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