Chapter 1
Rose’s POV
“Mom, I can’t take it anymore. I’ll go through with the arranged marriage, just get me out of here. Please, I’ll do whatever it takes,” I choked out between sobs, clutching the phone.
My mother’s frantic voice crackled through the line. “Should I come for you now?”
“In seven days, Mom. I need to wrap things up here,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
As I hung up, my hands trembled uncontrollably. A sharp pain twisted in my stomach, and I collapsed onto the floor, blood staining my clothes.
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Chapter 1
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Two days ago, my entire life shattered. I had discovered the ultimate betrayal from the three people I trusted most.
At three months pregnant, I had been kidnapped by unknown assailants.
That night, I tried reaching out to him, but he ignored every call.
The kidnappers mocked me. “Your husband doesn’t even care enough to pick up your calls. Ninety–nine missed calls, and not a single answer”
Then they called Nathaniel, Gideon’s younger brother and my childhood friend. I was sure he’d pick up, and he did. But his words cut through me like a knife, and I began to doubt everything I’d believed about him.
“Stop calling, Rose. Can’t you see I’m in a
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meeting?” His voice was cold, indifferent, and the line went dead.
The kidnappers threw me out of a moving car. Blood poured from me, and the world faded to black.
I woke up in a hospital, my body aching, and no one in sight.
“How are you feeling, Miss?” The doctor’s voice was gentle.
I blinked, my throat raw, and whispered, “No one came? Not even a visit?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no one has been here.”
I reached for my phone, but there were no missed calls from either Gideon or Nathaniel. The messages I sent had gone unanswered.
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“Your injuries were critical, and you were lucky to survive. But your baby…” The doctor paused, his eyes filled with sorrow. “Your baby didn’t make it.”
Tears blurred my vision as I caressed my flat stomach. The emptiness inside me was unbearable.
I dialed Gideon’s number once more, hearing it ring down the hallway.
As I limped out of bed, I overheard voices from the room across from mine.
“Your wife just gave birth two days ago, and here you are, refusing to leave her side. You’re both so devoted to her,” the nurse was saying.
Gideon’s voice followed, warm with affection,
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“I’ll never leave Serena. She’s given me an heir. She deserves everything.”
Then I heard the nurse again, “I feel sorry for the woman down the hall. She came in battered, with a miscarriage. How sad.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Nathaniel replied coldly, “But Serena will never be alone. Not with us.”
The door to their room creaked open, and I saw them–my husband and my so–called brother–in–law–hovering over Serena and the baby in her arms.
The resemblance was unmistakable. It was Gideon’s child. Everything fell into place.
While I had been kidnapped, bleeding out and losing my baby, my husband was down the hall, showering affection on another
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woman and their newborn.
Pain twisted in my chest, and I nearly collapsed as I rushed to the restroom, vomiting into the sink.
Tears streamed down my face as I clutched my stomach, now empty.
Four years of marriage had crumbled in a heartbeat. How had I not seen it before? All those months they claimed Serena was away for work. They had been hiding her pregnancy from me.
The door opened, and Serena’s mocking laughter filled the air.
“Oh, Rose, I’ve waited months for this,” she sneered. “It’s time to rub it in your face.”
My eyes burned with betrayal. “How could
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you? You were my best friend! I trusted you!”
Serena scoffed, “Trust? I was never your friend. I was only close to you to seduce Gideon. Can you imagine my surprise when I found out you were pregnant too?”
I turned away, nausea rising. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. The baby’s gone.”
Serena laughed wickedly. “I know. I arranged it. I hired the kidnappers.”
Blood rushed to my ears as I saw red. My mind went blank, and without thinking, I lunged at her.
She shrieked, falling to the floor in shock.
Just as the chaos unfolded, the restroom door swung open, and there stood Gideon
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and Nathaniel, staring at me with accusing eyes.
“What have you done?!” Gideon’s voice roared.
“Serena is responsible for this-” I tried to speak, but Gideon shoved me hard, cutting me off.
“Are you insane?!” he spat, his eyes flashing with anger. “She just gave birth! And now you’re attacking her?!”
1 whimpered as the pain in my stomach flared from the force of his shove.
“But Gideon, I-” I started again.
“Shut up!” Nathaniel barked, kicking me sharply.
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I gasped, pain consuming me as I collapsed to the floor. Blood dripped down my legs as I lay there, helpless. They didn’t even glance back at me as they took Serena and her child, leaving me behind, discarded and broken.
No one cared to ask why I was in the restroom or why my stomach was flat.
All that mattered was that I had hurt Serena.
In that moment, it hit me. I was completely alone.
But soon, it would all be over. In seven days, I would be free from this nightmare.
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