Her beloved father, Ethan, was attending a business conference when he found out about her surgery. He took off in a flash to be by her side.
A cloud of worry spread all over his face as he lunged into the hospital. His mind raced with dreadful scenarios concerning Christine and his unborn grandchild, only to find his wife scrolling through social media, her face devoid of any concern or empathy.
"What are you doing?" he yelled, snatching the phone from her hands, irritated by his wife's lack of care.
"Nothing. Wasting time," she replied, sounding bored.
"Do you even know if she is alright? If the baby is fine?" His eyes pierced into her, and that was the moment she realized she had let her guard down and made a big mistake.
"No. I was so worried that I tried to distract myself by watching videos on social media. This waiting is slowly killing me inside," she feigned concern, trying to evoke sympathy with her puppy eyes. Surprisingly, it worked.
"I'm sorry. For a moment, I thought that you didn't care about them."
Although a smart and sophisticated man, he could be naive when it came to her, almost as if she had him wrapped around her little finger.
"She never accepted me, so I stopped trying," she lied, her eyes filled with fake tears. "But it doesn't mean I don't love her. I'm just sad that she doesn't love me back and constantly disrespects me."
He was oblivious to the fact that the situation was indeed the opposite. His daughter was the one mistreated, Elenora and Martha made her life miserable whenever circumstances allowed it.
Ethan encased his wife in a warm hug. "She will come around. Sooner or later, she will find out what a gem you really are," he said, brushing his lips on her forehead, not seeing her signature devilish smirk.
As a nurse hurried out of the operating room, he stopped her, desperately needing news about his daughter before losing his sanity. "Please, can you tell me if Christine is alright?"
"Are you the patient's father?" the nurse asked.
"Yes."
"The baby is fine," the nurse reassured.
"And Christine? Is my daughter safe?" he pleaded, his despair evident, his heart clenching in his chest.
"Sir, I'll be honest with you. She needs an urgent blood transfusion. There were complications during labor, and she has lost a significant amount of blood. Unfortunately, we're facing a blood shortage. Please step aside; I need to find a donor," the nurse explained urgently.
"I can be her donor," he responded without hesitation. She quickly took a drop of his blood to conduct fast compatibility tests.
Not for a moment did he suspect that the inconceivable truth would be revealed when the blood type results came out, shattering his world into pieces.
"I'm sorry to inform you that you're not a match. Your daughter is O negative (O-), while you are AB positive (AB+)," the nurse informed him. "Do you know of any other potential donors within your family?"
"I'm sorry, what? That can't be true. My late wife was A negative (A-). Our daughter can't be O negative (O-)," Ethan struggled to believe his own ears.
The words echoed in his mind, crashing down on him like thunder and lightning.
In an instant, his entire life unraveled before him. The wife he cherished had betrayed him. The daughter he adored was not his biological child. Christine was his pride and joy, but they were not blood related.
"It's urgent. Your daughter's life is in danger," the nurse pleaded, hoping to snap him out of his trance.
"No, run the tests again!" he demanded, trapped in denial.
"Sir, the results are accurate. They don't lie."
Unable to respond, he sank into a chair, his knees weakening under the weight of his shocked body. The nurse departed in search of another solution.
"See? I told you Diane was fucking around. She was my best friend, and I knew her inside out!" Elenora gloated, savoring her triumph. It surpassed even her wildest expectations, leaving her smug with satisfaction.
No amount of meticulous planning could have yielded such a favorable outcome, Elenora mused to herself. She had long been aware that Christine wasn't Ethan's biological child, and Christine herself was privy to this secret. It was this very secret that Elenora had exploited to blackmail her stepdaughter into taking Martha's place on the wedding night.
Devastated, Ethan struggled to gather his thoughts. "I need to step out. Please take care of Christine and the baby," he implored his wife.
Little did he know the extent of his misplaced trust. Gasping for a breath of fresh air, he resembled a drowning man. The events of the day had taken an immense toll on him, yet he remained oblivious to the potential consequences of his mistake.
After a grueling battle, the medical team managed to halt Christine's severe bleeding. When she finally regained consciousness, her first request was to see her precious treasure, her beloved baby boy.
With gentle hands, the doctor placed him on her bed, nestled close to her chest.
"You did amazingly," the nurse whispered, her fingers caressing Christine's hair. In that tender moment, Christine couldn't help but think that her mother would have done the same, had she been alive.
"He is perfect," Christine murmured, her eyes filled with love as she gazed at her newborn son. She marveled at his exquisite beauty, her little treasure, so incredibly beautiful.
But the fleeting joy was quickly shattered as Elenora entered her hospital room, bearing grim news.
“Your father found out what a trash your mother was.” She declared nonchalantly.
"What?" Christine's body trembled uncontrollably, imagining the pain her beloved father must have felt. He had loved her mother deeply, and he had loved Christine wholeheartedly.
"He left, but not before asking me to relay a message to you. He wants nothing to do with you anymore. He believes you're as trashy as your mother and demands that you refrain from seeking him out or asking for his help. As for me, if I ever lay eyes on you again, I'll take your baby and give him to my daughter and his rightful father to raise. You know very well that I am more than capable of doing so," she coldly proclaimed, before exiting the room, leaving Christine feeling hollow inside.
"At least I have you," she whispered, gazing into her baby's eyes.
A knock on the door snapped her back to reality.
"Miss Carter, I need your insurance number. Both of your parents left without paying the hospital bill."
A wave of shock and fear coursed through her veins. They had abandoned her—her father had truly abandoned her. It was hard for her to believe Elenora's words, but they were undeniably real. Everything she said was true.
Little did she know that it was all part of her stepmother's scheming. Her father had no involvement. In fact, he had set up an account for her before leaving. However, Elenora had taken care of it, closing the account as soon as Ethan was out of sight.
"Miss Carter?" the nurse prompted.
"I... I don't have insurance," Christine stammered.
"I'm sorry, but according to the hospital's policy, I must ask you to leave," the nurse announced, signaling for the staff to assist the patient outside.
Christine sobbed and sobbed, sitting on the stairs in front of the hospital, her frail body exhausted from childbirth. She clung tightly to her baby, seeking to warm his small body on that stormy night.
She had no idea what to do or where to go. In this world, she had no one except her innocent child, whom she had to protect.
Completely alone in the dark and cold night, the throbbing pain in her chest felt like a million daggers stabbing at her heart.
She had done nothing to deserve this. Nothing.
The day that was meant to be the happiest of her life had transformed into her darkest nightmare.
Even the mighty sky seemed to cry alongside Christine as the rain splashed over her sensitive skin, becoming one with her tears.She did her best to shield the innocent baby boy, the vulnerable tiny human was weeping, each of his cries breaking her heart. The stabbing pain of being discarded by her own father would have been unbearable if not for the little miracle she held in her arms. She was a mother now, and she needed to protect him.Her mind raced with questions and concerns. She had never before been in a position to be responsible for another being.Truth be told, life had failed to prepare her for this situation. As a businessman, her father had taken good care of their finances, so she never had to lift a finger, let alone provide for someone. It was understandable; she was only 19 years old. If not for her pregnancy, she would have been attending her first year of college at this age.Raw fear coursed through her veins as she fought against it, but exhaustion settled into h
It was almost dark outside, and she had lost all sense of time and space while crying her heart out.Loukas had left her alone after delivering that devastating news. He seemed to want to offer comfort, but no words could ease the pain she felt.There was simply nothing that could mend the loss of a loved one.Her heart ached with a profound sense of regret as the words echoed in her mind. "Your father has passed away."The weight of those words hit her like a tidal wave, leaving her gasping for breath. She couldn't help but imagine her father's devastated expression when he learned the truth, the pain etched across his face forever haunting her thoughts.Why hadn't there been another chance? Why couldn't she have seen him one last time, heard his voice, or felt his reassuring presence?She couldn't accept it. This was a horrific nightmare, something that couldn't be happening.‘Wake up, Christine! You're just having a bad dream!’ she kept telling herself, but this was not a dream. Th
"Are you scared of flying, miss?" he asked, his tone filled with concern. His captivating silver eyes stared deep into Christine's soul, and she feared he would uncover the things she had worked hard to hide. She nodded, indicating her fear, though flying was something she usually enjoyed. But today was no ordinary day. The man who had haunted her dreams for all these years was here, in the flesh, staring at her. The man who took her virginity and left her with child, without even being aware of it. Could she blame him? No, she couldn't. If there was anyone to blame, it was none other than herself. He was even more breathtakingly gorgeous than her memory had illustrated, especially now that she could see his mesmerizing eyes, the missing piece of his image. Though she should have suspected that Ethan had inherited the same grey shade from him, as her own eyes were hazel. "Have we ever met before?" he asked, causing her heart to skip a beat. She ignored his question. 'He won't r
Her knees went weak, and she struggled to maintain her composure. Avoiding this man for the rest of her life wasn't part of her plan. She had meticulously plotted her revenge against her stepfamily for five long years, anticipating that he might become entangled in it. But his unexpected presence was overwhelming, and she found it hard to breathe normally. "And this is Christine, my daughter," Loukas announced, jolting her out of her thoughts. Though he was her savior, she could never quite get used to being called someone else's daughter. After losing her family and her inheritance, Loukas had insisted on giving her his name and making her his legal successor. It took two years of persuasion before she finally accepted, and now she and Ethan proudly bore the name Blaine. If it weren't for the change in their last name, her carefully laid plans would have crumbled at this very moment. If Hunter had realized he was married to her stepsister, all her revenge schemes would have been in
One would be completely out of their mind and definitively mistaken to think that Christine wanted to impress someone in particular by applying more makeup than usual that day. And she couldn't be blamed for looking stunning in everything she wore, her perfectly fit figure worthy of a fashion model. The only reason she had chosen to wear a mid-thigh black dress that hugged her body in all the right places while still maintaining a sense of class was because it was her first day in the office, nothing more. Laughter rang through the air, captivating her attention and drawing her towards Ethan's room earlier than expected. The scene before her left her momentarily stunned, her stomach tightening with a whirlwind of emotions. Hunter stood beside Ethan, helping him get dressed for school, while the boy's contagious giggles filled the room. Ethan gleefully expressed his desire to emulate his father's style, and Christine couldn't recall the last time she had seen him so elated. Without
The little boy lay on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't comprehend how cruel his new classmates were, taunting him for not having a father. But was it Ethan's fault for not having one? No, it wasn't. There was no one in the world who longed for a Daddy more than him. "What's so special about him that the teacher praised him so much, making us look like fools?" one classmate sneered. "Yeah, there's nothing remarkable about him!" another chimed in. "My mother told me he doesn't even have a father!" "That's true, my mother said his mother had him when she was 19." These words pierced through Ethan's heart, fueling his pain. Despite knowing that his mother loved him dearly, he yearned for the embrace of a father's love. Suppressing his vulnerability, he summoned his strength and rose from the ground, shouting, "I do have a father! He's the richest CEO in town!" "We don't believe you!" "You're just a liar!" The bullies continued to laugh and mock him, their word
One could reach an agreement that the scene unfolding before everyone's eyes was undeniably inconvenient, and Ethan was surely bound to have his share of suffering from it. That's why Christine's heart twisted in pain and her stomach muscles clenched, not because of some sort of jealousy. It was out of genuine concern, nothing else. The man held no such power over her, so why would she be jealous of a cheating bastard? The only thing he deserved from her was hate. It wasn't even her he cheated on; it was Martha. For what it was worth, she should have felt rather grateful if her stepsister got to taste the pain of betrayal. Even if a tint of jealousy might have coursed through her veins, she was quick to brush it off, maintaining a dignified demeanor. The same couldn't be said about Hunter; his absurdly handsome features were crossed by different emotions. One could spot embarrassment, confusion, anger, and distress, not particularly in that order. He muttered a curse, while Christi
Time slowed down as his words resonated in her head. Her mind raced, attempting to grasp the meaning behind them, yet her brain couldn't have chosen a worse moment to deny her its cooperation. The instant he leaned his head on her shoulder was the same instant she snapped out of the trance she had fallen into. She blamed her fluctuating hormones for her lack of basic self-respect. All her analytical thoughts seemed to have vanished into the heavy air, likely due to the tense circumstances and her practically nonexistent sex life. There were no other reasons. The confined space and the memory of the night Ethan was conceived surely played a part in stirring up her feelings, mixing them and leaving her confused. What could he possibly expect from her by undressing in the elevator? Certainly, he wouldn't dare to believe that she would strip naked and jump into his arms just because he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his amazingly fit body. There might be other women who would do just