chapter 3

Kate's POV

My head throbs as I struggle to open my eyes. I groan softly. As my heavy lids slowly lift, everything blur, until it comes into shape.

The rhythmic beeping and the sensation of wires running through me tell me I am in a hospital. I turn my head and see Kyle standing there, his hands buried deep in his pockets. Behind him stand my parents and sister, with a killer expression.

"Kyle," I whisper, my voice raspy. My gaze falls to my stomach, now eerily flat and light . Panic surges through me. "What happened to my baby?"

From behind, my dad's voice cuts through the air like a knife. "Your baby? You killed him with your disgraceful behavior. You're a shame to this family."

"Dad," I croak, but he is relentless.

My mom's voice joins in, cold and unforgiving. "We took you in, adopted you as our own, and this is how you repay us? You should be grateful Kyle chose to save you instead of the baby."

Kyle chose to save me? Why? I look up at him, desperate for answers. "Why... why did you save me?"

His eyes are hard as stone. "Don't you dare speak. You don't deserve to die... not yet."

Pamela steps forward, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Kyle, you should divorce her and throw her out!"

My dad adds fuel to the fire. "Yes, throw her away. I won't accept her back. Let her suffer and die alone."

I search Kyle's face for any sign of compassion, but his words shatter any hope I have. He is not planning to throw me away but to do the worse.

"She once carried my offspring, and her contract with me isn't over. She will live with me as a slave, not as a wife."

Pamela's shrill voice pierces the room. "How can you keep her after she cheated and tried to kill me?" She is desperate to have Kyle to herself, and this isn't going as she planned.

"I want a divorce," I declare, my voice stronger than I feel. "I can't continue like this."

Smack!

My ears vibrate as Kyle's hand comes down hard across my face. The sharp sting and the force of the slap leave me reeling, my cheek burning with pain. He lunges forward, his hand wrapping around my throat, squeezing until I can barely breathe.

"You don't have the right to ask for a divorce," he hisses, his grip tightening. "You belong to me, and you'll live the rest of your miserable life living up to that."

My vision blurs with tears and lack of oxygen. My parents and sister stand silently, their faces void of any concern or remorse. I struggle to breathe, my hands weakly clawing at his grip, the beeping of the heart monitor quickening in panic.

Kyle finally releases me, and I gasp for air, collapsing back onto the bed, my body trembling.

"You don't have any right to ask for a divorce!" he roars before storming out.

“You piece of metal, you aren't even worth the investment, I should have buy a dog!!" My father spits at me, his face twisted in disgust as he follows suit. My mother smirks, leaning in to whisper to Pamela. They are clearly in this together. She shoots me a wicked smile, “suffer till you die!”, She said before turning on her heel and leaving.

Pamela walks towards me, her face gleaming with a wicked smile. "I can see Kyle still cares for you, struggling not to cast you aside. But don't get comfortable—worse is coming," she says coldly before storming out of the ward, leaving me alone in the sterile, unwelcoming room.

Tears stream uncontrollably down my face as I curl up on the bed, burying my face in the sheets. I sob helplessly, wishing more than anything that I had the power and means to fight back.

I stay in that position, losing track of time, my mind tangled in confusion and pain. Suddenly, the door bursts open with a violent bang.

“You this wretched girl!”

I jolt upright, my heart racing. Kyle stands there, his face a storm of fury, advancing toward me like a bull. Before I can react, he hurls a punch at my already wounded stomach.

The sharp pain explodes through me, and I double over, blood spilling from my mouth in a sickening splash. His voice is raw with anger, “How could you do this to me? How could you!”.

His eyes, wide with disbelief and hurt, bore into me as he screams, “Since when have you been seeing this guy? The father of the baby, the pregnancy I’ve been nurturing—i am even preparing an honourable funeral for him! And he’s not even my son! How could you!”.

I clutch my stomach, my vision blurring from the pain and tears.

I lift my head slowly, my voice trembling, “What are you talking about?”.

“Explain this!” He thrusts a paper at me, his hand shaking. It's a DNA test. My fingers, numb with shock, take it reluctantly. My eyes dart over the text, each word sinking deeper into my chest like icy daggers.

No, this can't be real. The paper declares Kyle isn't the father. It feels like a nightmare, like everything I know is unraveling.

“How could I spend so much on antenatal care for a child that isn’t even mine?” Kyle’s voice thunders through the room, each word heavy with the weight of his frustration.

“Kyle… Kyle, there must be some misunderstanding,” I plead, my voice barely above a whisper, “Where did you get this? I assure you, the baby is yours.

I don’t…” Before I can finish, a brutal slap lands on my face. His fingers dig into my eye, sending a sharp pain that forces tears to surge uncontrollably.

“Kyle, please, just listen to me,” I implore, my voice cracking as I wipe the blood from my mouth.

“You promised me you would always believe in me, always trust me, and love me till death. If you still believe in that promise, I swear we can resolve this. I know you’re just angry and there’s been a misunderstanding. The real problem is that you don’t trust me.”

He points a trembling finger at me, his face twisted with rage. “Shut up! Don’t try to manipulate me with your emotions! You’re nothing but a bitch! It’s high time I divorced you. I pitied you before, thinking you’d have nowhere to go, but not anymore. I don’t care if you end up on the streets and die.”

My heart sinks as I try to speak, but no words come. I feel a cold, numbing silence envelop me. The door creaks open, and Pamela saunters in, a smirk playing at her lips. She's also the one behind all of this.