Chapter 1

ELSIE’S POV

“Elsie!!! Don't tell me you are still sleeping by this time of the day?” Emilia, my stepmother, barked as she kept banging on my door.

I groaned and tried to lift myself from the bed, my baby bump making it difficult for me to do so.

My eyes caught the sight of the alarm timepiece on the bedside drawer close to my princess-sized bed and I cursed myself for oversleeping. Emilia will probably scold me and of course, I'd starve today.

“ Elsie open this door at this moment or you will not have anything to eat today!” she yelled and I rolled my eyes. “Just what I thought.” I hurriedly rushed to the door, opening it immediately.

“ Good morning Mom,” I greeted as I met Emilia’s dark eyes that were scrutinizing me, fixing her disgusting gaze on my baby bump.

“ For the up-tenth time Elsie I am not your mother! Do I look like the mischievous woman who gave birth to you? It is only one who the Heavens want to punish that will give birth to a child like you, so miserable.” Emilia retorted, moving her lips disgustingly.

Of course. The norms. Funny enough I have already become accustomed to Emilia's cruel words and it didn't have any effect on me anymore.

“ I'm sorry Emilia, I don't feel too well this morning, that's why I overslept,” I said but was met with a dirty look from Emilia.

“ And do I care if you are dying? You are nothing but a worthless whore, just look at you,

You are pregnant for your sister's husband. You should be ashamed. What are you still doing? Get to work immediately!” Emilia said, still staring daggers at me.

“ Yes, Emilia,” I said and hurried away, making my way to the hallway that leads to the living room and kitchen.

My name is Elsie Crown, I am 22 years old and the heir of my family, but I don’t think I am anymore. After the death of my mother, my dad remarried my mom's best friend Emilia and Emilia told me I was not the biological daughter of my father. She told me that my mom was a whore who slept around with different men and when she got pregnant with me, she pinned it on my dad.

My dad Mr Andrew Crown loved me so much and I couldn’t bear to break his heart upon the realization that the daughter he loved and cherished so much is not his biological daughter. So I begged Emilia to keep it a secret between both of us, and she agreed but it came with a price.

Emilia put this piece of information into good use and that was how she and her malicious daughter Irene blackmailed me to substitute Irene on her wedding night.

Emilia Crown is a manipulative and malicious person, passing on her evil traits to her daughter Irene.

As a dutiful and obedient daughter, Irene heeded her mother's instructions and sought to climb her way into high society through seduction.

By the time she had ensnared a billionaire in her trap, she had already been entangled in more beds than she could recall.

So, Irene claimed to be a virgin, intending to save herself for her wedding night, and at that point, she needed a solution. That solution involves blackmailing me, her stepsister into taking her place.

I found my thoughts drifting back to the night it all happened.

The sound of the rain pouring heavily on the kitchen window reminded me of the events that had unfolded that night because it was also raining that day.

Tears pricked through my eyes as I stared into nothingness, remembering the night I had lost my virginity.

I vividly recalled the man’s face, briefly illuminated by lightning in the hotel chamber, forever imprinted in my memory.

With rich dark hair, thick brows, plump lips, and a perfectly shaped jawline, he exuded masculinity from every pore.

If only I could have seen his eyes, I thought, to complete the image, but they were closed, lost in the frenzy of the moment- it was his wedding night after all, but I was not his bride.

What transpired about nine months ago was far from the dream I had envisioned for myself for the first time. It was horrible, cruel, and merciless.

His skilled hands were hovering all over my body, leaving no place unknown to his touch. To him, he was gentle, after all, he believed he was making love to the one he promised to spend the rest of his life with. Unknown to him, I was not his bride. He had no idea that the woman in his bed hated it, so I was forced into it.

I despised myself for accepting the arrangement, doing it only to protect my father. Tears continued to stream down my face as I embraced my round big belly- I had lost something I cared about but gained something precious in return.

Suddenly, a sharp pain invaded my body, starting from my womb and spreading to the edges, robbing me of my breath.

Each contraction felt like my body was being torn into two. A scream escaped my chest before I could control it, forcing my stepmother who happens to despise me, to rush to my aid.

“ Oh, not again! Enough with your complaints. Are you the first woman to get pregnant?” Emilia scolded.

Right, just what I needed at the moment.

“ It hurts so much.” I cried.

Emilia's lips curled into an evil smile as she said,

“ Whose fault is it? How could you even allow yourself to get pregnant by your sister's husband? You shameless whore.”

Her words made me cringe inwardly, how dare she label me a whore when she knows the full story.

“ Your daughter is the real whore, she deceived her husband, lied about her virginity, and sent me to replace her on the wedding night to hide the truth,” I shouted back and one could feel pain laced through my voice.

“ I only agreed because I needed to protect my father from you!”

My stepmother’s lips curled into an evil grin before anger took hold of her once more, “You should have gotten rid of that disgusting child!”

Abortion? Never will I succumb to killing my flesh and blood, Never!!

Another searing pain tore through my body, and

Fluid began to trickle from between my legs.

“ My water broke! Please call an ambulance.”

My stepmom rolled her eyes in annoyance before reluctantly picking up the phone to dial for an ambulance.

After what felt like forever, I saw paramedics tripping out of an ambulance. I felt my strength failing me already, I struggled to inhale and exhale, each feeling like life was draining out of me gradually. But I kept my hopes high and fought to stay strong for my child.

“ Be careful!” I heard the concerned voices of the paramedics as I was carried into the ambulance carefully.

“ Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…” they uttered to me as if it was easy.

Fear mingled with each pang as if something would go wrong with my precious baby. Worry was etched deep down on my face and tears welled in my eyes. Amidst the chaos, I whispered prayers on my trembling lips as I was seeking protection and a miracle.

The love I have for my unborn child burned fiercely, refusing to be extinguished. Though fear loomed, I clung to a glimpse of hope, determined not to surrender.

“ Stop screaming!! Everyone in this room is staring at us. Can’t you hold it? You are always selfish, just like your mom. She stole your father from me even though she was my friend.” Emila scolded.

What the hell is wrong with this woman? Isn’t she a woman too? A mother who understood the enunciating pains that come with childbirth? She happened to be the least of my worries right now. All I care for is to deliver this baby safely and stay strong for my child.

An operating room had just become available and the paramedics swiftly rushed me inside the emergency surgery room where Emila, my stepmother, unfortunately, could not follow me to inflict further torment.

The labor stretched for hours, engulfing me in a cloud of fear. My life, above all that of my child, depended on me for balance.

The energy in me was slowly draining out and the sound of my little angel crying offered me a glimmer of hope, reassuring me that she was safe.

The doctors' troubled expressions and the ominous silence only fueled me with anxiety. My heart raced, and a wave of panic crashed over me.

Desperate for answers, I snatched a nurse’s gown and inquired in a hushed voice, “Is everything alright with my baby?”

The medical assistant locked eyes with me, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. “ Yes, your baby is fine” she replied, hastening out of the room.

But what about me, the weight of uncertainty pressed upon my heart, pulling at me the thought of not being able to nurture my child, to witness her growth, and life began to unfold right before my eyes as I heard the doctor and nurses whispering to themselves what shreds my heart into pieces.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest and I blacked out immediately.

****

Elsie’s father was away on a business trip when she went into labor. The old man could not help but take the next available flight back to New York when Emila called to inform him that his beloved daughter had been rushed to the hospital and was being operated upon.

“ Please tell me Elsie is fine.” Elsie’s dad Mr. Andrew Crown asked the nurse who came out of the theater.

“ Are you the patient’s father?” The nurse asked.

“ Yes I am, Please how’s my daughter?” He said, despair and fear pacing through his voice.

“ I will be honest with you sir, your daughter lost a lot of blood and will need a blood transfusion. Please step aside sir, I need to get her a donor.” The nurse replied, uncertainty evident in her voice.

“ He is the patient’s father, he can be her donor.” Emila interrupted.

“ Oh Emilia, you are so sweet. I was too worried to even think about it. Please nurse, lead the way to the lab so we can run the tests.” Andrew said, appreciating Emilia for being thoughtful, oblivious of her plans.

“ This way please,” the nurse said, gesturing to the hallway that leads to the laboratory.

She quickly took a drop of his blood to run a fast compatibility test. And after a few minutes, she returned with a disappointed look on her face.

I'm sorry to inform you that you are not a match. Your daughter is O positive while you are negative. Please do you know of any potential donors within your family?”

“ I'm sorry, that can't be true. My wife was O negative. Our daughter can't be O positive.” Mr. Andrew, struggling to believe his ears.

The words echoed in my head, crashing my heart down like thunder and lightning.

In an instant, the entire truth was revealed before him. The wife he loved and cherished so much had betrayed him. The daughter he adored was not his biological child. The child he regarded as his pride and joy was not even related to him by blood.

“ No nurse, run the tests again. I'm sure the machine is faulty and som….”

“ Sir, the results are accurate. They don't lie.” The nurse cut him off even before he could complete his statement.

Unable to respond, he sank into a chair. His knees weakened under the weight of his shocked body.

The nurse departed in search of another solution.

“ I told you Isabella was fucking around. She was nothing other than a shameless slot. I knew her in and out, she's my best friend.”Emilia floated, savoring her triumph. The revelation of the truth surpassed her wildest imagination, leaving her smug with satisfaction.

No amount of meticulous planning could have yielded such favorable planning. Emilia was aware that I was not the biological child of my father and I was not privy to this secret. This was the secret that Emilia exploited to blackmail me into taking Irene’s place on her wedding night.

Devastated, Elsie’s dad struggled to gather his thoughts and finally found his voice, “ I need to step out.”

And it happened that Those were the last and final words of Mr. Andrew Crown…