Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sharp, metallic tang of disinfectant assaulted my nose, dragging me from the comforting abyss of unconsciousness. My body screamed in protest, every nerve ending ablaze with agony. My head throbbed. My legs felt like lead weights, throbbing with a persistent, dull ache. I slowly opened my eyes, the stark white ceiling of the hospital room blurring into view.

A nurse, her face a hard, unyielding mask, was roughly changing the dressing on my leg. Her movements were careless, causing a fresh wave of pain to lance through me. I winced, biting back a cry.

"Could you please be more gentle?" I whispered, my voice raspy.

She paused, her eyes, devoid of sympathy, fixed on mine. "Gentle? Ms. Blair, Mr. Brewer specifically instructed us to prioritize efficiency. Said you heal faster when you' re not coddled. You' re a strong woman, he said." A cold, humorless laugh escaped her lips. "And besides, we' re busy. We don' t have time for dramatics."

My heart constricted, a familiar, painful squeeze. Collin. Again. Even now, even here, in my most vulnerable state, he continued his subtle torture. He twisted everything, reframing his cruelty as concern, his indifference as a means to make me 'stronger.' He had used those exact words so many times before, each one a poisoned arrow. My mind flashed back to a time when a simple paper cut on my finger would elicit a frantic search for bandages and soothing words from him. Now, with my body ravaged and my soul obliterated, I was merely a task to be efficiently dispatched. He used to care. The thought was a bitter echo in the empty chambers of my mind. He used to love me.

The nurse, finished with her brutal task, adjusted my IV drip, the needle digging deeper into my vein, then scoffed and walked out, leaving me alone in the sterile silence. My arm pulsed with pain. I reached over, my fingers trembling, and carefully adjusted the flow of the intravenous liquid, slowing it down. The simple act felt like a monumental effort.

Physical pain, I realized, was a secondary concern now. The true agony resided deeper, a gnawing, suffocating ache in my soul. It was the pain of utter betrayal, of having my love, my trust, my very being, utterly desecrated.

Days bled into weeks. My hospital stay became a blur of routine neglect and dismissive medical staff. My injuries festered, a grim testament to Collin' s invisible hand. I developed a severe allergic reaction to one of the medications they were forcing me to take, my skin breaking out in angry red welts. One afternoon, the room spun, my throat closed up, and I collapsed into anaphylactic shock. I barely survived.

Later that week, feeling a desperate need for air, I slowly pulled myself out of bed, ripping out the IV drip in my arm. The room was stifling, suffocating. I needed to escape, even if it was just to the bathroom. My legs protested with every agonizing step, but I pushed through the pain, leaning heavily on the wall. As I shuffled down the corridor, I saw him. Collin. His back was to me, his broad shoulders easily identifiable, even from a distance. A knot of dread twisted in my stomach. What was he doing here?

Driven by an inexplicable, morbid curiosity, I followed him, my soft hospital gown barely making a sound. He turned a corner, and I peeked around the frame, my heart hammering against my ribs. He walked straight into the maternity ward. The maternity ward. My breath hitched.

A sickening giggle echoed from within one of the rooms. Haylee. My blood ran cold. I heard her voice, high-pitched and cloying. "Collin-woo, my tummy feels all fluttery! Is our little sprout okay?"

Collin' s voice, soft and tender, answered, "Everything's perfect, my love. Our baby is strong, just like you."

My stomach churned. I pressed my ear against the cold door, my body trembling. More sickeningly sweet words, more cooing, more kissing sounds. Then, Haylee' s voice, a little louder, a little more insistent. "Are you sure Kira won't cause any problems for our little sprout, Collin-woo? You know, with her always wanting babies and everything."

Collin chuckled. "Don't worry your pretty little head, baby. Kira can't have children. Not anymore."

My world shattered. My mind reeled. Not anymore?

"Remember when she had that 'accident'?" Collin continued, his voice chillingly calm. "The doctors had to do an emergency hysterectomy. Extensive damage. She can never conceive again. It' s for the best, really. Now our baby will be my sole heir. No competition."

Haylee giggled, a sound of pure, unadulterated triumph. "Oh, Collin! You're so clever! And so thoughtful! My precious sprout will have everything!"

The words echoed in the sterile hallway, each one a death knell. Hysterectomy. Our baby. My sole heir. It wasn't just physical damage. It was a cold, calculated act. He had sterilized me. During the surgery, after Haylee had crashed into me, after I had lost our child, he had ensured I would never have another. To secure an inheritance for Haylee's unborn child. A child conceived out of his obsession, a child that replaced the one he had so carelessly allowed to be destroyed.

The realization hit me with the force of a tidal wave. I slid down the wall, my legs giving out beneath me, my body shaking uncontrollably. I covered my mouth, stifling a scream that threatened to tear my throat apart. My world, already in ruins, now lay completely demolished. I had been carrying his child. And she, that ditzy, manipulative monster, had driven into me, killing it. And he, the man I loved, had compounded the horror by taking away my ability to ever be a mother.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent. But they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of pure, unadulterated agony and rage. My throat was dry, raw, incapable of making a sound, yet the tears flowed, an endless river of pain. I had been foolish. Blind. I had been loved by a monster. And now, there was nothing left. No child, no mother, no future. Just a hollow, empty shell.

I don' t know how long I stayed there, curled on the cold hospital floor. Eventually, the tears stopped, leaving a dry, burning ache in my eyes. I pushed myself up, my movements slow, deliberate. My mind, usually sharp and logical, felt numb, disconnected. I stumbled back to my room, collapsing into the bed, utterly drained. Sleep claimed me, a black void, a temporary escape from the waking nightmare.

When I woke again, it was to the low murmur of voices outside my room. Collin' s voice. And another, a deeper, resonant male voice. "Master Feng believes Kira's volatile emotions are affecting Haylee's pregnancy," Collin was saying. "He says she needs a powerful cleansing."

"Indeed, Mr. Brewer," the other voice replied, smooth and oily. "The negative energies must be purged. For that, we need her heart's blood. And the elusive Snow Lotus, found only at the highest peaks. A journey she must undertake alone, for true spiritual purification."

My blood ran cold. Heart' s blood? Snow Lotus? I heard Haylee's simpering whine. "Oh, Collin-woo, is it really necessary? She might get hurt. But... if it' s for our sprout' s good, then... tell her to hurry, okay? My tummy feels so delicate."