Chapter 7 Elizabeth wants her dead

The door to the hospital room swung open with a sharp creak, and in walked Elizabeth Taylor, her face cold and unyielding, with Sofia Roth trailing behind her. The room's air thickened with tension as Cloe, her once beautiful face now red and swollen from the previous night's ordeal, instinctively shrank back against her bed. Her chest tightened as she realized what this visit meant.

Elizabeth crossed her arms, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. "So, you're still alive," she sneered, her voice dripping with disdain.

Cloe's heart stopped. Elizabeth wanted her dead?

Before Cloe could even begin to comprehend the weight of those words, Elizabeth snatched a folder from Sofia's hands and, with a swift motion, hurled it at Cloe. The papers scattered across her bed, but one caught Cloe's eye. She picked it up with trembling hands, her mind racing as she glanced at the heading: Gynecological Test Report.

Her stomach dropped, a wave of confusion flooding her. What was this? Why did they have this report?

Elizabeth's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Look at it!" she snarled through gritted teeth. "You can never be a mother!"

Cloe froze, the paper falling from her hands as her world tilted violently. The words seemed to echo endlessly in her mind, as if the ground had just been ripped from beneath her feet. Never... be a mother? Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at Elizabeth, her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. It was as though her entire future had been shattered in one brutal moment.

Elizabeth's lips curled into a bitter, mocking smile. "You can never give me an heir, Cloe!" Her voice was filled with venom. "You're worthless to me, to this family!"

Cloe's mind raced, her pulse thundering in her ears. She had been blindsided, attacked in the most personal, intimate way. Her body, her future, her ability to have a family-all ripped away from her with that one sentence. How could Elizabeth know this? How could they have done these tests without her even knowing?

Her voice cracked as she whispered, "This isn't true... It can't be..." But deep down, the terror was already sinking in.

Sofia stood by Elizabeth's side, her fingers lightly grazing her flat belly with a smug, possessive touch. "Soon I will give an heir to the Taylor family," she said, her voice laced with pride. Elizabeth's smile widened as she wrapped an arm around Sofia's shoulder, a gesture of approval that made Cloe's stomach turn with disgust. Her body trembled, still weak and sick from the night before, the rain-soaked chill having seeped deep into her bones.

Sofia glanced at Cloe with a cruel, gleaming smile. It was a look of triumph, the satisfaction of someone who had won. Cloe's heart clenched as she met Sofia's gaze, her own face still red and swollen from all that had transpired. She couldn't believe this was happening-that everything she once held dear was slipping through her fingers.

Elizabeth's eyes bore into Cloe, hard and unfeeling. "You may be beautiful, Cloe," she said, her voice cold and dismissive. "But that's not enough for me, or for the Taylor family. The Taylor family needs an heir to carry on its legacy. And you... you can't even give us that."

Cloe's hands clutched the hospital sheets as she lowered her head, the weight of Elizabeth's words crushing her. Her mind swirled with disbelief and agony, the sickness from the rain mixing with the emotional devastation that was swallowing her whole. Her chest tightened, the air in the room suddenly feeling too thick to breathe.

Sofia's voice pierced through the tension, her tone sweet but dripping with venom. "Mrs. Taylor... don't forget, she's an orphan. She can bring you nothing. She's been living on your mercy all these years."

Those words cut deep. Cloe had always known she was different, that she wasn't truly part of the Taylor family. But hearing Sofia say it out loud, watching Elizabeth stand by and nod in agreement, made it all too real. Her entire life had been tied to the Taylors-her home, her education, her love for Ethan-and now, with one swift move, it was all being taken away.

Cloe's body continued to shake, but not just from the cold anymore. It was the bitter, helpless rage of being reduced to nothing in their eyes. Everything she had believed in, the love she thought was real, felt like a cruel illusion now. And yet, she was too sick, too broken, to fight back.