Chapter 1 Betrayal

The rain lashed against the window. In the darkness, Vanessa clung to her fading consciousness, counting the sound of water droplets echoing from outside. She strained to hear over the storm, her heart pounding as anxiety coiled tighter within her.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, a sliver of light slicing through the darkness of the room, and a familiar, beautiful face came into view.

The girl in high heels-Beatriz Langley-let out a mocking laugh and flipped on the room's light. "Tsk... tsk... Still waiting for Luca to save you? Haha... Stop dreaming, Vanessa..."

She casually picked up a knife from the corner and sneered, "The golden girl, the treasure of the Ness Corporation-did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Vanessa watched as Beatriz brandished the long knife and rasped, "Beatriz, if you let me go, I'll give you anything you want-my shares, the chairman's position. I won't fight you anymore."

Beatriz sighed dramatically. "Back then, no matter what I did, you refused to let me into Ness Corporation. And now? Not only Ness Corporation, but everything the Langley family owns will be mine too."

Vanessa felt as if she'd been struck by lightning, her body plunging into icy despair. "Beatriz, my mom raised you as her own. How can you be so cruel? She knew nothing of this."

"So what?" Beatriz looked at her, amused, as though she'd just heard a joke. "Oh, right. Let's not forget-you betrayed Luca, didn't you?"

Vanessa's face was full of despair, her voice breaking as she weakly denied, "I didn't."

"I know you didn't," Beatriz whispered in an exaggeratedly innocent tone, twirling the knife in her hand. "But Luca doesn't believe you."

She raised the long knife with both hands, her voice light but chilling. "I've answered all your stupid questions so you can die knowing the truth. Now, go in peace!"

With that, Beatriz lifted the knife and prepared to plunge it into Vanessa's abdomen.

'Bang! Bang!'

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. Beatriz's hand froze mid-air, her face twisting in irritation.

"Beatriz, they've arrived," a man's low voice came from outside the door.

"What terrible timing." Beatriz tossed the knife to the ground and looked at the trembling Vanessa with a smirk. "Congratulations, you get to live another hour."

The sound of the door closing made the weight on Vanessa's chest finally lift. She let out a long breath, and her heart leaped when she realized-the door wasn't locked!

Bracing her belly, she forced herself to stand and quickly made her way to the door. She opened it and stepped outside, soon finding the small gate to the back garden. But just as she thought she was safe, Beatriz's voice suddenly echoed behind her.

"Stop!"

A chill ran down Vanessa's spine. She didn't hesitate any longer and ran toward the gate, clutching her stomach. The footsteps behind her grew closer and closer. Just when she thought she'd be caught, a familiar figure appeared at the corner of the street.

Luca!

Without a second thought, she rushed toward him, gripping his suit tightly as she tried to hold back her tears. "Luca, you finally came..."

But the man's face lacked the warmth and affection it once held. Instead, his expression was cold and impatient. Still, he lifted Vanessa and placed her into the car.

The familiar scent of him brought her a fleeting sense of comfort as she leaned against him, whispering, "Luca... thank God you're here... our child almost..."

"Shut up!"

Vanessa stared at him in shock, her gaze catching a fleeting moment of hesitation in his eyes.

The car stopped in front of a private hospital.

"I'll do what Beatriz couldn't do."

Before Vanessa could fully grasp the meaning of his words, Luca yanked her out of the car, dragging her by the hair toward the hospital.

Vanessa felt as though she had fallen into an abyss, her entire body freezing as the truth hit her-Luca wasn't here to save her at all!

"Let me go! Luca, what are you doing?!"

The next second, she was thrown into an operating room. A sharp pain shot through her abdomen, forcing her to curl up in agony. When she looked up, she saw Luca's cold, disgusted gaze fixed on her stomach, and a chilling realization dawned on her.

"Luca! This is your child!"

Several doctors entered, holding her down, while Luca injected something into her body.

"It's oxytocin. Stay calm and wait," he said, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion, as if she meant nothing to him.

Vanessa struggled with all her strength, her vision growing blurry. "You monster! The baby is only seven months old! Are you even human?!"

"You should've known this would happen the moment you betrayed me, Vanessa. I've already been merciful to you."

Her chest tightened with unbearable pain. "You don't believe me either?"

Luca tossed aside the syringe and left the room without a glance back.

Vanessa was strapped to the operating table.

Three hours later, the red light above the operating room flickered off. The lead surgeon stepped out. "Mr. Kensington, the patient experienced an embolism and severe hemorrhaging during the procedure. We tried everything, but... I'm sorry for your loss."

Luca stood still, his gaze lingering on the door to the operating room, his expression unreadable.

After a long silence, he forced himself to suppress the suffocating pain in his chest.

His secretary quietly approached. "Mr. Kensington, the company..."

Luca closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they were clear and composed.

Without turning around, he said, "Let's go."

Outside the operating room, everything fell silent once more.

At that moment, Vanessa fought to open her eyes. Her vision was blurred, and faint voices reached her ears, fragmented and distant: "Take her and leave here now."

She heard footsteps beside the bed and tried to reach out for help, but her body lacked the strength.

A figure appeared at her bedside, grasping her hand. The voice that spoke was soft yet remarkably clear. "Don't be afraid; I'm here."

***