Chapter 5

Eleanor POV:

The hospital room was a sterile white box, a fitting prison for my shattered dreams. Days blurred into a numb fog of pain and IV drips. My body was a battlefield, ravaged and empty. My womb, once a sanctuary for fleeting life, was now a barren wasteland. The doctor's words echoed: No more children for Eleanor Wheeler.

I stared at the ceiling, my mind a blank canvas, devoid of thought or emotion. I was a ghost, haunting my own life.

Then, the door creaked open. Harlow, radiant and nauseatingly vibrant, waltzed in. Her hand rested possessively on her visibly swollen belly. She was perhaps five months along, a living, breathing testament to Joshua's betrayal and my loss. She wore a delicate, flowing maternity dress that accentuated her pregnancy.

Joshua hovered behind her, a protective arm around her waist. His eyes, usually so sharp, were now filled with a possessive tenderness I had never truly received.

"Eleanor, darling. How are you feeling?" Harlow's voice was saccharine sweet, but her eyes held a predatory glint.

I remained silent, my gaze fixed on her belly. The sight of her pregnant form was a punch to the gut, a twisted parody of the joy I had yearned for.

"Eleanor, Harlow just came to visit," Joshua said, his voice laced with a warning. "Don't upset her."

"Why should I upset her, Joshua?" I finally spoke, my voice a raspy whisper, but laced with a chilling calm. My gaze was still locked on Harlow's stomach. "After all, she's carrying your child, isn't she? The one that will be cured by my baby's umbilical cord blood?"

Harlow gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide with a feigned innocence. "Eleanor! What are you talking about? How could you say such a thing?"

Joshua's face went pale. He squeezed Harlow's arm. "Eleanor, you're delusional from the medication. Harlow is my sister-in-law. She's carrying her husband's child."

"Oh, really?" I looked directly at Joshua then, my eyes devoid of warmth. "Funny, I seem to remember you calling her your 'true love, my childhood sweetheart' just a few days ago. And discussing how my 'genetic markers' would provide enough 'potent stem cells' for 'your son.' Or was I hallucinating that too?"

Joshua stammered, his facade crumbling. "Eleanor, you're misunderstanding..."

Harlow burst into tears, dramatically collapsing onto a nearby chair. "How could you be so cruel, Eleanor? After everything I've done for you, supporting you through your losses! And now you accuse me of such an awful thing? My poor baby... this stress is too much!" She clutched her belly, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh, don't worry about the stress, Harlow," I said, a slow, predatory smile spreading across my face. "I'm sure Joshua will find a way to make it all better. Perhaps by offering to let me raise your bastard child?"

Harlow's sobs hitched. She looked up, her eyes glinting with a malicious triumph. "Joshua... she's right. If it's too much for me, if I can't handle the stress of motherhood right now... maybe... maybe Eleanor could raise our baby. After all, she can't have any of her own now, can she?"

Joshua looked from Harlow's tear-streaked face to my impassive one. "Harlow, don't be ridiculous. This isn't a game."

"But it could solve everything, couldn't it?" Harlow pressed, a cruel smirk hidden beneath her tears. "She loves babies so much. And she can't have one now. It would be a perfect arrangement."

The insult, the sheer audacity of her suggestion, hit me with the force of a physical blow. To offer me their child, a child conceived in betrayal and nurtured with the stolen life of my own, as a consolation prize for my barren womb. It was beyond cruel. It was an act of pure, unadulterated evil.

My smile widened, chillingly cold. "You know what, Joshua? That's an excellent idea. But I have a better one." My voice was calm, almost serene. "I want a divorce. And I want it now."

Harlow's fake tears instantly vanished. A flicker of triumph, quickly masked, danced in her eyes. She glanced at Joshua, a silent question passing between them.

Joshua stared at me, his mouth agape. "A divorce? Eleanor, are you serious? You can't be. This is just the shock talking. We... we can work through this. We have to. We're married!"

Harlow, seeing her moment, suddenly bolted from the room, still making a show of sobbing. "I can't believe this! I can't take this stress!"

Joshua looked after her, torn. Then, he turned back to me, trying to regain control. "Eleanor, look, I know you're upset. But a divorce? You don't mean that. We'll have another baby, I promise, as soon as you're well. Science is advancing every day."

He was still lying. Still manipulating. Still dangling the carrot of a future he had already stolen. My face remained impassive.

"I mean every word, Joshua," I said, my voice flat. "I want a divorce. And you will give it to me."

He frowned, then a look of smug confidence settled on his features. "Fine. If that's what you want, we'll talk about it when you're thinking clearly. You're emotional right now, Eleanor. You'll change your mind." He paused, then looked at his watch. "I need to go check on Harlow. She's very fragile right now."

He turned and strode out, never seeing the cold, victorious glint in my eyes. He thought I was emotional. He thought I would change my mind. He thought he still had control.

He was gravely mistaken.

As soon as the door closed, I picked up my phone. "Benjamin," I said, my voice crisp and clear. "It's time. Activate the patent transfer. And hit him where it hurts the most. His cash flow. Divert all major Hunt Technologies contracts to Jaylen Wilson's firm, effective immediately."

"It will devastate his company," Benjamin said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

"Good. He built his empire on my back, on your connections. Now, he'll watch it crumble around him. I want him to understand what it means to be truly ruined."

I knew Joshua's success was largely due to my father's immense networks and my own relentless work behind the scenes. He was charismatic, yes, but without our support, he was just an ambitious man with a decent idea. I would tear down every pillar of his carefully constructed life.

Over the next few days, Joshua made a show of visiting me, bringing flowers, attempting conversation. I met his attempts with a wall of cold silence, my gaze blank, my body language distant. He seemed increasingly frustrated, but also, strangely, confident that I would eventually come around. He was still clinging to his delusion.

Finally, the doctors cleared me for discharge. Joshua, ever the doting husband for public consumption, was there to pick me up. He even brought a new dress for me, something modest and pale, mourning white. I wore it without a word.

When we arrived back at the house, a wave of unease washed over me. The air felt different. Fresher. More... feminine. As we stepped inside, my fears were confirmed. The house had been redecorated. My favorite antique vase was gone, replaced by a gaudy modern sculpture. My art, carefully curated over years, had been replaced by abstract pieces I detested.

"I thought a change of scenery would do you good," Joshua said, gesturing vaguely. "Harlow helped me. She has such a wonderful eye, don't you think?"

I didn't answer. I just walked past him, my eyes scanning the room, a cold fury building inside me. My home. My sanctuary. Invaded. Desecrated.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from the living room, clad in one of my silk dressing gowns, a delicate scent of lilies emanating from her. Harlow. She glided past me, her bare feet silent on the polished floor, her hair still slightly damp from a shower. She smiled, a triumphant, mocking curve of her lips.

"Eleanor, darling! Welcome home!" she chirped, as if she were the lady of the house. "I hope you like the changes. Joshua and I thought it was time for a fresh start for everyone." She emphasized the last word, her gaze dropping pointedly to my barren abdomen.

Joshua quickly stepped in, his arm around Harlow. "Harlow has been a great help, Eleanor. She's been taking care of me while you were... away. It was only natural for her to move in, given her delicate condition."

Harlow, playing her part, gasped dramatically and pressed herself against Joshua. "Oh, Joshua, you mustn't upset Eleanor! She's still so fragile!"

I felt a wave of disgust so strong it almost made me gag. To see them, united in their cruelty, in my own home. My sanctuary.

I turned and walked directly to my bedroom, my movements precise, controlled. I needed to pack. I needed to leave. This was no longer my home. It was their stage.

As I opened my closet, a small, hand-knitted baby blanket fell out. It was one I had made, stitch by painful stitch, for my first lost baby. It was soft, ivory wool, with a tiny rabbit embroidered in the corner. A wave of raw grief washed over me, threatening to drown my carefully constructed composure. My baby. All my babies.

I sank to the floor, clutching the blanket, the tears finally, silently falling. "I'm so sorry, my loves," I whispered, my voice choked with unshed sorrow. "I failed you. I couldn't protect you."

A movement in the doorway. Harlow. She stood there, a cruel smirk on her face, holding up a tiny onesie I had bought months ago, hoping beyond hope that this baby would be the one. It was soft blue, with little stars.

"Oh, look at this, Eleanor. So cute. A little boy, perhaps? Shame he won't get to wear it." Her voice was a venomous whisper. She tossed it in the air, catching it with a careless flick of her wrist.

"Put that down, Harlow," I said, my voice dangerously calm. My eyes, still wet with tears, burned with a cold fire.

She laughed, a high, tinkling sound. "Why? It's just trash now, isn't it? Like all your other little... disappointments." She looked around the room, her gaze falling on a small, delicately carved wooden mobile, a gift from my father. It was a flock of tiny, flying birds. I had hung it above the crib, just before my last miscarriage.

"What's this? Another one of your pathetic little rituals?" She picked it up, her fingers deliberately snapping off one of the tiny birds. "Oops."

My blood ran cold. This was not just about the baby. This was about destroying every last piece of my hope, my memories, my very soul.

"Get out!" I screamed, my voice raw with fury. I lunged at her, my hand raising to strike.

Harlow shrieked, dropping the mobile. She stumbled back, falling dramatically across the bed. Just then, Joshua rushed in, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Eleanor! What are you doing?" he roared, pushing me back. "Are you insane? She's pregnant! You could hurt the baby!"

"She just broke my baby's mobile! She was threatening me!" I cried, pointing at Harlow, who was now clutching her stomach and whimpering.

"She did no such thing! You pushed her, you lunatic! You're just jealous, aren't you?" He glared at me, his face contorted with disgust. "You're a sick, twisted woman! I don't know what I ever saw in you!"

"Joshua, my head... I think I hit it," Harlow moaned, her voice weak.

He cradled her gently, his eyes fixed on me, cold and full of hatred. "Get out, Eleanor. Get out of my house. Now. Or I'll call the police."

I stared at him, my heart turning to stone. My home, my love, my life. All gone. Replaced by a viper and a monster.

"You'll regret this, Joshua," I said, my voice barely a whisper, but potent with promise. "Both of you. You will regret this more than anything you have ever done."

Harlow, nestled in Joshua's arms, looked at me, a triumphant, malicious smirk playing on her lips. A silent message. I won.

I met her gaze, my eyes burning with a silent vow. You have no idea who you're dealing with.