Eleven Miscarriages, One Final Cut

After her eleventh miscarriage, Clara Fulton became pregnant again. To protect the pregnancy, she lay in a hospital bed day after day, enduring injection after injection, waiting for the special drug meant to save her child.

Then she discovered the truth. Her husband of eight years, Ethan Grayson, had already given that one dose of the special drug to his newly pregnant mistress.

Clara wiped the tears from her face and made a ruthless decision, ending the pregnancy she had fought so desperately to keep.

She no longer wanted a man who wavered between women. But anyone who betrayed sincerity would have to pay a price.

She took out a phone she had never once used and dialed the only number saved on it.

"You wanted me to acknowledge you as my father, didn't you? Come pick me up in a week. I'll take your seat."

She had no idea that after she left, Ethan would kneel before every god he could think of, praying for nothing but her return.

......

During her twelfth pregnancy, Clara spent a full six months confined to a hospital bed to keep the baby safe. At last, the special drug was successfully developed.

Ever since her first pregnancy, Ethan had invested heavily in a research institute to create a drug to stabilize her condition. Now, it finally showed results.

When the message from the research institute arrived, Ethan lowered his head, typing rapidly. When he looked up at Clara, his eyes were so gentle they seemed to melt into sweetness.

Clara smiled back, then lowered her head and picked up her tablet to play a game. That was when she noticed Ethan hadn't logged out of his messaging app. Messages kept pouring in.

"Mr. Grayson, only one dose of the special drug has been produced. Miss Zane is still early in her pregnancy and in good health. There's really no need to give it to her."

"Ivy has already suffered enough by staying with me. She's delicate, and it wasn't easy for her to get pregnant with my child. I can't let anything go wrong with this baby."

"But this pregnancy has been extremely difficult for Mrs. Grayson. She's on daily injections, bedridden, and constantly at risk of miscarriage..."

"She's already miscarried so many times. One more won't make a difference. By the time she gets pregnant again, the drug can be mass-produced."

Clara recognized every word. Yet together, they felt utterly unfamiliar. It was as if she had plunged into icy water. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, her eyes locked on the words "pregnant with my child."

She had stood by Ethan for over a decade. Together, they had fought through gunfire and bloodshed, rising from nothing to become the leaders of the syndicate.

No one dared humiliate them anymore.

For a child that shared both their blood, she had swallowed countless pills and endured endless injections.

Every night, Ethan held her and cried, sobbing that they should give up, that her health mattered more than anything. Yet he could never break her resolve.

Whenever she lay in bed receiving another injection, Ethan would kneel beside her and stab himself, determined to share her pain.

Every time she miscarried, he blamed himself, convinced it was punishment for the blood on his hands. He prayed like a man drowning-on his knees, voice raw, begging heaven to cradle the child he couldn't keep safe in this world.

How could a man like that, while she lay motionless in a hospital bed for six months fighting to keep their child, get another woman pregnant?

Clara's eyes burned red as she looked up at Ethan, who was still typing nonstop not far away.

Sensing her gaze, he looked up, his eyes filled with concern.

"What's wrong, honey? Don't be scared. The special drug will be ready soon. Our baby will be born safely."

But the moment he lowered his head, a new message popped up from a cartoon avatar.

"Honey, our son just kicked. Come quick and feel it."

Ethan's breathing quickened as he replied without hesitation. "I'm coming right now."

"You've got ten minutes. If you're not here by then, I'm ignoring you."

A dozen angry yet cute stickers flooded the chat.

Ethan typed quickly, coaxing her. "My dear, don't be mad. I'm on my way."

He even added several kissing stickers.

This was the kind of behavior he once despised most.

At that moment, Clara felt as if an invisible hand had clenched her heart, squeezing until she could barely breathe.

Before her eyes, Ethan was lost in his own world, a clear smile tugging at his lips.

So it was true. Ethan really had another woman. Even if Clara wanted to deceive herself, she no longer could.

They had both grown up in the slums. Clara was a child with no known father. Ethan's mother had been beaten and driven away, leaving him to survive under his father's constant abuse.

Clara had a gentle, loving mother. To protect her from rumors and cruelty, Clara picked up a stick and attacked those filled with malice like a madwoman.

She also used that same stick to shield Ethan when he was beaten half to death by his father, taking his hand and leading him home.

That year, Clara was twelve, and Ethan was nine.

When Clara was fifteen and her mother fell gravely ill, Ethan swore to protect Clara for the rest of his life.

They depended on each other to survive, joining the underworld just to stay alive. They gambled with their lives, clawed their way upward, and finally took control of Asterfall. No one dared bully them again.

When everything finally began to improve, Clara longed for a family member bound to them by blood. For that wish, she paid a devastating price.

What awaited her was a betrayal far deeper than she had ever imagined.

"Are you worried about the special drug?" Ethan finally noticed the tears at the corner of Clara's eyes. He quickly put his phone down and reached out to wipe them away.

"The drug has already been developed. Don't be sad. Before long, there'll be a child calling me Dad and you Mom."

Ethan painted a gentle picture of their future. Clara clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her skin. The pain kept her painfully clear-headed.

"Someone in the west side is stirring trouble. I need to take care of it. Get some rest."

Ethan turned to leave with that excuse, but Clara grabbed his wrist. She looked up at him, forcing calm into her voice as she tested him.

"I'm not feeling very well. Can you stay with me?"

Ethan frowned deeply, urgency creeping across his face.

Clara's gaze fell on the words "ten minutes" on the tablet, her heart tightening at once.

Ethan's anxious voice rang in her ears.

"There's a shootout in the west side. The second-in-command and his people are at each other's throats. I'm the only one who can keep it under control. Honey, if I don't go, people will die."

Before Clara could even respond, he turned and hurried away.

He really was worried he wouldn't make it within ten minutes.

Clara let out a cold laugh and began tapping rapidly on her tablet. Her computer skills were exceptional. Hacking into Ethan's phone and tracking his location was effortless for her.

She had simply never bothered to do something like this before.

What she hadn't expected was that in less than ten minutes, Ethan appeared at the old house in the slums where she, Ethan, and her mother had once lived.

After her mother passed away, she sold the old house. She needed money for the funeral, and she feared greedy relatives would swoop in and take everything. So she took Ethan and left, struggling to survive elsewhere.

That house carried her memories with her mother, and the bond she shared with Ethan.

After they finally gained money and power, Ethan bought the house back immediately and gave it to her as a birthday gift.

Yet they hadn't returned there in a very long time.

Clara sent a voice call request to Ethan's phone and remotely forced it to connect. At once, Ethan's ingratiating voice came through. "Ten minutes. Just in time. I'm not late."

A loud kiss echoed, followed by a woman's soft, delicate voice. "At least you made the right choice. I thought you were going to ditch me for that old woman."

Ethan showed no displeasure at all. Instead, he kept coaxing her.

"You heartless little thing. I come to see you the moment I get free. Look, this is the Heart of True Love diamond ring I just won at auction. It's for you."

Clara froze slightly, bitterness flooding her chest.

She remembered how a woman once mocked her for being old. Ethan had walked up and slapped that woman several times without hesitation.

Six months ago, when the Heart of True Love ring was first released, he promised he would buy it for her no matter what.

Now, he handed it to another woman without the slightest hesitation.

Listening to their flirting, Clara felt as if her heart were bleeding.

After her mother died, the slum house filled her with fear and grief. Whenever she came close, tears would spill uncontrollably, the pain so intense it made her faint.

Every time she tried to endure the pain and go back, Ethan would stop her, his face full of concern.

So that was why. He was afraid she'd discover his affair.

The woman's breathless moans and the man's hoarse growls filled her ears, thick with desire.

Just from the sounds, Clara knew exactly where they were. On the sofa her mother had loved most.

On the table nearby sat her mother's portrait and ashes.

If her mother could see this from beyond the grave, how much would it break her heart for Clara?

Clara covered her mouth, sobbing soundlessly. Yet she forced herself to listen to every unbearable sound.

At last, she wiped away her tears, resolve slowly hardening on her face.

She pulled out a phone she had never used from beneath her pillow and dialed the only number saved on it.

"Didn't you always want me to acknowledge you as my father? Come pick me up in three days. I'll agree to become your heir."

Clara had stayed here for love. Now that love was gone, there was no reason to remain.

During the six months Clara spent in the hospital, Ethan came every evening to eat with her, talk with her, and stay by her bedside until she fell asleep.

In all of Asterfall, everyone knew she was the woman closest to his heart.

Yet no one knew that even a man like him could be unfaithful.

Ethan sat by the hospital bed, arranging the meal in front of Clara and lifting his spoon to feed her. Then he looked up and saw her swollen, tear-filled eyes.

He hurried over and pulled Clara into his arms, gently patting her back.

"What's wrong? Is the baby bothering you again? When the baby's born, you'll have to teach him a lesson."

He lifted food to her lips. Clara opened her mouth numbly, swallowing mechanically without sparing him a single glance.

Suddenly, nausea surged up her throat, and she turned aside to vomit.

Without a second thought, Ethan reached out and caught what she threw up.

He didn't care about his cleanliness at all, his eyes filled only with concern for her.

He had always been this considerate, his world seemingly revolving entirely around Clara.

In the past, Clara would have been deeply moved.

But now she knew the truth. The carefully prepared pregnancy diet wasn't made for her at all. It had been designed by a nutritionist specifically for Ivy Zane.

She was nothing more than an afterthought.

Just moments earlier on the voice call, Clara had clearly heard Ivy retching, spitting out the soup she had just swallowed.

"Honey, it smells too strong. I can't drink it."

Ethan coaxed her tenderly.

"If you can't drink it, then don't."

"Pour it out. I couldn't help it earlier and threw up in it."

Ethan chuckled softly. "Alright. I'll dump it into the trash later."

And at that very moment, the soup that was meant for the trash was being spooned into Clara's mouth by Ethan.

At that moment, countless thoughts flooded Clara's mind...

She even wondered whether the meals he had brought her before might have also...

A wave of indescribable disgust surged up. Clara could no longer hold it back and leaned over the bed, retching into the trash can.

But the moment she saw the trash can, a deep sorrow washed over her.

So in Ethan's eyes, was she nothing more than a trash can?

Pressure tightened in her abdomen, accompanied by a sharp, hidden pain, as if the child inside her were protesting.

Clara cried out in pain, tears spilling freely at last.

After all their years as husband and wife, how could Ethan humiliate her like this?

Ethan was startled, his face turning pale as he hurried to help Clara up.

"Honey, what's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Is the baby acting up again? What's going on with you? Is it the smell of the soup that's making you sick?"

His voice was filled with concern. His eyes reddened with distress as he urgently called for the doctor.

Even as Clara was wheeled into the emergency room, she could still hear Ethan's hoarse pleas.

"Doctor, please. I'm begging you. Save my wife."

After another round of emergency treatment, Clara once again managed to keep the child in her womb. Under the effects of anesthesia, she slipped into unconsciousness.

Familiar pain washed over her. She frowned and opened her eyes, only to hear Ethan speaking with his close friend, Damian Pierce. She chose to shut her eyes tightly.

"Ethan, you should give the special drug to Clara first. Ivy is only newly pregnant. She doesn't really need it yet."

Damian was the one responsible for developing the special drug and had grown up with Ethan since childhood.

He had never approved of Ethan and Clara being together and had always disliked Clara in particular.

Yet even now, he showed a hint of reluctance toward her situation.

Ethan's expression was firm. "No. Ivy is different from Clara. She can't handle any risk. Clara is strong. Even if the baby's gone, she'll survive it."

"But if there's no special drug and the baby's gone, how are you going to explain that to Clara?"

"No explanation is needed." Ethan gently stroked Clara's cheek, his words chillingly cruel. "We'll just prescribe some vitamins and tell her it's the special drug. It's the first batch anyway. Problems are normal."

Damian sucked in a sharp breath.

"But she's been with you for so many years. She's risked her life for you more than once. Back in Harborcliff, if she hadn't nearly died protecting you, you would've been-"

Ethan's fingertips turned icy, his voice sharp as a blade.

"You don't need to keep reminding me. I'm the one who controls the syndicate in Asterfall, and I survived back then because my own woman sold her body for me. I know she did it to save me. But she's tainted. I want my child to have a clean mother. What's wrong with that? I know I owe her. But I'm a man. I can't get past this. I can't stand the looks of ridicule from others."

Ethan let out a cold snort. "Everyone who knew about it back then is already dead. But there are still people in Harborcliff. They've stayed quiet all these years. They're probably afraid of me. One day, I'll wipe them out and repay the humiliation I suffered."

Clara kept her eyes tightly shut, biting her lower lip hard, forcing herself not to react.

So this was what he believed all along. That when he was captured by the local gangs in Harborcliff, trapped in danger, she had stormed the syndicate's headquarters alone to save him and had been violated in the process.

All these years, he had despised her for being "tainted," unwilling to let a child be born from her body.

How utterly absurd.

"Clara really seems to care about this baby. If she loses this one too, what if she can't handle it?"

Ethan scoffed softly and reached out to pull the blanket over Clara.

He leaned down, his breath brushing unconsciously against her neck, making Clara's breath catch.

Disgusting.

That indescribable wave of nausea surged up again.

After she heard the door close, Clara slowly opened her eyes. Tears flowed like a river.

She knew very well that many people in the research institute had been placed there by her biological father, for her sake.

For the sake of the child in her womb, she despised him, yet still felt a trace of gratitude.

But she never expected that after learning this, Ethan would be determined to kill the child in her womb, caring only about the mistress's baby.

She clamped her hand over her mouth, refusing to let a single sob escape.

Then she sent a message to the man bound to her by blood, telling him to withdraw everyone from the research institute. Ethan was not to benefit from them.

"Honey, you're finally awake. Don't worry, the baby is fine."

Ethan knelt by the bedside, his eyes red as if he'd been crying for a long time. His hand rested gently on Clara's belly, his gaze filled with the glow of a loving father.

Who could have guessed the disgust he felt toward the child inside her?

"Mrs. Grayson, seeing how much Mr. Grayson dotes on you, I finally understand why you're so determined to have a child for him. He's worth it. Unlike the husbands I've seen before, who only get angry and force their wives through injections and medication."

The nurse administering Clara's injection couldn't help sighing. Clara felt nothing but bitterness.

At least those husbands truly wanted their children to be born. Unlike hers...

"I miss my mom. I want to go home and see her."

Clara looked up at Ethan, watching every change in his expression.

Ethan paused briefly, then quickly recovered.

"Once you give birth, I'll take you back to see her. In your condition, it's not convenient for you to leave the hospital."

His expression was open and calm, giving no hint of deceit.

"But before giving birth, I want to visit the old place. I want Mom to give me some courage. I'm afraid I won't make it off the operating table."

Ethan seemed oblivious to the deep sorrow in her voice. He sat beside the bed and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't worry too much. You and the baby will be fine. If you want to go back, that's fine too. I'll have someone clean things up so you won't get hurt."

Clara understood. He was planning to deal with the mistress in advance.

That was fine. She didn't want to see that woman either. She just didn't want that filthy pair to keep defiling her mother's house.

What she never expected was that she would still come face to face with the mistress Ethan had protected for so long.