Chapter 5%
Panic seized him as he held the tiny, blood covered body in his hands. His face contorted in horror. “No. No, this isn’t right?”
“Did something go wrong during the surgery? Jaime stormed forward and wrenched the child from lan’s hands, his face twisted with rage. “What the hell did you do?!” he snarled
lan flinched, his hands shaking as he reached out to check for any signs of life. Desperation flickered in his eyes before he turned on Jaime, grabbing the collar of his shirt.
“This is your fault! You kicked her too hard and now the baby is dead!“%
“Don’t you dare pin this on me? Jaime’s fury exploded. He drove a fist straight into lan’s face, sending him stumbling backward. “That was my child! You must have made a mistake during the procedure and caused the baby’s death!“%
lan wiped the blood from his mouth and retaliated, punching Jaime in the jawl
“Are you insane? I was trying to save Trish! I want her to recover more than anyone! I wouldn’t have risked my career by cutting Zara open if it weren’t for Trish! If she doesn’t get the help she needs because of you, I swear I’ll kill your“?
The room erupted into chaos. The two men clashed violently, fists flying, equipment crashing to the ground. The sterile operating room became a battlefield, but I watched it all with empty, hollow eyes. The pain had numbed me. My body was broken, my spirit shattered
Then, just as Jaime grabbed a scalpel, ready to stab lan’s hand, lan suddenly froze. His gaze snapped back to my mutilated stomach, his eyes gleaming with a twisted realization.X
“Wait! The baby may have only just died–meaning the umbilical cord might still be usable. We can still save Trish.”% Jaime hesitated, the scalpel trembling in his grip. “Are you sure?“%
lan nodded frantically. “As long as the baby just stopped breathing, the cord blood is still viable. It’s our last chance.”%
Without wasting another second, lan dropped to his knees and plunged his hands into my open wound. I could barely register the sensation anymore–just a dull, distant tugging as he pulled out the bloodied mass of tissue.
“Take it to Trish. Now!” he ordered, shoving the remains into Jaime’s hands.% Jaime didn’t hesitate. He bolted out of the room, disappearing down the hall.%
And then it was just me and lan.%
He turned back to me with a smirk. “Since you’ve been such a cooperative donor, I’ll stitch you up nicely. You won’t even remember you ever had a child.“%
I let out a hollow laugh, my voice weak but laced with venom. “You think you can save Trish now that you have the umbilical cord? Keep dreaming“%
lan didn’t even flinch at my provocation. He calmly threaded a needle and began stitching my torn flesh back together.
“I know you’re upset. But once Trish recovers, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll treat you well and I won’t leave you. We’ll still be together, so don’t worry.“%
I laughed bitterly. He actually believed I would forgive him? That I would stay with him after all of this??
“lan, you married me to use my body as a living blood bank for Trish. You cut me open, stole my child and killed it. And you still think we can be together?”
He smiled condescendingly. “The whole city knows you were abandoned at the altar by your fiancé. And now you’ve given birth to his baby–a dead baby, at that. Do you really think anyone will accept you besides me?”%
