Chapter 1

I failed to conceive for the first three years of marriage. Under my husband's persuasion, I gave in vitro fertilization a try and finally hit the jackpot after two years.

At eight months pregnant, I overheard a conversation between my husband, Jonah Sawyer, and his best friend.

"You gave Chelsea contraceptive pills for three years just to make her believe she was infertile, using her desperation to force her into IVF, all so you could implant Lucy's egg into her body. You're cold, man!"

Jonah seemed indifferent. "Being pregnant not only changes a woman's body but also means enduring extreme pain during childbirth. I'd never put Luce through that."

I looked at the calculated man I called husband and unhesitatingly called the hospital to book an appointment. "Hello, I'd like to schedule an abortion."

…

Zachary Nelson looked at Jonah with mockery. "What happens when Chelsea finds out? Won't she go crazy? I mean, who would want to raise someone else's kid, right? Especially after carrying it for ten whole months—only to find out it's not even hers."

"She's too dumb to find out about anything. Besides, so what if she does? It's not like she can abort the baby at eight months. And don't get me started on her disgusting body. Who else but me would want her?"

"You're right. Everyone knows how much Chelsea adores you—she clings to you like a bad rash. Still, I'm curious how it's like to screw a preggo."

Malice overtook Zachary's face as he raised a brow at Jonah, seemingly hinting at something.

However, Jonah only seemed more revolted. "She's as big as a cow now. I don't even want to look at her, let alone get it up for her. I swear I'd rather watch other women than look at her humongous belly. Ew!"

"If you're that disinterested with her, why don't you let me have a go? I'd really like to know how it feels with a preggo."

As if that wasn't enough, the men began guffawing in the room, each laugh piercing through my heart like a burning knife.

Because of IVF, I had taken countless hormone pills and endured endless injections over the past two years, causing my body to become swollen and out of shape.

After I got pregnant, Jonah was always worried I wasn't getting enough nutrition. He insisted I ate like crazy every day, which led to my baby's rapid growth.

By five months, my belly was already covered in ugly stretch marks.

I used to assume he did it because he cared about me. Now, I realized it was only because the baby was the product of his and Lucy Morgan's love.

My hands formed into fists, and my back was covered in cold sweat. By instinct, I ran out of that suffocating house like my life depended on it.

After calming myself down, I decisively pulled out my phone and called the hospital. "Hello, I'd like to schedule an abortion."

I rushed to the hospital overnight, terrified that I might lose my mind if I stayed even a second longer. The on-duty doctor at the hospital kept staring at my huge belly, repeatedly confirming with me.

"You're eight months along. Are you sure you want to abort your baby? Where's the father?"

"He's dead."

Considering how much Jonah looked forward to welcoming the baby, I decided to prepare him a gift.

Seeing the numb, lifeless look in my eyes, the doctor no longer questioned my decision. She quickly prescribed me the medication and handed me the appointment slip.

"Take the pills, and come back in three days for the procedure."

I returned home, exhausted, holding the appointment slip, only to find that the keypad lock kept showing that the password was incorrect.

Just as I was about to make a call, the door suddenly opened, and Lucy walked out in a seductive nightgown.

Chapter 2

"Hey, Chelsea. The light in my house was broken. Joe was worried about my safety, so he offered for me to stay at his place for the time being.

"He changed the password in case I couldn't remember the old one, so the new password is my birthday. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

My gaze landed on the fallen strap on Lucy's shoulder. There were obvious hickeys on her chest, and she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Chelsea is too kind to mind something like this!"

Jonah sat on the couch. His pants were wrinkled, and his shirt was worn inside out. There was even a stain on the seat.

He pulled me into his embrace. "Why didn't you tell me you'd be out this late at night? What would I do if something happened to you or the baby?"

My heart grew cold as I looked at his genuine expression. He might seem like he cared a lot about me, but the harsh truth was, he had openly cheated on me at our home and even changed the password for fear of my sudden return.

I headed upstairs, ignoring him.

Before bed, Jonah, who never liked having milk, suddenly served me a glass. "You're now in the late stages of pregnancy, so you must pay extra attention to getting enough protein and calcium. Be good and drink this."

My gaze darkened at the sight of the white liquid. "I don't want to."

He seemed embarrassed that I had turned him down but still patiently coaxed, "Come on, it's for your and the baby's good. Listen to me, okay?"

With that, he forcefully fed me the milk.

After drinking the fishy-sweet milk, I started to feel drowsy. In a daze, I thought I saw two figures interwining next to me.

The next morning, I woke up feeling sore all over, making it hard to even get out of bed. Once Jonah left for work, I opened my phone to watch the video.

After he force-fed me the milk last night, I secretly turned on the video-recording and hid my phone within the flower pot.

When I saw the recorded footage, I was engulfed by shame and humiliation.

After I was put to sleep, Jonah and Lucy were tangled up in a passionate kiss, from the front door to the spot beside me.

"Joe, you have no idea how much it breaks my heart to see you with her every day."

Jonah spat on my face, then kicked me away. "How could you compare to this cow? I'm only with her because of the baby. In fact, I wouldn't have married her if it weren't to save you from ten months of agony. She's nothing compared to you, okay?"

Lucy turned to me with a hint of mischief. "Are you sure you've given her enough sleeping pills?"

As she spoke, she began unbuttoning my clothes. "What do you think will happen if she finds out the truth after the baby is here? If you ask me, I think it's better if we have some leverage over her."

Jonah seemed to agree with her plan as he began undressing me until I was completely naked. Then, they dragged me to a bench and parted my legs so I would face the bed.

The nightmare began. Jonah repeatedly took photos of me while Lucy kept positioning me into different poses. Once that was done, they began doing the deed before my unconscious body.

Tears rolled down my face as I looked at my phone screen, feeling as if my heart was stabbed repeatedly.

I switched off my phone and swallowed the pill the doctor had prescribed me without hesitation.

"What are you taking?" Jonah asked nervously at the door.

I looked up and was met with his concerned gaze. "Nothing. It's just a calcium tablet."

Chapter 3

It was only then that Jonah finally relaxed and headed upstairs. "I forgot to grab a document."

I watched his ascending figure and quickly took his phone from the table.

I entered Lucy's birthday into the keypad and found an image of him and Lucy hugging and kissing as his wallpaper. Just as I suspected, his phone was running a dual system.

With speed, I tapped open his messaging application and saw Lucy's name pinned at the top, followed by a group chat with his best buddies.

I tapped into the group chat, and the messages were so horrifying that I almost dropped his phone. All I saw were the photos that Jonah and Lucy had taken of me from last night.

"Not bad, Jonah. Chelsea still has that charming allure!"

"You're actually right. A preggo just hits differently. I wonder how she'd feel."

"Look at her slutty face. Put her in any high-end club, and she'd easily be the top-tier favorite."

The humiliating words from Zachary and the others left my mind blank. I felt like I was a naked animal being openly put to shame across the screen at that very moment.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

By the time Jonah had grabbed his document, I had already returned to the couch. He noticed my reddened eyes and draped a blanket over me.

"It's getting colder these days. Remember to stay warm, okay? Also, it's Luce's birthday today. I plan to organize a birthday party here tonight, and a couple of friends will be coming over, so look your best, alright?"

I shuddered briefly at the sound of Lucy's name. My gaze darkened as I replied, "I'd really like to have a good rest today and don't want to be disturbed."

Immediately, Jonah's expression became grim. "She only gets to celebrate her birthday once a year. I'm just trying to do something nice for her. Do you have to use your pregnancy against me? I've done nothing but compromise for the last eight months, but not today."

I had barely said anything, yet he was eager to defend Lucy. I should've seen sooner that he never loved me.

In the end, Jonah got what he wanted and invited his good-for-nothing buddies over to celebrate Lucy's birthday.

As soon as I headed downstairs, I could feel everybody's scorching gazes. They were filled with hints of mockery, insult, and malice.

"Look at us, Chelsea—we're in the same dress! I guess we're connected, after all!" Lucy came over and affectionately linked arms with me.

I realized we were indeed wearing the same red dresses.

"You definitely look better in it, Luce. Chelsea looks hideous and bulky with that big bump of hers."

It seemed Jonah had no issue degrading me to uplift Lucy.

"You can't say that, Jonah. To me, Chelsea still looks as amazing as ever!" Zachary held my hand and rubbed the back of it with his palm, his eyes somewhat flirtatious.

I tried hard to shake off his hand, only to feel his grip tightening. Not only that, he frivously raised his brows at me. "I prefer women like Chelsea. Their touch feels just nice."

At that moment, I cast Jonah a desperate, pleading look. However, he turned to me with utter indifference. "You should be grateful that my buddy is showering you with compliments when you look like that."

I gritted out, "I'm your wife, Jonah."

It was only then that he slowly rose from the couch and pulled me away.

Chapter 4

"Babe, they were just joking. Don't be petty."

I coldly flung his hand away. "Have fun, then. I'm going upstairs."

I was ready to leave when Jonah suddenly passed me a glass of milk. "Finish this before you do. Get your calcium of the day, and you can go rest."

I couldn't help but tremble at the sight of that familiar white liquid. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm just worried that you might lack calcium in your diet. Don't you believe me, your husband?" Jonah asked, his expression as genuine as ever.

I pushed the glass away. "I don't want it."

It didn't take long for his expression to turn cold. "I've done enough to save your dignity today. This is for your own good, so drink up."

"Relax, Joe. If Chelsea doesn't want to drink it, then she won't. She's still a pregnant lady, and you should cut her some slack." Lucy came over at the right time and passed me a glass of warm water. "Why don't you have some water instead?"

My eyes rested on the glass of clear water in my hand. "If I drink this, can I finally leave?"

Without waiting for their response, I downed the glass.

The warm water glided through my throat, but I began to feel heat throughout my body. It felt like a million insects were crawling through and eating away my flesh.

"What did you give me?"

Those were my last words. My legs gave way, and I soon fell into a pair of unfamiliar arms.

My vision was blurry, and all I could see was Zachary's evil face, eagerly watching me. His hands kept wandering across my body.

"What would we do without you, Luce? You knew to drug her and send her my way in case she wasn't threatened by the photos. That way, even if she found out about the truth, she would never speak a word about it. By then, she'll be nothing but a helpless puppet."

"Let me go." I tried to scream with my last remaining strength, but I could barely mutter a sentence.

In the end, I could only stare at Jonah, hoping to awaken the conscience he had buried deep inside of him.

With one hand wrapped around Lucy, he glanced coldly at me and then at Zachary. "Go easy on her. No matter what, she's still pregnant with Luce's and my baby."

Zachary hadn't stopped touching my body since earlier. "I know what to do. I promise we won't hurt your baby."

With that, he carried me upstairs.

I looked at Jonah with despair. "You'll regret this."

"Besides the drug to stir up your desire, I also added a dose of sedative in that glass of water—one that makes people forget their most painful memories.

"When you wake up tomorrow, you'll still be nothing more than Jonah's obedient little lapdog." Lucy raised her wine glass and added, "Have a sweet dream."

In the next moment, everything went dark. In that darkness, I felt a strange pressure pulling at me, like my body was being torn from the inside out.

When I came to, I was lying on the floor, completely bare, with blood spreading beneath me in deep, dark patches.

"Save me." I crawled toward the door, every movement a struggle, and banged on it.

However, all that I heard were waves of laughter. "Save the act. I heard how loud you were in there earlier. My suggestion? Have a good sleep, and you'll wake up with no memories of tonight."

Then came Jonah's voice. "Now that the main act is over, let's move on to the next part."