Given to a Beggar: A Marriage's Darkest Secret
After eight years of marriage, Claudia sacrificed her own treatment and gave up her dance career to save Dylan, leaving her with a permanent leg injury-and ultimately becoming a gilded bird confined beneath his wings.
She felt trapped like a cherished, yet confined trophy, enduring the cold intimacy of her husband, unaware that the man she spent blindfolded nights with was a beggar's stand-in. Dylan remained faithful to Nora, his true love suffering from a terminal illness.
Upon becoming pregnant, Claudia stumbled upon the truth. She discovered she had been deceived, and that her unborn child's umbilical cord blood was coveted for its potential life-saving properties. This revelation sparked her awakening.
With her father by her side, she embarked on a path of revenge, exposing Dylan's deception and the dark secrets of his company, leading to the freezing of his assets.
During this journey, Claudia reclaimed her passion for dance, underwent professional rehabilitation, and uncovered the truth behind Nora's feigned illness and her conspiracy to have Dylan harmed in the past.
As Dylan faced betrayal from all sides, his company went bankrupt, and he eventually lost his sanity. Nora ended up in prison, paying the price for her actions.
Claudia not only returned to the stage, shining brighter than ever, but also found unwavering support and true companionship with Greg.
Once deceived and hurt, she broke free from her shackles, experiencing a rebirth and renewal in both her career and personal relationships, opening a new chapter in her life.
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Chapter 2
"Donate the cord blood."
Those words sliced through me, sharp as a blade, piercing straight into my heart.
Was my unborn child really meant to be nothing more than medicine for his beloved woman?
Blood rushed to my head, and my whole body trembled.
Dylan tried to touch my shoulder, but I turned away in disgust.
His face darkened, his tone turning to ice. "Claudia, don't be ungrateful. If you agree, I won't divorce you. Once the child is born, I'll give him the best life. This is the greatest favor I can offer you. After all, we have been married for eight years."
Favor?
I laughed bitterly.
I grabbed a nearby porcelain figurine and hurled it at his forehead with all my strength.
"Bang!"
Blood flowed down from his temple.
I stared at him fiercely and demanded, "What makes you think you can sacrifice my own child for you and that woman? Why would you use my child as a stepping stone for your love?"
Dylan wiped the blood from his forehead, his eyes dark and terrifying.
"Why?"
He smiled, his expression full of contempt. "Because you're a cripple now!"
His cold words, like a blunt knife, cut repeatedly into my already scarred wound.
"Claudia, take a good look at yourself. Without me, what could you do? A dancer with a broken leg? Without me, you and this child of unknown origin couldn't even survive."
He leaned close to my ear, his tone mocking. "Don't forget, the one in your belly is the child of a beggar. Do you think the Wallace family would accept a grandchild fathered by a beggar? So, giving the umbilical cord blood to Nora is your only chance to show your value."
I looked at the face I had loved for eight years, and my stomach turned.
Dylan was still justifying his shameless actions.
"This isn't about sacrifice. It's about saving a life. "Claudia, Nora is innocent. If you refuse to donate out of pure selfishness, it will be no different from killing her with your own hands. This sin will follow you for the rest of your life. You and your child will live in guilt forever."
I stared back coldly.
What a noble love.
This so-called redemption was built on the sacrifice of my child.
This deep affection trampled on my broken bones and ruined my life.
I had imagined countless times, once my legs were healed, I would have a lovely child with Dylan.
I would teach him to dance and tell him that his mother was once the brightest star on the stage.
But that simple dream was first stripped away by Dylan's lies.
Now, he was trying to twist it into a tool to save another woman.
My heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, so painful that I could hardly breathe.
I mustered all my strength to push him away.
"Dylan."
I wiped my tears, looking at his pitiful appearance, my voice cold. "I will get a divorce. The child is mine, and no one else will touch him. As for you... This eight years of deception and humiliation, I will make you pay dearly."
After saying that, I didn't look back at his shocked face, and walked away.
The bodyguards immediately followed, shielding me from anyone who tried to stop me.
Behind me was Dylan's furious roar and a scene of chaos.
But I didn't look back.