Never to Meet Again, Never to Long for Again

When I was five months pregnant, I was kidnapped by a group of thugs.

They used my phone to call my brother, Jeremy Wirkola, and my husband, Grant Sanders, to demand a ransom of ten million, but no one answered.

I was tortured and assaulted until I was barely alive.

When I was finally rescued, Jeremy cried and promised to avenge me.

Grant was in tears too. He vowed to get me treated.

However, while under the haze of anesthesia, I overheard Grant's cold voice outside the door. “Jessie is waiting for a bone marrow, but don’t forget to remove Ashlyn’s uterus. Just tell her the injuries were too severe to save it. Oh, and get the best surgeon for her. She’s afraid of pain.”

His assistant hesitated. He was clearly uncomfortable. “Mr. Sanders, isn’t this going too far?”

Grant paused for a second before he replied firmly. “She refused to donate her bone marrow to Jessie and even used the baby as an excuse. She’s selfish. Besides, if we don’t do this, how can I bring back Jessie and our child into the family? As for Ashlyn, she’s my wife. I’ll make it up to her for the rest of my life. She used to bully Jessie with her status, which resulted in Jessie suffering from depression and almost killing herself. It’s time she paid the price for it.”

As I listened to his heartless words, something inside me shattered completely.

Since they had chosen to sacrifice me for Jessie, let them have what they wanted then.

The doctor could not help but speak up. “Mr. Sanders, what about Miss Ashlyn’s legs? If we don’t operate right away, she might never be able to walk again.”

My husband, Grant Sanders, did not hesitate for a second. “Forget about her legs. Save Jessie first. She can’t afford to wait any longer. Besides, with her legs broken, she won’t be able to bother Jessie again. Maybe it’ll help her learn to be less spoiled.” After saying that, he glanced at me, then turned and walked away.

They thought I was unconscious and could not hear a thing, but his words pierced my heart like knives.

The next moment, the surgical light switched on. It shone down on me.

The person about to operate on me was my brother, Jeremy Wirkola. I wanted to call out to him, to tell him how wronged I felt.

However, the next moment, I heard his soft sigh. “Ashlyn, this is what you owe Jessie. But don’t worry, you’ll always be my little sister.”

Tears slid silently down my cheeks.

He was one of the people hurting me too.

The two people I believed loved me the most in the world had chosen to abandon me for another woman.

Just to protect Jessie Webb, they let others humiliate me. They even wanted to take away my ability to walk again just to keep me from disturbing her.

A flood of emotions surged inside me. They were crashing over me like waves and threatening to drown me.

I could feel it clearly when the baby was taken from my body.

They knew just how much I loved the baby and how much I had been looking forward to meeting the baby.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I would not be able to see him even once.

When I woke up again, I was already in a ward. Grant and Jeremy were sitting by the bed. They looked really concerned.

I struggled to open my mouth. “My baby…”

Even though I knew the answer, I could not help but ask again. I had carried a life inside of me for five months, after all. I was not ready to let go.

Grant held my hand tightly. His eyes were bloodshot as tears fell onto the back of my hand. “Honey, you’re awake. Does it hurt anywhere? This is all my fault. I should’ve done a better job of protecting you. Your injuries were too severe. To save you, the doctors had no choice but to remove your uterus. This is all my fault. Yell at me, hit me if you want, as long as it will make you feel better.”

His expression darkened. “What matters is that you’re okay now. If you really want a child, we can always adopt one.”

Jeremy punched the wall with a dark expression. His voice was laced with coldness. “Ashlyn, I promise you, everyone who hurt you will pay for what they did. All you need to do now is focus on getting better. Leave everything else to me. Don’t be afraid, I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”

Their faces and words were full of concern and love, but all I felt was fear, a fear so deep it made me tremble.

Tears streamed down my face like a broken string of pearls.

I knew there and then that I would never be the same again. For the rest of my life, I would not stand or walk like a normal person, and I would never have a child of my own.

The ones who caused all of this were the two people I trusted most in the world.

My hands clenched into fists under the covers.

Grant and Jeremy comforted me with promises that they would find the best doctors for me.

They sounded so sincere. Even the worry in their eyes did not seem fake.

For a moment, I wondered if everything I remembered was just a nightmare.

But I did not wish to lie to myself.

I could not look at them any longer, so I closed my eyes.