Womb for Wagers

"Exactly. Cassian doesn’t have time to take care of you, but we will. Don’t worry, we’ll treat you far more gently than he does."

"Yeah. Kaelith, why don’t you move into my place? I’ll take care of you personally 24 hours a day."

"Shut up!" Cassian roared, "All of you shut the hell up. Kaelith is my wife. The child in her womb is mine. What right do you have to take care of her? Say one more word, and I’ll make you disappear from Harbor City."

The five men sulked in silence.

Cassian quickly scheduled the abortion.

The doctor asked, "Three? You’re really going to terminate all of them? What a pity."

Cassian nodded firmly. "Not only are the three babies being aborted, but her uterus will be removed as well. She’ll never need to have children again in this lifetime."

"Then, Mr. Thorne, you…"

"I already have Sabine’s child. I won’t allow any other children to threaten his position as heir. Do as I say. Terminate the pregnancy and remove her uterus according to plan."

My nails dug into my palms. I clenched my teeth to keep the tears from falling.

Seven days remained until the procedure.

Six days left. I threw away all my personal belongings in the house and burned every photo of Cassian and me together.

Cassian was too busy taking care of Sabine to notice anything.

Four days left. It was the day Adric was supposed to arrive, yet neither he nor Lennox answered their phones.

I had no choice but to rely on myself, gathering pieces of evidence of Cassian’s crimes one by one. I knew that as an orphan, even with proof, I wouldn’t stand a chance against Cassian.

Two days left. Adric’s phone was still unreachable. I had to prepare for the worst.

Two days later, Cassian personally took me to the hospital.

"Don’t worry. The babies are still small. It’s a minor procedure. You’ll recover quickly. We’ll have children in the future."

His concerned expression made it hard to imagine he was the same man who had viciously ordered my uterus removed.

Just as the doctor was about to wheel me into the operating room, Sabine suddenly appeared with Cassian’s five friends. They deliberately avoided me and pulled Cassian into the stairwell.

Sabine, however, sent me a livestream video directly.

"Cassian, why not hold off on the abortion for now? Aren’t you curious whose child Kaelith is actually carrying?"

"Yeah. Since she’s already pregnant, let’s make another bet—this time for $100 million. Five men, three babies."

"That guarantees three winners and two losers. Just thinking about it is thrilling. It’s only a few extra days for another test. What’s the rush?"

"Who knows? Maybe all three damn kids are mine, hahaha!"

Cassian hesitated, but Sabine kept urging him on.

"Cass, just agree to it. If we’re going to play, we should play big. Once the test shows the babies aren’t yours, you’ll have leverage over Kaelith forever. She won’t be able to clear her name even if she jumps into the river. She’ll never dare leave you again."

The livestream cut off, replaced by a message from Sabine mocking me, "Did you see that? You’re just their toy. Whether it’s the Thornes or Cassian, the only child they’ll acknowledge is the one in my belly—the sole heir.

"Once the test results for the babies inside you come out, your children will disappear completely. And so will you."

As if sensing the threat, my abdomen suddenly twisted with sharp pain. Having experienced a miscarriage before, a terrible premonition flooded me.

In my dazed state, I heard people whispering nearby.

"A man covered in blood just came into the hospital. It’s terrifying."

"He looked frantic, saying he was searching for a pregnant woman."

"Oh my God… isn’t that Adric Vale, the underground king who can end a life with a flick of his finger?"