Chapter 3The Final Heir

Just then, the doctor, along with several nurses, rushed in. And the old woman on the bed had already rolled her eyes back, convulsing.

“Patient is in cardiac arrest! Quick, prepare the defibrillator! Epinephrine stat!”

The hospital room instantly erupted into chaos. My gaze coldly swept past the busy medical staff, landing on the woman on the floor. There was a baby in her belly. I closed my eyes, taking a deep, slow breath. One against four. I seemed to already see my own ending. This was a war I couldn’t possibly win.

Eason would soon discover that the woman wasn’t Arthur Reed’s mistress. He would also realize that all of this was just a trap I had set. And then? He would be furious, he would retaliate, and he would throw me out. And this woman, clutching her abdomen, would move into my home with her illegitimate child, rightfully so.

I opened my eyes, looking at the deep night outside the window. But to suffer in silence has never been my style. I was alone, with no attachments. No children to raise, no parents to look after, and no weakness for anyone to exploit. So, I wasn’t afraid.

The next second, I pulled out my phone and dialed Eason. “Honey, Mom’s in the ICU.”

“That caregiver fell, and she’s actually pregnant! Now she’s extorting us, saying it happened on our watch and we’re responsible!”

Twenty minutes later, Eason rushed breathlessly into the hospital building. He only saw me sitting alone on a bench outside the ICU, hands clasped, praying devoutly.

“Elara!” He hurried over, looking around. “Vivian… I mean… where’s Lin?”

I looked up, my eyes slightly red. “This woman is a liar! She’s five months pregnant! She didn’t say anything when we hired her as a caregiver, and now she’s screaming after falling. Isn’t this just a scam?”

Eason’s face changed. “Then… then where is she? Where did she go?”

“Why are you panicking?” I looked up at him, a hint of inquiry in my eyes. “Regardless of whether the child lives or dies, I’ll bear all responsibility. I won’t let the Reed family get involved.”

Eason didn’t reply. He grabbed a passing nurse. “Where’s Lin? The girl who was with my mom?”

The nurse glanced at me. “Ms. Vance arranged for her transfer. This is a cardiovascular hospital; we don’t have an obstetrics department. She needs to go to a maternity hospital for prenatal care.”

Eason’s face was ashen. He pulled out his phone and made a call. Soon, the call connected.

“Where are you?”

Lin’s tearful voice came from the other end. “Eason, it was Elara! Elara pushed me! The baby’s fine, but I need to be on bed rest… I was so scared, I almost didn’t protect your baby… Mom getting into the ICU was also because Elara provoked her. She knows everything!”

Eason hung up the phone and slowly turned to face me. His eyes had changed. “Elara, you shouldn’t have done this.”

He took a step closer, his voice resolute. “I originally thought that once the child was born, I would let you raise them. After all, you can’t have children, and I can’t let the Reed family line end.” He paused, shaking his head. “But now I see, you’re simply not fit to be a mother. So, I don’t want to deceive myself anymore.”

With that, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a printed divorce agreement.

“Sign it.”

I took the agreement and scanned it. The asset division section read: Marital assets split 50/50. I smiled. From my bag, I pulled out another agreement.

“Sign this one.”

It stated that due to the husband having an improper relationship with another person and causing pregnancy during the marriage, he was the primary at-fault party, and 70% of the joint marital assets would belong to the wife.

“70%?” Eason laughed as if he’d heard a joke. “Elara, you’re dreaming!”

“Winning a lawsuit isn’t about empty words; it’s about evidence. And you have none.” With that, he turned and strode away.

I sat there, watching his back disappear down the hallway. It was true, I had no evidence. I had no right to demand a paternity test between someone else’s child and my husband. Even if I knew that child was his, even if the whole world knew that child was his. As long as he denied it, the court would be powerless. I slowly gathered the two agreements, stuffing them back into my bag. But one thing he said was wrong.

Evidence would come soon enough. The next second, my phone rang.

“He went to the maternity hospital.”

“Good.”