Chapter 3What I Truly Want to Do

"I have a hospital appointment tomorrow. I'm busy."

"And Arthur," I added, my voice turning to ice, "don't forget my bonus. The abortion isn't free, you know."

"If I don't have the money... well, you might just end up with another son."

The next morning, I treated myself to a lavish brunch at a high-end restaurant and charged it to the company account. In my past life, I was always so careful with Arthur's money, trying to save every penny. This time, I refused to be the fool.

When I arrived at the hospital, I ran right into Victoria, who was there for a check-up.

Her eyes gleamed with triumph when she saw me. "Anna, you really are pathetic."

"You work yourself to the bone landing deals for the company, and in the end, you're just paving the way for me."

Victoria was the sales manager, but she was utterly incompetent. There was no way she could handle the millions in business the company generated each year. In my past life, I was the fool who drank glass after glass of liquor, drinking until I got a stomach ulcer just to close a ten-million-dollar deal. The credit, of course, went to Victoria.

Looking back, Arthur knew. He knew and he let it happen. Because Victoria was his daughter-in-law, his family. And I was just an outsider.

Seeing me lost in thought, Victoria glanced down at her stomach. "Arthur specifically told me not to overwork myself. No drinking, nothing stressful. He said you could handle everything. All I have to do is focus on carrying Charles's child."

"Sooner or later, this company will belong to me and Charles," she sneered. "And you? You're just a tool."

Victoria had always resented me for outshining her at work, taking every opportunity to put me down. Her taunts didn't surprise me.

What did surprise me was a stray thought: how could a woman who had been on fertility medication for years suddenly get pregnant after three or four years of marriage? Who really had the problem?

If Victoria was the one who couldn't conceive, would Arthur, who was so obsessed with having a grandson, have treated her so well all this time?

Could it be... Charles?

I suddenly remembered a time when Arthur was discreetly researching male infertility, and the lab report for a low sperm count that I'd found in his pants pocket. If Charles had fertility problems, it all made sense.

In my last life, Victoria's pregnancy was high-risk from the start. But Arthur blamed me for not taking proper care of her, claiming it was my fault his grandson was born frail. He was so terrified I would try to claim a piece of the Howard fortune that he ordered me to be buried with him.

My mind snapped back to the present when Victoria's expression shifted. She realized why I, a single, childless woman, was in the obstetrics wing.

"You're pregnant?" she gasped. "You're pregnant out of wedlock!"

"Hah! I'm telling everyone in the company!" she shrieked, whipping out her phone, ready to destroy my reputation.

I couldn't leave the company yet. If this got out, Arthur would have no choice but to fire me. I lunged for her phone.

Suddenly, Victoria screamed, "Help! She's attacking a pregnant woman!"

I froze, furious. She was pregnant, but so was I.

Then, behind me, I heard the voices of Arthur and his son, Charles.

Charles shoved me hard. I stumbled backward and fell as he rushed to Victoria's side, shielding her.

Arthur's face was a mask of panic. "Victoria, are you alright? Is the baby okay?"

"We should get you to a doctor, right now."

Then he turned to me, his face filled with crushing disappointment. "Anna, I thought you were better than this. I never imagined you could be so venomous, to try and harm my grandson. Go to HR tomorrow. You're fired."

When I fell, my stomach slammed against the hard, tiled floor. Pain, sharp and blinding, shot through me. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

Charles looked terrified, taking a hesitant step towards me to check if I was okay.

But Arthur's voice cut through the air. "Charles, forget her! Look at Victoria, she's clutching her stomach! She's in pain!"

Victoria's weak cry came right on cue. "Charles, it hurts... the baby... our baby."

Charles turned to leave.

I grit my teeth against the pain and saw Arthur standing there, watching me with cold, detached eyes. He saw me bleeding on the floor, and he chose to do nothing.

I clawed my way forward, my blood-smeared hand grabbing the cuff of Charles's pants. I looked up at his face, which still held a flicker of innocence. "Help... my baby," I choked out.

Charles froze. His eyes widened as he saw the crimson tide soaking through my dress, staining the white floor tiles red.

But the urgent calls from Arthur and Victoria pulled him away. He scooped Victoria into his arms and sprinted towards the doctor's office.

The commotion finally drew a crowd of doctors and nurses. They gasped, shouting as they lifted me onto a gurney...

As they wheeled me into the operating room, a nurse leaned close to my ear. "Ma'am? Ma'am, do you have any family here? We need them to sign the consent forms."

Through waves of agony, I stammered, "No... I have no one."

The nurse looked at my blood-soaked clothes, her expression full of pity. "But we need a signature for the surgery... what are we going to do?"

"I'll... sign."

The moment my name was on the dotted line, the anesthesiologist began to push the drug into my veins.

Arthur Howard! I silently screamed. I will make you pay for this in blood.