An hour later, as I was wheeled down the hospital corridor to the operating room, I suddenly heard someone call my name. "Kylie?"

Through the blur, I saw Liv.

Not far away, Bennett was approaching her with a stack of paperwork.

Liv turned back to Bennett quickly, exclaiming, "Sweetheart, I suddenly feel so unwell!"

"Are you alright?" Bennett looked visibly worried, lifting her up without hesitation, ignoring the stares from onlookers, and rushed her toward the emergency room.

I watched in despair the man who once promised to love me forever.

Now, he was carrying his pregnant mistress, while I, covered in blood, was being taken alone into the cold operating room.

The nurse urgently asked me, "Have you contacted anyone from your family?"

I refused to contact Bennett! I couldn't stand to see him!

In the end, I gave them my dad's number.

After the anesthesia kicked in, I drifted into unconsciousness. When I awoke, I found myself in a private clinic.

My parents were at my side.

"Kylie, you're awake!"

Mom's eyes were swollen from crying, tears streaming down, while Dad clutched my hand, his face filled with concern.

"How are you feeling now?"

"What happened? Where's Bennett?"

I couldn't even answer their questions, my focus drawn to my now-flat abdomen. "Where's the baby? Mom, Dad, where is the baby?"

Dad's voice cracked, "The baby didn't survive."

A gut-wrenching pain swept through me, and tears flowed freely, soaking the pillow beneath me.

My child was gone, and it was Bennett who was responsible!

Mom and Dad held my hands tightly, sharing my grief, trying to offer some comfort.

"You can still have children in the future; we're just relieved you've pulled through."

Apparently, I had suffered severe bleeding during the procedure and had been unconscious for three days and nights before waking.

When my parents learned of what had happened, they wanted to confront Bennett, but I stopped them.

That would be too easy for him.

I swore to seek justice for my child. I wanted Bennett and Liv to end up with nothing.

I spent over two weeks recuperating in a private clinic.

During this time, Bennett kept reaching out with calls and texts, relentless in his pursuit.

"Kylie, I'll come back to be with you tonight."

"Where have you disappeared to?"

"Why haven't you come back home? Pregnant women shouldn't vanish like this!"

"Let’s set a time to finalize the divorce papers—the next funding round’s coming up, and Liv and I need to sort this out pronto!"

"Quit messing around—if you don’t respond soon, I’ll have to report you missing!"

Eventually, he did report me, but when the authorities got in touch, they discovered I was avoiding Bennett on purpose and decided to leave the matter alone.

On the day I was discharged, I texted him: "Bennett, meet me at the county clerk’s office at three this afternoon."

Right after I sent it, he called, but I didn't pick up.

It had been more than two weeks since we'd last seen each other.

Bennett looked just the same, maybe even happier—like life was being good to him.

I turned my attention to Liv standing next to him, her slightly rounded belly making my heart ache.

Her child was thriving, yet mine never got to see this world.

"Your belly?" Bennett’s grip tightened on my wrist, shock flooding his expression, "What happened to the baby?"

I smiled bitterly, "Gone."

"The baby was almost five months along, and you just went and got rid of it?!"

"Kylie, that's heartless, cruel!"

"That was our child!"

I shook him off in disgust.

"Did I end it? It was on you."

Bennett erupted, yelling at me, "Stop blaming me, I didn’t force you to terminate our child!"

"Do you remember the day you pressured me into signing the divorce papers?"

"My belly hit the corner of a table! There was so much blood."

"Where were you?"

"Rushing off to be with your girlfriend at her prenatal checkup!"

Bennett refused to accept it, "Kylie, don’t make things up. A slight bump and the baby’s gone? That’s ridiculous!"

So, he knew. He knew I accidentally hit my stomach that day.

Ha! Damn him! The one who caused the harm!

"You don’t believe me?" I pointed at Liv. "Ask your lover! Didn't she see me being wheeled into surgery that day at the hospital?"

Bennett turned to Liv, who denied everything, "You're lying, I didn’t see anything!"

"Honey, you have to believe me, if I’d seen something so crucial, I would've said something.”

"She’s accusing me unfairly!"

"I know, you wouldn’t do that! She’s fabricating this."

Bennett tried to continue the argument, but I had no patience left and went straight into the office to finish our business.

No matter what else he shouted at me, I tuned it out.

Once we had our divorce papers, Bennett wasted no time joining Liv to get their marriage license.

But while Liv looked elated, Bennett's gaze often drifted back to me, his face clouded with obvious sadness.

It seemed he really did mourn the loss of the child.

Before leaving, I fixed Bennett with a cold stare, "I’m curious, how do you know this woman is the daughter of Robert, the city’s richest man?"

Before Bennett could answer, Liv tossed me a family register, "I’m not the daughter of a wealthy man—are you?"

Out of curiosity, I opened it, and to my surprise, saw Robert listed as the head of household with 'daughter' in the relationship column.

I was dumbstruck.

My brother and I shared a register with our mom, so I'd never seen my dad’s.

Who would've guessed Dad’s register showed another daughter?

Clutching the divorce papers tightly, I marched into the Reed Group's headquarters to confront my father, Robert.

"Dad, who’s Liv Reed?" I demanded.

Robert looked puzzled. "Liv Reed? Who's Liv Reed?"

"Don't play dumb," I retorted, frustration igniting my anger. "Are there no decent men left in the world? Have you betrayed Mom too?"

"Be honest with me—do you have a mistress? Is Liv your secret daughter? How could you betray Mom like this? She supported you when you were struggling, stayed with you through thick and thin!"

"What are you going on about?" My father's expression tightened, his tone unwavering. "Your mother is the only woman I've ever loved! I've only got two children—you and Hudson. Where did you get this idea of an illegitimate daughter from?"

"Bennett's mistress claims she's the daughter of the richest man, Robert Reed! Her birth certificate names you as the head of household!"

"And you're still denying it?"

"Show me the birth certificate, then!"

At my insistence, my father furrowed his brow, then a look of realization crossed his face. "I know who Liv Reed is."

"She's a student I sponsored."

He summoned his secretary, who brought in Liv Reed's files for me to review. Finally, the truth surfaced.

Liv's real name was Liv Henry.

She was a child my father had financially supported for over a decade.

During my father's toughest times, Liv's father, Josiah Kelley, had generously helped him. After Josiah and his wife died in an accident, my father felt morally compelled to support their orphaned daughter.

Upon graduating college, Liv was accepted into the University of Manchester. Being a local resident could offer her greater benefits, from housing to tuition fee waivers. So, Liv asked my father to help her obtain local residency.

My father, treating her almost like family, used his influence to add her name to his household registry.

Liv, deeply moved, insisted on changing her surname and regarded my father as her godfather, wanting to express gratitude for his kindness over the years.

In fact, my father had sponsored many children over the years, and his encounters with Liv were infrequent, hence his initial confusion about her identity.

When I revealed that Liv was the woman Bennett had been involved with, he was so furious that he shattered a costly antique vase worth thousands.

"Dad, they've already tied the knot. Soon, she'll be at your door, wanting to chat about investment opportunities."

My father was livid. "They're dreaming!"

Sure enough, Liv soon called my dad, announcing her marriage and her wish to introduce her husband to him.

I was beside Dad when he took the call, his face pale with anger. Yet he held back his temper: "I'm not your biological father. You should take your husband to pay respects at Josiah's grave, to meet your real father, before coming to see me."

There was a pause on Liv's end before she spoke in a soft, pained voice. "Since my father passed away, you've felt like my real father, my only family."

"Dad..." Her voice was thick with emotion, filled with gratitude and pleading, evoking sympathy.

But my father found it utterly absurd.

Just as he was about to erupt into a furious tirade, I quickly grabbed the phone, putting it on mute to calm him down. "Dad, relax. Don't forget our plan!"

He took several deep breaths, slowly regaining his composure. "Alright, I'll text you the address. You can come with him when you're ready."

Though we were unsure how Liv had convinced Bennett he was meeting her family, spinning such a tale was undeniably audacious.