​"No! I can't! I won't have an abortion!" Elena Vance reflexively refused, the doctor's warning echoing in her mind: an abortion in her weakened state would leave her permanently infertile.

​As soon as the words left her mouth, a heavy ceramic teacup flew across the room, striking Elena's forehead. The skin split instantly. Blood mixed with scalding tea, trailing down her pale cheek in a gruesome streak. Already frail from years of forced blood draws, the impact sent her collapsing onto the carpet.

​"...Cillian Thorne? Why did you bring me here? What does my pregnancy have to do with you?" Elena's voice was hoarse with desperation. She remembered her cousin mentioning that Cillian was the "Emperor of the Capital" and was set to marry into the Vance family. But because Cillian was wheelchair-bound and her sister was already involved with Jackson Reed, the family had been in an uproar.

​Cillian stared at her, his gaze like a predatory animal. "Mrs. Thorne, you've been running from our wedding for a month. It was quite a challenge to track you down."

​"And yet, you've spent that month carrying a bastard in your belly," he added, his voice devoid of any warmth. He flicked the medical report at her face. The sharp paper edges left red marks on her skin, joining the blood from her forehead.

​A terrifying realization washed over Elena. The Vance family, unwilling to sacrifice their favored daughter to a "disabled" man, must have used Elena as a substitute. Cillian believed she had fled the wedding because she was already pregnant by another man.

​The Devil's Mercy

​"Don't you have anything to say?" Cillian asked coldly. "Or do you want to head straight to the operating table?"

​Elena bit her lip until it bled. She was trapped. Cillian suddenly barked, "Come here!"

​Terrified, Elena approached him. Despite being in a wheelchair, Cillian's presence felt like a mountain looming over her. Suddenly, he reached out and jerked her into his lap. The faint, sweet scent of her skin stirred a flicker of familiarity in him-it was so similar to the woman from that night. But he dismissed it instantly. That girl had been innocent; Elena, according to the rumors, was a "vulgar social climber."

​He gripped her chin so hard she could barely breathe. "If you get rid of the child, maybe I'll keep you around as a pet," he whispered cruelly.

​"I won't do it... I can't," Elena sobbed. "The surgery will kill me!"

​Cillian scoffed, "You don't have much longer to live anyway." He turned toward the door. "Philip Woods! Prepare the OB-GYN unit. I want the procedure done immediately."

​The Operating Room

​Elena was dragged from the room and forced into a black car. At the hospital, she was surrounded by bodyguards and shoved onto a cold, metallic operating table. The sterile smell and the bright lights triggered her deepest traumas the years she spent being bled dry for her sister.

​Under Cillian's orders, her hands and feet were bound. A cloth was stuffed into her mouth to silence her screams. She could only watch through a blur of tears as Cillian wheeled himself into the corner of the room to watch the procedure personally. He was a monster, far more ruthless than any Vance she had ever known.

​"Prepare for the ultrasound and the anesthesia," the doctor commanded. "Followed by a full curettage."

​Elena shook her head frantically, her eyes pleading with Cillian for mercy. He remained a statue of ice. As the anesthesiologist approached with a long needle, Elena let out a muffled scream. She knew that if she went under, with her current health, she might never wake up again.

​The needle pierced her skin, and the world began to tilt into darkness.

"Wait, don't administer the anesthesia yet!" The ultrasound technician suddenly spoke, her expression grave. Every head in the operating room turned. "There seems to be something in her uterus."

​The head surgeon and the anesthesiologist exchanged a tense look. The syringe was immediately withdrawn. After checking the monitor, the surgeon confirmed, "There is indeed a small shadow!"

​Elena Vance was in tears, her heart racing with a mix of terror and a sliver of hope. She nodded frantically, her eyes pleading. Because of the years spent as a human blood bank for her sister, her body was fragile and irregular. If they cut into her now, she knew she wouldn't survive the table.

​The head surgeon walked over to Cillian Thorne. "Mr. Thorne, there is an unknown shadow in this young lady's uterus. If we force the surgery, it will involve other blood vessels. It would be extremely dangerous."

​"So?" Cillian asked, his fingers tapping slowly on the armrest of his wheelchair. The sound was rhythmic and intimidating. "If we do the surgery, will she die?"

​The surgeon hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."

​Cillian's powerful aura turned glacial. He glanced at the trembling Elena with utter indifference. "Continue the surgery. If she can't make it through, she can only blame her bad luck."

​Elena shivered. His voice was a death sentence. The rumors were true: Cillian Thorne was a demon who viewed human life as a mere statistic. She was being sacrificed for a sister who didn't love her, to a man who wanted her dead.

​"Mr. Thorne, are you sure?" the surgeon asked, his voice shaking. "What if someone dies..."

​"Our family can afford the life of one woman," Cillian replied. "Daring to marry into the Thorne family while carrying a bastard child? She should have been prepared for the consequences."

​The Reprieve

​Knock, knock, knock!

​The door flew open. Philip Woods shouted from the hallway, "Young Master Cillian, Madam is here! She is right outside and demands to see you."

​Cillian frowned. Why was his mother here? He gestured to the doctors. "Hold the surgery for a moment."

​Outside in the hallway, his mother's face was stern. "Cillian, Elena Vance cannot die yet. Don't be impulsive."

​"She's pregnant with a bastard, Mother. Are you aware of that?"

​"Even so, we need her alive," she hissed. "The Vance family gave us the item, but we can't unlock it without them. That chip has a password, and Jason Vance is holding back. He's afraid you'll take the technology and abandon his daughter."

​She sighed, her eyes cold. "He said that in three months, if you and Elena are 'on good terms,' he will provide the password. Just bear with her for now. Treat her like a toy, a dog the Thorne family can afford to feed one more mouth. Once we have the code, you can kick her out."

​The New Nightmare

​Inside the operating room, Elena was suddenly untied. Instead of being operated on, she was hauled back to the Thorne estate. Servants scrubbed her body, dressed her in revealing, provocative clothes, and applied heavy makeup. Still dazed from the small dose of anesthetic, Elena felt like a doll being prepped for a shelf.

​She was soon stuffed into the back of Cillian's luxury limousine. The space felt cramped under the weight of his presence. He sat with his eyes closed, seemingly napping.

​"Elena Vance, what are you and your father plotting?" Cillian's eyes snapped open, meeting hers with aggressive intensity.

​"W-what?" Elena stammered. As she moved, the sweet fragrance of her skin filled the car. It was that same scent-the one from the night Cillian had been drugged. His irritation flared. How could a "shameless" woman like Elena have the same scent as the innocent girl he was looking for?

​He leaned closer, trapping her against the car window. Elena instinctively closed her eyes, her breath hitching. For a second, his aura reminded her of the man from the hotel strong, overwhelming, and possessive.

​If Cillian was the father... she thought, then immediately dismissed it. The man from that night had been athletic and powerful. How could it be Cillian, whose legs were paralyzed?

​Cillian saw her closed eyes and mocked her. "You don't actually think I'm going to kiss you, do you?"

​Elena opened her eyes, blushing with shame. Cillian's tone suddenly turned hauntingly gentle, though his eyes remained like knives.

​"Today is our wedding day, a joyous occasion. As your husband, I feel I should fulfill your wish."

​Elena's heart sank to her stomach. Fulfill her wish? What kind of twisted "celebration" did a demon like Cillian Thorne have in mind?

The car pulled up in front of "Nightfall," the most notorious money pit in the capital. Here, only the elite and the depraved could afford to play.

​"Where is she?" Cillian Thorne asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Sir, they are in Room 666 on the third floor," Philip Woods replied, adjusting his glasses nervously.

"Take her up," Cillian ordered.

​Two bodyguards seized Elena Vance and hauled her to the third floor. When the doors to the suite swung open, a thick, nauseating cloud of cigar smoke and expensive liquor hit her. In her early pregnancy, Elena's stomach churned violently. She fought the urge to vomit, only to be shoved forward straight into the arms of a repulsive old man.

​"Mr. Griffin, I've brought you a new plaything," Cillian said softly, leaning back in his wheelchair. "Why don't you take her to the back room for some fun?"

​Elena froze, staring at Cillian in pure horror. Was he insane? The man holding her, Mr. Griffin, was a balding, pot-bellied predator with yellowed teeth and greasy hands. He had been ready to strike Elena for bumping into him, but seeing her beauty, a lecherous grin spread across his face.

​"Mr. Thorne, such generosity?" Griffin chuckled.

"Indeed," Cillian smirked. "I'm sure you haven't played with a woman like this before."

​Griffin didn't need to be told twice. He dragged a struggling Elena toward the resting quarters and slammed the door, locking it. Cillian sat in the main room, listening. But as the muffled sounds of a struggle began, he felt a sharp, inexplicable irritation. Was it that familiar sweet scent again? He took a drink, trying to drown out the strange tightening in his chest.

​The Great Escape

​Bang!

"AAAHHH!"

​A piercing scream erupted from the back room. Cillian's eyes snapped toward the door. "Philip, go see what's happening. Don't let them kill her."

​The bodyguards kicked the door down and rushed in. Moments later, Philip returned, looking pale. "Mr. Thorne... she's gone. The madam escaped!"

​Cillian propelled his wheelchair forward into the room. The window was wide open. They were on the third floor, and she was pregnant yet she had jumped. A flicker of reluctant admiration crossed his cold face.

​On the bed, Mr. Griffin was curled in a fetal position, clutching his crotch and howling in agony. "Cillian Thorne! You set me up! You did this on purpose!"

​Cillian's expression shifted to one of mock pity. "Mr. Griffin, that woman is my nephew Jackson Reed's lover. She's carrying his child. You dared to touch her? I'm afraid I can't protect you from his wrath."

​Griffin's face turned purple. "What?"

​"I wanted to mediate our land dispute," Cillian shrugged, "but you couldn't restrain yourself. Philip, did we record the 'assault'?"

"Every second of it, sir."

"Good. See you in court tomorrow, Mr. Griffin."

​The Trap is Set

​As they left the club, Philip whispered, "Sir, should I send the men to find her? In her condition, she won't get far."

​"No need," Cillian said, his voice like dry ice. "She helped me secure that land in Hexi. Consider this her night of freedom. However... I expect her to crawl back to me and beg for forgiveness by dawn."

​Meanwhile, Elena was hiding behind a dumpster, trembling. Once Cillian's car disappeared, she hailed a taxi with the last of her pocket change, eventually switching to the subway to save money. She spent the night huddled under a bridge. a survival skill she had perfected over the last month.

​At dawn, she sold some scrap cardboard for a few coins and headed to a phone booth near the train station. She needed to reach her uncle and flee to the countryside to find her grandmother.

​When her uncle answered, his voice was uncharacteristically joyful. "Elena! Where are you? Why haven't you come to see us at the hospital?"

​Elena's heart skipped a beat. "Uncle... what are you talking about?"

​"Don't be modest! We know you're married to that powerful Mr. Thorne. If he hadn't brought the whole family including your grandmother to the capital for medical treatment, we would have missed the news! He's been so generous to us!"

​Elena's pupils constricted. A violent shiver ran through her soul. Cillian hadn't just captured her; he had taken her entire family hostage.