The nurse's scream pierced my eardrums. Warmth spread between my legs, the scent of disinfectant and blood rushing into my nose.

"Helen!" Ryan shouted.

The examination that followed showed minor bleeding. The fetus was unharmed, but I needed to rest.

Kate sneered from the side. "It was just a slap. Stop pretending to be so delicate."

After I was discharged, Ryan carried me to the car. When the door opened, the strong scent of Kate's perfume filled the air.

A diamond necklace sparkled from an open jewelry box on the passenger seat.

"Sit in the front," Ryan said as he opened the door.

Kate slipped in before I could react, adjusting a down-feather cushion behind her back. "Ryan had this made for my pregnancy back pain. Helen, you don't mind, do you?"

"Kate," Ryan warned in a low voice.

She cradled her belly and frowned. "Don't be harsh with me. You're scaring the baby."

Ryan bent down and gently stroked her belly, saying the fetus could sense emotions.

Seeing this, I closed the door silently and got into the back seat as if I were a piece of luggage.

When we returned to Hurst Villa, Ryan brought me back to the master bedroom. The butler, Jason Garth, came in urgently. "Mr. Hurst, the Davises and the Kleimanns are in the living room."

Ryan frowned. "Rest. I'll take care of it," he assured me.

When shouting erupted downstairs, I stepped outside to listen.

Kate's father, Francis Davis, spoke with a sharp voice. "Ryan Hurst, you owe Kate and the child an explanation! The reputation of the Davis family must not be tarnished!"

My adoptive mother, Maria Treer, looked at me coldly. "Helen, you've disgraced the Kleimann family. Not only are you pregnant with an illegitimate child, but now everyone knows it."

"I'll take responsibility," Ryan said wearily.

"And how will you do that?" Kate's mother, Bella Presley, said with disdain. "Acknowledge Kate's child as your heir. As for Helen's, either get rid of it or raise it as an illegitimate child."

"Enough!" Ryan growled, followed by a long silence.

"Fine," he said hoarsely, as if giving in. "I'll acknowledge Kate's child as my heir."

Then, his voice turned cold. "Helen's child will be raised as an adopted son of the Hurst family."

After the judgment was made, I went back to the bedroom, shut the door, and sat motionless on the bed. My belly still ached faintly.

Ryan came in, kneeled before me, and tried to hold me.

"Why?" I asked hoarsely through tears. "Why does my child have to be the one to suffer?"

"Kate is a socialite. The Davis family is rising quickly in our circles. A scandal would destroy her." Ryan avoided my gaze and held my icy hands. "Besides, through Kate's child, I can control the Davis family."

"So that's what this is all about? A deal?" I cried. "You'd turn my child into an illegitimate child. In that case, don't let him be born. Just abort him. He shouldn't even come into this world."

"No." Ryan stared into my eyes and insisted, "Don't you dare hurt our child. I will not let your child or Kate's go. For now, rest. Don't overthink things. I'll hold onto your phone." With that, he left the room.

Outside, two men in black suits stood guard.

Ryan instructed them, "Watch her. Don't let her leave as she pleases."

Just like that, I was placed under house arrest.

Three months later, the doorbell rang like an alarm one afternoon.

Jason hurried upstairs and announced tensely, "Mr. Hurst just left for the office. The Davis couple and Ms. Kate are here."

I opened the door just a crack.

Down in the living room, the Davis couple stood like vultures surveying their territory.

Kate, with her slightly swollen belly, was directing two burly movers to carry her suitcases up the spiral staircase. She held that velvet cushion in her hand like a flag of triumph.

"Move faster!" she barked impatiently.

My adoptive parents sat nearby, their faces like stone.

Bella glanced up and sneered when she saw me. "Well, look who it is. It's the Kleimann family's adopted daughter, carrying an illegitimate child, who still has the nerve to cling to the title of Mrs. Hurst!"

Francis forced a cough and looked at me with pure disgust. "Enough. Don't pay attention to the filth. Hurry up and settle Kate in. She needs the best environment."

The movers, holding Kate's gowns and jewelry, headed straight for my room.

"See that?" Kate said, walking closer and lowering her voice. "So what if Ryan married you? So what if the child's not his? In his heart, you'll never compare to me. Never."

Her smug smile was blinding.

Then, without warning, Kate slapped herself twice, loud and clear.

Clutching her face, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Footsteps thundered up the stairs before Ryan stormed in wearing a tailored suit, having just returned from the office.

Kate lay crying on the floor, covering her face. "That crazy woman hit me!"

Francis and Bella rushed up after hearing the noise.

"Oh my goodness, Kate!" Bella shrieked as she threw herself at her daughter like a furious lioness. She turned to Ryan and shrieked, "Ryan! Throw that lunatic out right now, or I'm taking Kate home! The Davis family doesn't need this child! Let the Hurst family rot with that illegitimate child!"

All eyes turned to Ryan.

Kate, nestled in her mother's arms, expectantly looked at him through teary eyes.

"I didn't! I didn't hit her!" I pleaded with Ryan.

"I never thought you were such a madwoman," Ryan shouted at me, his voice cold and clear. "That impure blood of yours really is wild and crude!"

He was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "But Helen is still my wife in name. She won't be leaving Hurst Villa."

While Kate's crying abruptly stopped, disbelief written all over her face, Francis' expression darkened.

Ryan turned to Jason. "Clean out the storage room." Then, he turned to me, avoiding my eyes while saying indifferently, "Kate needs a proper space to care for the baby. You'll stay in the storage room for now."

The storage room?

It was on the lowest level of the west wing of the estate. Damp and dark, it was filled with discarded furniture.

I let out a cold laugh but said nothing.

Ryan seemed to want to explain something. "Until you give birth, I'll make sure your life is… tolerable."

"Show me the way," I instructed Jason and turned to walk downstairs without looking back.

The windowless and small storage room was lit only by a dim wall lamp. The air was filled with mildew and dust.

Jason tossed me a thin blanket and a piece of bread that looked like it had been chewed on by rats.

"This is your dinner."

As the door slammed shut, darkness and silence closed in.

I sank to the floor beside a dust-covered oak cabinet, feeling a chill seep into my bones.

Sorrowfully touching my belly, I said in a quiet voice, "My baby, your father and everyone else don't want you in this world. I'm sorry. Baby, you wouldn't want to be born into a loveless home like this either, would you?"

The baby kicked me, as if in response.

I knew I had to abort this child. I couldn't let him be born an "illegitimate child".