For the next couple of days, Laura would receive provocative photos from Jessica almost every day.

In the photos, James was playing with his daughter, and he had a gentle look in his eyes. As for Jessica, she would lean against his shoulder with a sweet smile on her face.

Laura flicked through the photos with trembling fingers.

There were photos of James sitting by Jessica's bed in the middle of the night, of James feeding her, and of James carrying their child with the gentlest look ever in his eyes.

Every single photo made Laura's heart ache.

But as time progressed, Laura suddenly realized that her heart didn't ache anymore.

Perhaps, she was completely disappointed with James the moment she was locked in that cold storage.

Just when she was about to blacklist Jessica, her phone vibrated again.

It was another photo.

Jessica was playing with the bracelet that Laura's mother had left her.

"Do you want the bracelet that your mom left you? Come alone if you want it back."

Laura immediately stood up. The sudden movement caused her to almost black out, but she didn't really care. She grabbed her coat and rushed out of the room.

Inside the VIP ward, Jessica was carrying the baby in her hands and was humming a song. "Who's Daddy's most beloved baby? Daddy's going to come see us every day..."

When she raised her head and saw Laura, the smile on her face became wider. "Laura, you're here. There's something I want to tell you. During the days that I've been hospitalized, James didn't even go to work. He just stayed here with my daughter and me."

Laura clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into the palms of her hands. She didn't want to hear anything that Jessica was saying. "Where's my bracelet?"

Jessica slowly picked the bracelet up from the side of her pillow and waved it gently. "You mean this bracelet?"

She curved her lips into a cruel smile. "How about this? I'll give you this bracelet back if you get on your knees and beg me."

Laura trembled in anger. "Don't go too far."

"So what if I did?" Jessica's eyes were full of disdain. "You're just a fish seller, Laura, and I am the heiress of the Rane Group and the future daughter-in-law of the Lawson family! Do you think you're worthy to be my equal? Get on your knees and beg me to give you this bracelet back! It's the least you can do!"

She pretended to throw the bracelet away. "I'm going to count to three. If you don't get on your knees, then I'll throw this out the window! One... Two..."

Laura bit her lip, her eyes turned red as she went to her knees.

She begged Jessica to give her the bracelet back.

Jessica laughed. "The way you look right now is so pitiful."

She stood up and looked down at Laura. "However, there's no way that I'll give you this bracelet back."

With that said, she raised her hand and threw the bracelet out the window.

Laura's whole body was trembling. She was just about to go after the bracelet when the ward door was suddenly pushed open.

James and his parents were standing at the door, all with dark looks on their faces.

"What are you doing?" John asked in a sharp voice.

Jessica's face changed instantly as she cried in James's arms, "James! I don't know what's got into her. She suddenly barged into the ward and started beating and strangling the baby..."

She unbuttoned the baby's clothes and a couple of bruises could be clearly seen.

Laura couldn't believe what she was seeing. "It wasn't me!"

She shook her head in horror as John walked towards her angrily.

Slap!

John had slapped her and it made her feel like the whole world was spinning. Her head was ringing and there was blood at the corner of her mouth.

"How can you be so ruthless as to hurt a baby?" John's voice sounded like it was from a distance.

Sophia said coldly, "Looks like you haven't learnt your lesson the last time. Someone, get this bitch out of here and whip her 20 times!"

James clenched his fists and took a step forward. "Mom..."

"Are you still going to protect her?" Sophia interrupted. "Who she hurt was your own daughter! Even if you're going to abandon her at the old residence and leave with Laura, she's still your own flesh and blood!"

Laura was trembling all over. She instinctively looked at James.

He was still standing there. He was clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

He looked at her and there was an obvious struggle in his eyes. He looked as if he was in pain at first, but then he gradually calmed down.

He slowly turned his head away.

Laura looked at James in a daze. She felt as if someone had ripped her heart in pieces.

But the next second, her lips slowly curved into a smile and she laughed.

She was laughing at herself for being such a fool and actually believed that James was going to take her away.

She was also laughing at herself for actually believing that James would put his promises to her before his own flesh and blood, and hoping that he was still choosing her at such a critical moment.

Laura was dragged to the open corridor of the hospital. The bodyguards pinned her down on her knees.

When the first whip landed on her, the pain caused her to almost black out. She remembered when the Lawson family did all they could to separate her and James.

She broke up with James with red eyes. It was raining heavily that night, but James stood outside her house for an entire night. The next day, he started burning up with a fever and nearly had pneumonia.

When she went to check on him, he was in a daze, but he still grabbed her hand and said, "Keep this in mind, Laura. You're the only person I love, even if the whole world is against us."

When the second whip landed on Laura, she bit her lip. She could taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

She remembered the day when James went on the next flight home just because she sent him a message saying she missed him.

Laura was whipped time after time. Every whip made her heart ache way more than the actual pain on her back.

When the 15th whip landed, she seemed to have heard James asking her what happened and wanted to check on her.

By the 19th whip, the pain caused Laura to almost lose consciousness.

She felt as if someone was calling her name, but she couldn't tell if she was hearing things or if someone was actually calling her name.

By the 20th whip, Laura blacked out and lost consciousness.

When Laura woke up again, she was lying on a hospital bed. Her back was burning.

"Laura!" James immediately came to the side of the bed. His eyes were bloodshot. "You're awake! Does it still hurt?"

Seeing how worried James was, Laura was a little dazed.

In the past, whenever she had a fever, he stayed beside her just like now.

But now, she didn't have a fever, but was ordered to be whipped by James's parents, and as for James, he just stood and watched.

She pulled her hand back and wasn't willing to look at James again.

James was stunned by Laura's actions.

He explained, "Laura, it's not that I don't want to speak up for you. It's just that if I spoke up back then, they would only give you a harsher punishment..."

"So you think it was me who hurt that baby as well?" Laura's voice was hoarse.

James swallowed. In the end, he chose to remain silent.

Such a reaction caused Laura's heart to ache even more. It was as if someone was driving a blunt knife into her heart.

She looked at him with red, teary eyes. "I've only got one question for you. Do you believe me or not?"

James furrowed his brows. There was a trace of anger in his voice that he himself didn't even notice. "Laura, the evidence was right there in front of me. How do you expect me to believe you? Didn't I tell you to give me a little more time? Why did you have to make a scene?"

Tears suddenly started trickling down Laura's face.

She thought the pain couldn't get any worse, but she was wrong.

She quickly turned around to prevent James from seeing the state she was in.

"You'd better leave." Laura's voice was so quiet that James could hardly hear her.

"Please just give me a little more time, alright?" James's voice softened. "Things will soon go back to the way they used to be."

'The way they used to be?' Laura closed her eyes. 'Do you really think that's possible?'

James now had Jessica and two children.

He had chosen to hurt Laura time after time for them.

Laura turned around slowly so that she had her back to James. She didn't want to say a single word to him.

James gently caressed her hair. "Get some rest. I'll be right here by your side."

Before James could say anything else, a nurse rushed into the ward in a panic. "Mr. Lawson! Miss Rane is crying and saying that she wants to see you..."

James furrowed his brows and hesitated for a while before finally standing up. "I'll be right back, Laura."

But he never came back to the ward after he had left.

The day that Laura was discharged from the hospital, it was raining heavily. Laura stood at the hospital entrance and looked at James driving slowly towards her.

As soon as she opened the passenger seat door, she saw Jessica sitting there with the baby in her arms.

"James..." Jessica looked at her and immediately nudged towards James. "I... I'm still scared of her from what happened last time..."

Her eyes were red, and her voice was trembling. "She can hurt me, but not the child. Can you... give me a little more time? I don't want to be in the same car as her."

Laura stood in the rain, trembling.

James remained silent for a while. Then, he passed Laura an umbrella. "Wait here for me, Laura. I'll be back to pick you up soon."

With that said, he closed the window, and the car drove into the distance.

Laura stood where she was and watched as the car disappeared into the distance.

She closed her eyes. Deep down, she felt an emptiness that she had never felt before.

She waited outside the hospital for an entire day, but the car that had promised to return to pick her up never returned.

Laura called James time after time, but he never answered.

As the sky became darker, the rain also became heavier.

She had no choice but to walk home using the umbrella to shield her from the heavy rain.

The strong wind almost broke the umbrella, causing Laura to stumble. She then suddenly slipped and fell into a puddle.

The umbrella landed on the ground with a loud crack and broke. The rain immediately soaked Laura.

When she finally arrived home, it was already the middle of the night.

She stood soaked in the foyer, but heard Jessica's cries coming from the living room. "James, I know you like Laura, but these are special circumstances right now..."

Her voice was soft and trembling. "I have a plugged duct, and it really hurts. The baby needs milk..."

She sobbed. "Please, do it for the baby. Help me... Don't worry. Laura will never know..."

Laura froze when she heard those words. The blood seemed to have stopped flowing through her veins.

James had his back to the door, so Laura couldn't see the look on his face. All she could see was his tense figure.

After a long silence, Laura saw James slowly raise his left hand and unbutton Jessica's clothes. He raised his hand to touch her soft skin and then began lowering his head.

Laura stood frozen where she was, as if struck by lightning.

She watched as James leaned in and sucked Jessica's nipple.

Time seemed to have slowed down. Every second that passed made her heart ache.

A while later, Jessica moaned coquettishly and placed her hand on James's head. "I want some help with the other side as well..."

James frowned. "I thought the other side was alright."

Jessica didn't say anything else. She just wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face towards her other breast.

After a short pause, James lowered his head again.

Laura couldn't stand the sight anymore. She turned on her heels and rushed out of the house.

The heavy rain soaked her from head to toe, but she didn't feel cold at all.

All she could think of was their first night together. James held her in his arms like she was his most precious treasure.

His voice was hoarse as he said, "Laura, you're my first woman and will also be my last..."

But now, he was kissing another woman.

The pain was excruciating and caused her to bend down.

Laura felt like someone was ripping her heart apart from the inside out.

'James Lawson, you've not kept any of your promises. Since that's the case, then why did you have to barge into my life and mess everything up?' Laura exclaimed inwardly.

She wrapped her arms around her legs as she squatted in the rain, and her legs gradually became numb.

She only headed back into the villa after all the lights inside were switched off.

In the middle of the night, she suddenly started burning up with a fever.

Whilst being half-conscious, Laura seemed to have heard James's gentle voice from next door. "Be good, sweetheart. Let Daddy tell you a bedtime story..."

It was obvious that he was talking to the child in Jessica's womb.

What James was doing was exactly like what he had promised Laura, but he wasn't telling Laura's baby stories right now; he was telling stories to Jessica's baby.

After what seemed like forever, Laura felt that someone was calling her name.

"Laura? Laura?"

Laura slowly opened her eyes and saw James sitting on the side of the bed with some medicine in his hands.

She then closed her eyes and refused to look at James.

"I'll leave the meds and water here, Laura." There was a short pause. "Jessica's pregnant, and there's also a baby that she has to take care of. You'd... better stay in your room for the next couple of days so that you don't pass it on to them. Your door will be locked, and the servants will bring you food or whatever you need."

With that said, James turned to leave before Laura could say anything else. He left the room and went to take care of Jessica and their children.

When Laura heard the clicking of the door, she suddenly laughed.

She gradually laughed louder and louder, but in the end, the laughter turned into a heart-wrenching cry.

Everything felt like a total joke.

She used to be his most cherished treasure, but now he locked her up as if she were some kind of dangerous virus.

For the next couple of days, no one brought Laura any food or water. The servants had probably received orders from Jessica to do so.

Laura's fever didn't break at all. She could only lie on the bed, feeling dazed. She could hear the laughter and happiness on the other side of the door.

James and Jessica were watching a film. It was the same film that he had watched with Laura countless times.

The two of them were having a candlelight dinner. In the past, James would personally cook something for Laura once every month to give her a surprise.

The two of them had even begun to discuss the name of their future child, just like how James would hold Laura in his arms in the past and say gently in her ear, "Laura, if we have a son in the future, let's call him Jake Lawson, if we have a daughter, then let's call her Lauren Lawson. If it's a boy, then the first letter of his name will be J, and if it's a girl, then the first letter of her name will be L."

But now, James was naming Jessica's child Jack Lawson. Both of their names began with J, so Jack was a perfect name for their child.

Laura lay curled up in bed and was biting the cover so that she wouldn't cry out loud.