"Kaelith, when did you become so cruel?"

For the next two months, Cassian had taken meticulous care of me, comforting me and promising he would give me many, many more children.

He had brought me to a private island named Obsidian Isle to clear my mind.

Strangely, his other five friends and Sabine had joined us. I had felt deeply uncomfortable at the time, but Cassian still insisted they come along.

That entire week, I fell asleep early every night, yet the next morning I was always so exhausted I could barely get out of bed. My body felt torn apart, as if it had been ripped to pieces.

Each time, Cassian admitted he couldn’t control himself while I was asleep…

Only today did I learn the ugly truth.

Compared to that, the man who kidnapped me yesterday didn’t seem so terrible after all.

I took out the business card he had given me and called the number. "Are you absolutely sure the child I’m carrying belongs to Adric Vale, the underground king?"

The secretary on the other end, Lennox Hale, was extremely certain and even sent me the fetal genetic test report.

"All three babies belong to President Vale. He has a hereditary condition that makes it nearly impossible for him to have children. For him to have heirs is truly heaven’s blessing. Miss Kaelith, you must keep them…"

My mind was in complete turmoil.

At that moment, the front door opened. Cassian had returned, and Sabine was with him.

Ever since his younger brother, Pluto Thorne, died unexpectedly, Cassian had brought Sabine into our home. He said she was family and that he would take care of her for the rest of her life.

I had looked at their hands, still clasped together, and a dull ache spread through my chest.

I should have known long ago that something was wrong between them. I had just been lying to myself.

Cassian released her hand and reached for me. "Honey, why aren’t you asleep yet? Didn’t the doctor say you need plenty of rest?"

I gagged instinctively. It was revolting to think that the same hand had just been under Sabine’s skirt.

"Don’t touch me."

Cassian frowned. "Honey, what’s wrong?"

Before I could answer, Sabine suddenly brightened. "Kaelith, you’re gagging. Are you pregnant again?"

"Pregnant?" Cassian sounded excited, too. "The timing would make sense. Honey, go rest. Tomorrow we’ll go to the hospital together for a checkup. I’ll tuck Sabine in first and come back to keep you company."

He led Sabine by the hand and closed the bedroom door next to mine.

A sharp pain pierced through my chest.

Ever since Pluto died, Sabine claimed she had nightmares every night and couldn’t sleep without Cassian beside her. He ended up dividing himself between two bedrooms.

He had told me, "It’s only temporary. Once Sabine gets through this difficult time, I’ll be yours and yours alone again."

An hour turned into two, until eventually he stopped returning to our room at all.

When I protested, he had said, "She’s a woman too. How can you have so little compassion?"

Now I stood outside their door, hearing Sabine’s soft moans.

"Cass, how many babies do you think Kaelith is carrying? And whose are they? I’m so curious."

Cassian panted heavily. "No matter how many, and no matter whose they are, they won’t be kept. Sabine, you know I staged all of this to avenge that slap she gave you. I did it for you."

"You’re so good to me, Cass. When will I finally get pregnant with your child? I’m so jealous of her."

"Jealous of what? When the time comes to abort those babies, I’ll have the doctor remove her uterus, too. That should put your mind at ease. Thorne babies can only come from your womb."

I stood outside the door, frozen to the bone, holding the phone that had never been hung up.

"Tell Mr. Vale I agree to keep the children."

That night, Cassian did not return to the bedroom.

At dawn, Sabine pushed open my door, her body covered in red marks. She deliberately lifted her skirt in front of me.

"Kaelith, is he that rough with you, too?"

"Look at me. My whole body hurts, especially my inner thighs. It hurts so much I don’t even want to walk."

Cassian walked in carrying two glasses of milk, handing one to me and one to Sabine. "Drink up. We’re going to the hospital together afterward."

Sabine tilted her head. "If Kaelith is getting checked, why do I have to go?"

Cassian flicked her nose. "Dummy, counting the dates, you should be about ready, too. I promised I’d give you a Thorne child as well."

They behaved shamelessly in front of me, completely uninhibited.

I rose silently without touching the milk. Cassian looked displeased and lifted the glass, trying to force it to my lips.

"What are you sulking about now? I didn’t come back last night because Sabine kept having nightmares. You know she lost Pluto. I…"

As I struggled, the entire glass of milk splashed across Cassian. His fists clenched as he fought to restrain himself.

Sabine screamed and scrambled around looking for tissues. "Kaelith, how can you be so violent? Cassian was only worried about me. If you need to vent your anger, take it out on me. He’s only doing this for my sake!"

So it was all for her.

My eyes burned as I glared at them, about to explode, then I suddenly remembered Lennox’s warning.

Adric would not return from abroad for three more days. Until then, for the children’s sake, I couldn’t afford to provoke them.

Seeing that I had fallen silent, Cassian studied me suspiciously for several moments before dragging both Sabine and me to the hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Cassian’s five friends were craning their necks. They crowded around me. "Kaelith, hurry in. I can’t wait to know the results."

"Same here, same here."

Their gazes stripped over me nakedly, as if they wanted to tear my clothes off on the spot. Rage and humiliation surged through me.

However, I couldn’t react. I had to endure.

An hour later, the results came out. As expected, Cassian’s friends hid in the stairwell, buzzing with excitement.

"Three. It really is three."

"I won, hahaha! Everyone owes me $50 million. Pay up!"

"Three babies… Kaelith really does have incredible fertility."

Cassian, however, looked disappointed. He stared at my ultrasound report, his expression dark and unreadable.

At that moment, Sabine walked over, clutching her own report.

"Cassian, I’m pregnant too. Look, I'm four weeks along. Almost the same time as Kaelith." Then she cast him a pitiful glance. "My God, how could Kaelith get pregnant with three babies at once? Her body must be incredible. Unlike useless me, who can only carry one for you. I’ll never measure up to her. Never."

Cassian pulled her into his arms. "It’s not about quantity. No matter how many there are, if they’re not mine, I won’t keep them. Sabine, I can finally face Pluto now. You must take good care of yourself and give birth to the first heir of the Thornes as soon as possible."

Cassian stepped out of the stairwell, looking at my stomach with pure disgust. "Abort them, Kaelith. Sabine is pregnant now. Let her give birth first. Pluto is already dead…"

Yes. He was dead. Pluto had been gone for a year. Everyone knew whose child she was carrying. No one had simply torn away the thin veil of pretense.

I stared straight into Cassian’s eyes. "What about these three children? You don’t want them?"

Cassian said, "Later, I’ll focus on giving you a child, all right?"

"Fine. Then schedule the abortion for me."

An abortion appointment would take at least a week.

'Adric Vale, if you truly care about these children, come at the agreed time.'

I agreed to the abortion, yet Cassian seemed unexpectedly dissatisfied.

"You actually agree to it? Don’t you love children more than anything? When the last one didn’t make it, you cried like you wanted to die. Why are you giving these three up so easily?"

His friends were reluctant, too.

"Kaelith, keep them. Triplets are so rare."

"Exactly. Cassian doesn’t have time to take care of you, but we will. Don’t worry, we’ll treat you far more gently than he does."

"Yeah. Kaelith, why don’t you move into my place? I’ll take care of you personally 24 hours a day."

"Shut up!" Cassian roared, "All of you shut the hell up. Kaelith is my wife. The child in her womb is mine. What right do you have to take care of her? Say one more word, and I’ll make you disappear from Harbor City."

The five men sulked in silence.

Cassian quickly scheduled the abortion.

The doctor asked, "Three? You’re really going to terminate all of them? What a pity."

Cassian nodded firmly. "Not only are the three babies being aborted, but her uterus will be removed as well. She’ll never need to have children again in this lifetime."

"Then, Mr. Thorne, you…"

"I already have Sabine’s child. I won’t allow any other children to threaten his position as heir. Do as I say. Terminate the pregnancy and remove her uterus according to plan."

My nails dug into my palms. I clenched my teeth to keep the tears from falling.

Seven days remained until the procedure.

Six days left. I threw away all my personal belongings in the house and burned every photo of Cassian and me together.

Cassian was too busy taking care of Sabine to notice anything.

Four days left. It was the day Adric was supposed to arrive, yet neither he nor Lennox answered their phones.

I had no choice but to rely on myself, gathering pieces of evidence of Cassian’s crimes one by one. I knew that as an orphan, even with proof, I wouldn’t stand a chance against Cassian.

Two days left. Adric’s phone was still unreachable. I had to prepare for the worst.

Two days later, Cassian personally took me to the hospital.

"Don’t worry. The babies are still small. It’s a minor procedure. You’ll recover quickly. We’ll have children in the future."

His concerned expression made it hard to imagine he was the same man who had viciously ordered my uterus removed.

Just as the doctor was about to wheel me into the operating room, Sabine suddenly appeared with Cassian’s five friends. They deliberately avoided me and pulled Cassian into the stairwell.

Sabine, however, sent me a livestream video directly.

"Cassian, why not hold off on the abortion for now? Aren’t you curious whose child Kaelith is actually carrying?"

"Yeah. Since she’s already pregnant, let’s make another bet—this time for $100 million. Five men, three babies."

"That guarantees three winners and two losers. Just thinking about it is thrilling. It’s only a few extra days for another test. What’s the rush?"

"Who knows? Maybe all three damn kids are mine, hahaha!"

Cassian hesitated, but Sabine kept urging him on.

"Cass, just agree to it. If we’re going to play, we should play big. Once the test shows the babies aren’t yours, you’ll have leverage over Kaelith forever. She won’t be able to clear her name even if she jumps into the river. She’ll never dare leave you again."

The livestream cut off, replaced by a message from Sabine mocking me, "Did you see that? You’re just their toy. Whether it’s the Thornes or Cassian, the only child they’ll acknowledge is the one in my belly—the sole heir.

"Once the test results for the babies inside you come out, your children will disappear completely. And so will you."

As if sensing the threat, my abdomen suddenly twisted with sharp pain. Having experienced a miscarriage before, a terrible premonition flooded me.

In my dazed state, I heard people whispering nearby.

"A man covered in blood just came into the hospital. It’s terrifying."

"He looked frantic, saying he was searching for a pregnant woman."

"Oh my God… isn’t that Adric Vale, the underground king who can end a life with a flick of his finger?"