Chapter 2
Hugh tenderly kissed the faint scratches marring Sienna’s delicate skin–marks left from her fall. His gaze, usually cold and unreadable, softened with pain as if the mere sight of her injuries broke him. On our bed, the two of them indulged in passion, their bodies entwined beneath the sheets.
Above them, the wedding portrait swayed slightly with the motion. My eyes were fixed on the photo–on the woman I used to be, the one who once gazed at Hugh with all the love in the world. In return, his face, even in that captured moment, was indifferent.
That was when I realized… even a soul could shed tears.
At least Hugh could rest easy now. There was no chance of me ever coming between them again.”
Because I was already dead.
****
When Hugh first came for me, I was so terrified I tried to run. My swollen, eight–months–pregnant belly made it nearly impossible, but I still stumbled forward, desperate. He stood there watching, his arms folded, as I ran aimlessly like a cornered animal. In the end, it was useless–his bodyguards easily caught me and dragged me back.N
Losing patience, Hugh forced me onto the cold seat of the drop tower ride. His hands pinned me down until the thick straps and ropes bound my limbs in place. I screamed and pleaded, my voice cracking as the ride began to lift me higher and higher into the sky.N
I was still screaming when I felt a hot gush of liquid flow down my legs. My water had broken. I sobbed, gasping for breath, begging him–begging my husband–to save our child.”
For a moment, just one fleeting moment, I saw hesitation flicker in his eyes. But before hope could bloom, the soft voice beside him spoke up.
Sienna leaned into his side, her face pale and pitiful. “I thought Ava’s due date wasn’t until next week? But… she does look scared. She even wet herself before the ride went up… Maybe we should just let it go. I’m fine now anyway.“}]
That was all it took. In the next breath, Hugh’s expression twisted with disgust.
“Ava! You’re vile. Using our child just to win my sympathy? Stay up there and think about what you’ve done!“}
***
A hundred yards above the ground, the wind howled, cutting through my thin dress like a blade. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, but the pain twisting in my abdomen was even worse.
The baby was coming.
I thrashed against the ropes, the fibers cutting into my wrists until layers of skin peeled away. Blood dripped down my arms, but I didn’t stop. My fingers clawed desperately at the knots until, somehow, they began to loosen.
The third time the ride shot upward, I gathered every last ounce of strength I had left. And that’s when I heard it–a fragile, kitten–like cry.”
My baby was born, right there in the sky.
I was too weak to hold it, too broken to even see if it was a boy or a girl. Before I could reach out, the ride jolted violently. The tower had reached its peak again.
The next second, it plunged.”
The tiny, fragile body was ripped from my arms. My baby–so small, so helpless–slammed into the unforgiving ground below.
I reached for it, screaming until my throat gave out, but my shredded hands couldn’t catch hold. All I could do was watch as that perfect little life was reduced to nothing but blood and flesh on the cold concrete.
My own blood followed, painting the air crimson, a midsummer snowfall of death.
In that final, agonized scream, my breath gave out.
***
And where was Hugh??
He was nowhere near me. Instead, he’d gathered the city’s best doctors–not for me, not for our child, but for Sienna. All because he didn’t want a shallow scratch on her arm to leave a scar.
He brought her fresh roses, carefully selected from a florist who imported them from halfway across the world. He even secured a one–of–a–kind designer necklace, placing it gently in her hands to comfort her fragile nerves.
When someone tried to report what had happened to me, Hugh cut them off without hesitation.
‘Even if she’s dead, she brought it upon herself,” he said, without a trace of emotion.
“In two days, it’ll be her due date. I’ll bring Ava over to apologize to you,” Hugh said, his fingers lazily stroking Sienna’s hair as she curled up in his lap.
Sienna traced light circles on his chest with her delicate fingers, her head resting softly against him.
“Maybe we should just forget it,” she whispered, her voice soft and filled with guilt. “I believe Ava didn’t mean to do it. In the end, it’s my fault–I shouldn’t have come back. But… I just wanted to be by your side. I never wanted to cause trouble between you two.”
Hugh caught her wandering hand, his voice unbearably tender.
“Sienna, you’ve saved my life. Just for that, I’ll protect you until the day I die.”
