As Zheng collapsed, groaning and clutching his heart, Seraphina glanced at the locked gates. There was no way out. She scrambled into the house behind her, grabbed a blanket from a sofa to wrap around herself, and dashed into the kitchen.

"You bitch! Doing things the hard way, I see! Let's see where you can run!"

Zheng recovered his breath, his eyes murderous as he chased after her. But the moment he burst through the kitchen door, he was nearly decapitated by a flying meat cleaver.

His pupils shrank as he jerked his head back. Though the blade only left a shallow red line on his neck, his clothes were instantly drenched in cold sweat. He looked up in shock at Seraphina. She stood wrapped in the blanket, holding a second knife with both hands, her gaze unshakable.

There was no fear on her face. Seeing that she had missed, she immediately pulled the knife back and pressed it against her own throat.

"Give me the phone, or I die right here."

Zheng looked at the beads of blood forming on her neck. With a dark face, he handed over the phone.

Holding the knife to her throat with one hand, she quickly dialed Ethan’s number with the other. The moment the call connected, she spoke.

"Ethan, I’m pregnant. It's yours."

When there was no response, panic flared. She wasn't afraid of death, but she refused to die this way—humiliated beneath a man like Zheng.

Finally, for the first time, Seraphina bowed her head to Ethan Cross.

"Ethan, I was wrong. I can explain everything. I’m begging you... don't leave me with Zheng. Take me home, please?"

A rustling sound came from the other end. As the audio became clearer, Seraphina’s last spark of hope vanished into total despair.

"Ethan... stop... I can't take anymore..."

Ethan’s voice wasn't as sharp as usual; it was breathless and muffled, punctuated by low groans.

"Give me a child."

"No... my father would kill me."

"Sweetheart, I’ll work until your father accepts me. I won't let anyone but you carry my child."

Eva let out a high-pitched, seductive moan.

"Okay, Ethan... give it to me. I’ll have your baby. A mouth like mine and eyes like yours."

The sounds of intimacy became unmistakable and intense. Seraphina listened, numb, until the call was disconnected.

Zheng looked at her face as it drained of color and let out a mocking laugh. He took advantage of her dazed state to snatch the knife away, then raised his foot and kicked her hard in the stomach.

Chapter 11

Seraphina fell to the floor, a piercing scream escaping her lips as she clutched her lower abdomen. She was a wreck, drenched in cold sweat and looking as though she had just been dragged from the depths of a river.

Zheng stood over her, looking down with a predatory gaze.

"Ethan Cross’s woman? Pregnant? Little Sera, that’s not being a good girl. Let Uncle show you how we punish bad girls who tell lies."

The next morning, Ethan sat up in bed, clutching a head that felt as though it were splitting open.

To his fury, the woman in his dreams last night had still been Seraphina. He loathed his own weakness—hated that he was being held in a death grip by a woman who did nothing but hurt him. In the dream, he had even begged Seraphina to bear him a child.

Ethan realized with a sense of helplessness that just thinking about the dream caused his body to betray him with a renewed surge of desire.

Just as he was about to get out of bed for a cold shower, a familiar female voice rang out.

"Ethan, you were so feral last night. My back feels like it’s going to break."

A slender arm draped across his chest. The sugary, sweet voice sent a jolt of pure shock through Ethan, making his scalp go numb. He turned his head in disbelief to see Eva, naked and nestled in his bed. Ethan froze, completely stunned.

"What are you doing here? I told you, I didn't want to... not until we were married."

Eva’s face flushed a deep red. She pressed herself against his chest, acting coy. "Ethan, I know. I know you respect me. But I wanted this. It was my choice. I don't blame you."

Ethan’s expression remained grim, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl as he silently pushed Eva away.

Seeing his conflicted look, a profound sorrow filled Eva’s eyes. She threw back the covers and ran toward the balcony with bare feet.

"I knew it! You still love Seraphina! I’m just a placeholder, stealing her position as your fiancée and keeping you apart! I’ll just die then—I’ll die and get out of her way!"

Ethan was quick enough to intercept her, grabbing her by the waist and pinning her back onto the bed.

"Eva, stop this nonsense. That’s not what I meant. I was drunk last night; I was worried I didn't treat you right. I only wanted your first time to be perfect."

Hearing this, Eva stopped struggling. Her face was bright red as her eyes roamed suggestively over Ethan’s body.

"Ethan, you were incredible. It felt wonderful."

She tilted her head to kiss his wrist, her pale fingers slowly sliding toward his Adam's apple. Just as the atmosphere grew heavy with intimacy, Ethan abruptly wrapped Eva tightly in the duvet and began dressing at lightning speed.

"I have things to do at the office. I have to go."

On his way to work, Ethan noticed a missed call from Zheng from the previous night. A sharp, sudden sense of unease bubbled up within him. He quickly hit redial, and Zheng’s voice answered, sounding remarkably refreshed.

"Mr. Cross, do you have further instructions?"

Ethan found the tone odd but didn't press the matter. He cleared his throat and asked, "How is Seraphina?"

Zheng glanced at the battered and broken Seraphina inside the iron cage and replied with a chuckle.

"Don't you worry, Mr. Cross. I’m taking very good care of her, exactly as you requested."

Even after hanging up, the unease in Ethan’s heart intensified. However, with pressing matters at the company, he could only wait until after work to head to Zheng’s estate to investigate.

For the next two weeks, Ethan was tethered to Eva the moment he left the office. Every time he showed even a hint of resistance, she would immediately threaten to end her life. Forced into a corner, Ethan had to prioritize stabilizing Eva’s emotions.

He planned to wait until she fell asleep to visit Zheng’s house, but for some reason, the moment his head hit the pillow at night, he fell into a deep, unshakable sleep.

Meanwhile, Seraphina’s days at the Zheng estate became an escalating nightmare. Zheng’s twisted methods were endless.

Finally, the day of her agreement with her father arrived. Seraphina touched her abdomen, feeling as though she could sense a response from the life within. If she could just get through today, she and the child would be free. If it weren't for the baby, she would have given up long ago.

"Little Sera, look what Uncle brought home for you."

Chapter 12

Zheng burst in, reeking of alcohol and brandishing a metal rod as thick as an infant’s arm.

Seraphina pulled her legs tight against her body, trying to make herself as small as possible. Zheng let out a cold snort. "Still haven't learned how to be obedient, have you?"

He sighed, his skeletal fingers brushing against Seraphina’s scarred cheek.

"Tomorrow you go back to Ethan Cross. He told me he doesn't want anyone’s brat except Eva’s. Since I’ve accepted his favors, I have to do his dirty work. Ah, Little Sera, I’m truly going to miss you."

Every hair on Seraphina’s body stood on end. She looked at Zheng in pure horror. Forgetting her nakedness, she began to kowtow desperately, her cracked lips trembling as she sobbed out pleas for mercy.

"No! Please! Do whatever you want to me, but please, the child is innocent! At least spare the baby, please!"

Zheng tossed a phone in front of her. "Little Sera, don't say Uncle didn't give you a chance. If Ethan Cross agrees, I’ll spare the child."

Seraphina, weeping with gratitude, scrambled to dial Ethan’s number.

Once, twice, three times. Every call was ruthlessly rejected.

Finally, on the tenth attempt, the call connected.

"Stop calling Ethan. He said he doesn't want to hear anything related to Seraphina Thorne ever again."

Before Seraphina could even speak, the line went dead.

The cold metal rod slammed into her body instantly. She felt as if every bone in her body was being shattered. Her abdomen, which she tried so desperately to protect, was struck again and again.

Finally, a deluge of crimson stained both of her legs. Seraphina felt something leave her body completely. She knew then—it was the child she had tried so hard to keep, gone forever.