The wind howled and the rain poured down as the California typhoon approached. A lightning bolt tore through the pitch-black night.
"Claude, open the door! I won't accept your rejection, and I won't let you take care of our child either. Open the door!" I bravely pounded on the massive iron gate of the Hansom house, supporting my frail and weak body.
Tears streamed down my face as I couldn't understand why this was happening. During the birth of our child, I had a severe hemorrhage and was already physically weak, spending almost half a year recovering in the hospital. Claude had told me he was busy with tribal affairs and couldn't be by my side, and I never blamed him for it. But I never expected that after waiting for him in the hospital for so long, I would receive a rejection call from him, and my child would be taken away by the family.
I don't understand why it had to end like this for me.
The servant from the Hansom family couldn't bear to see me in that state and came out to sympathize with me. They said, "Luna, please leave. Alpha won't see you. Miss Burke has returned and she said you're not allowed inside."
Upon hearing this, a shiver ran down my spine, and a cold feeling penetrated my entire being. It was Vicky, my half-sister from another mother, and Claude's first love. So that's it. Claude's first love has returned.
"Claude, come out. Give me our child. I don't want anything else, I just want our child." My heart sank, and I fell into despair, but I still held onto a glimmer of hope. At least I could still have my child.
I knew that once Vicky came back, I would truly lose Claude. But I still had our child, and they belonged to me. I would never leave him.
Suddenly, I saw the closed main gate of the mansion open from afar. Someone was holding an umbrella and slowly walking towards me. A surge of hope flooded my heart.
I believe that I have been with Claude for four years, so it's impossible for him to have no feelings for me at all. But what I didn't expect is that the person who came was Vicky.
"Natalie, well, it seems like you haven't made any progress in four years. Dealing with someone like you doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment," Vicky approached and sneered at my miserable appearance.
Seeing that it was Vicky, the last glimmer in my eyes and in my heart slowly faded away.
"Give my child back to me," I wiped my face, unwilling to let Vicky see my vulnerability.
Vicky chuckled lightly and scornfully said, "Sure, I can give the child back to you, but you have to kneel down and beg me. Otherwise, you can forget about ever seeing your child again in your lifetime."
I clenched my lips tightly.
"What? Don't want to? Alright then, just keep waiting here. But since you've been with Claude for four years, you should already know Claude well. If I told Claude that I'm generous and don't mind having one more child of his with another woman, do you think he would give the child back to you?" Vicky said arrogantly.
My fists clenched tightly, feeling the sharp pain in the palm of my hand. I slowly calmed down.
I cannot lose my child. Vicky has never liked me since we were young. How could she possibly like my child?
I have suffered countless hidden losses in front of Vicky. I am not her match, never have been. But my child is still so young, he doesn't even know how to protect himself. How will Vicky treat my child?
"Alright." My nose tingled, and I reluctantly kneeled in front of Vicky, gritting my teeth. "I beg you, give my child back to me."
At that moment, all of my dignity and pride were trampled upon by Vicky.
Seeing me kneeling on the ground, Vicky seemed to derive immense pleasure from it. She held the umbrella high above, looking down at me, and cruelly laughed, saying, "Hahaha, Natalie, do you know? You look like a dog right now."
Seemingly bored, she continued, "Well, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, your child died shortly after birth."
"It's impossible." I widened my eyes, refusing to believe it.
Vicky chuckled and said, "Let me tell you a secret. I actually came back a year ago, and Claude didn't tell you, did he?"
"I'll tell you, the reason I went abroad four years ago was because our child got sick, and I have been taking care of him. Yes, the child of Claude and mine. But the reason Claude agreed to marry you and have that illegitimate child was just to leverage the power of your mother's family to help himself grow. I must thank you for your efforts all these years, supporting him tirelessly. It's just a pity that Claude never reciprocated your feelings."
Vicky smirked triumphantly, "And do you know why you had a premature birth? It's because I've been poisoning you. Your body has been getting weaker every day and couldn't bear the burden of pregnancy, that's why the child was born prematurely. But it turns out your child was just a weakling, born only for a day and died, just like you."
"Speaking of which, I really have to thank you for helping me hold onto Luna's position. But this position was mine from the beginning, and now it's time for you to give it back to me."
I clutched my chest tightly, feeling like my heart was being corroded by sulfuric acid. I tried to establish a connection with my wolf to find some strength to support myself, but I couldn't find it at all. I became even more panicked and helpless.
"I can't believe it. I saw him yesterday. He was perfectly fine. You're lying to me." I bit my lip hard, causing it to bleed.
Vicky must be deceiving me. This is just her way of trying to bring me down. I refuse to believe that Claude would do this to me.
"You're such a fool, still as naive as you were four years ago. Was that really your child that you saw?" Vicky smirked, finding it amusing. "That was just a baby we brought over from another delivery room to prevent you from suspecting. We gave the child's parents some money and borrowed their child for a while. The child has already been taken back by its rightful parents."
I was stunned, realizing that the child who didn't resemble me or Claude was not our own. I had assumed it was due to the newborn's appearance.
So this is the truth.
With a loud bang, thunder suddenly roared in the sky.
I felt a tickle in my throat and coughed up blood. Everything went dark, and I collapsed.
