"John, I'm going into labor. Please… please take me to the hospital… otherwise, my children and I will die here!"
The dark night, a heart-wrenching sound echoed through the back room of the DeRoss residence's warehouse.
Haley DeRoss pounded on the door while screaming in agony, her face contorting from the intense pain. Sweat poured down her forehead like rain.
Her swollen belly contracted painfully, while crimson blood flowed from her lower body.
Haley was in premature labor, and she was hemorrhaging!
Outside the door sat a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, smoking a cigarette.
Upon hearing Haley's plea, he coldly replied, "Miss, the father of that child in your stomach is unknown. Do you really think the Sir and the Madam would embarrass themselves by sending you to the hospital? Stay put and stop making a fuss!"
Tears fell uncontrollably from Haley's eyes.
Eight months ago, a journalist captured photos of her spending the night with a man at a hotel, making her the laughingstock of the entire city.
Shortly after, it was discovered that she was pregnant. Her father, ashamed of her, had forced her to have an abortion.
However, just a second before the abortion, she suddenly rolled off the sickbed and escaped. She would rather die than have her child killed.
As a result, her father had her confined to this small room, left to fend for herself. She had been locked up for a full eight months. Never once had she set foot outside.
"John, I'm begging you, save my child, or else there will be bloodshed... John, please help me..."
The excruciating pain in her belly came in waves, and Haley's pleas grew weaker. However, the person guarding the door remained oblivious, blissfully smoking one cigarette after another.
Blood continued to flow from Haley's lower body, saturating her dress, and enveloping her in a pool of blood. Desperately, she grabbed the doorknob, slamming against the door like a madwoman.
She couldn't let her child die in her womb. She absolutely couldn't.
"Have you gone mad? What are you doing?"
John was annoyed by the disturbance.
Just then, a clear, cold voice was heard.
"What's happening here?"
John halted, turned around, and respectfully said, "Emily."
Haley suddenly looked up and saw a figure walking into the warehouse.
It was her sister, Emily DeRoss.
Since their childhood, they had grown up together, sharing an exceptionally close bond.
Haley felt as if she had grabbed the last straw for her life. "Emily, save me, save my child..."
Emily curled her lips and said calmly, "John, she is the daughter of the DeRoss family. Why are you treating her like a dead dog?"
A light flickered in John's eyes, and he spoke even more respectfully. "Emily, it's not that I overstepped. Haley doesn't know her place. She wanted to escape to the hospital. If people outside were to find out that Ms. Haley is pregnant with a bastard child, wouldn't it affect the reputation of the DeRoss family? I was thinking of the DeRoss family."
"That's right, I'll have father give you a raise later," Emily praised.
She turned her head and looked at Haley's abdomen. "Haley, the child in your belly is very lucky. Father wanted to abort it, but you fought to keep it. Father said long ago that the DeRoss family would never care about this child. It is its luck if it lives. However, it's also a good thing if it dies. At least the DeRoss family can maintain their reputation."
"No, my child won't die..."
Haley felt Emily's unfriendly gaze and quickly backed away while holding her abdomen.
Her body was covered in blood, her clothes had turned into a blood-soaked garment, and even her face and hair were stained with blood and sweat. Her lips were cracked from dryness, and her eyes were almost tearful, making her look like she had just crawled out of a garbage dump.
Seeing the once most beautiful woman in Cuenca in such a miserable state, Emily suddenly laughed.
"Haley, do you know why you had that one night of passion with that man eight months ago?"
She bent down and sarcastically said, "I arranged that."
"What did you say?!" Haley was shocked.
At the same time, her abdomen contracted again, and blood flowed out once more.
Emily smiled with satisfaction. "You have always been the little princess of the DeRoss family since we were young, holding half of the shares of the DeRoss Group in your hands. On your 18th birthday, you became the heiress of the DeRoss family. Do you know how jealous I am of you? You're so pure and loved, so I wanted to make you a slut."
"You, you!"Haley was emotionally distraught.
She had thought of countless possibilities, but never once did she imagine that the event that ruined her life would be orchestrated by her dearest Emily.
"After eight months of being locked up here, I have become the new heiress of the DeRoss family. From now on, you can only be the most disreputable woman in Cuenca, a whore who has birthed illegitimate children from sleeping around. Your whole life is ruined! Hahaha!"
Under the intense provocation, Haley's abdomen was hit with sharp pain, and her lower body suddenly began to tear apart. The pain overwhelmed her, and she almost passed out.
"Ah!"
She couldn't help but cry out in pain, collapsing to the ground.
Her pale face turned upward, her legs instinctively spreading apart as a large amount of blood poured out from under her. A force squeezed her lower body, as if tearing her apart.
It felt like centuries had passed, but in reality, it wasn't that long before the cry of a baby suddenly echoed in the small warehouse.
Haley gasped in pain.
She lifted her head and looked down, lifting her skirt stained with blood to see two children.
The babies were covered in blood, clenching their tiny fists and crying intensely.
They were her children. They were twins.
Haley didn't have time to celebrate. The babies suddenly stopped crying.
Their tiny faces turned purple.