Chapter 1: The Corridor
“Once my wife falls asleep again, take out her uterus. I never want her to have the chance to become pregnant again.”
I heard those words from the hospital corridor while still dressed in my open-backed gown, my knees weak and my entire body shaking after losing my baby. The voice belonged to Jared Harlan, my husband—the man who had promised to protect me even if everything around us collapsed.
I stopped behind a partially open door.
The doctor remained silent.
Jared dropped his voice, though not nearly enough.
“Create a diagnosis. Cancer, permanent damage, anything that works. Just get it done. And make sure Shelby never suspects anything.”
Shelby was me.
Then Courtney Briggs appeared, a social media influencer employed by Harlan Media, my husband’s company. She was wearing a tight white dress, one hand gently placed over her barely visible pregnancy bump. Jared drew her toward him with a tenderness that no longer belonged to me.
“Give her the finest prenatal treatment available,” he ordered. “That child will become the heir of the Harlan family.”
It felt as though the floor vanished beneath me.
I didn’t cry.
I didn’t scream either.
I only walked back into my hospital room with a coldness inside me that terrified even myself.
On the table beside my bed was the bouquet Jared had sent—white roses accompanied by a card that said:
“You and me against the world, my love.”
The sight of it made me feel sick.
A young nurse entered with a cheerful smile, completely unaware that I had just overheard my own punishment being arranged.
“Mrs. Harlan, you’re incredibly fortunate. Mr. Harlan booked this entire floor only for you. He hasn’t left your side for even a moment. When you lost the baby, he cried like a little boy. Honestly, not many women have a husband like yours.”
I looked toward the window.
Beyond the glass, the city continued moving as if nothing had happened, entirely unconcerned while my marriage silently bled out.
A few moments later, Jared hurried into the room.
As soon as he noticed I was awake, he rushed to my bedside and pulled me tightly into his arms.
“Where did you go? I nearly went out of my mind. I thought something terrible had happened to you.”
The fear on his face seemed genuine.
That was what made it so cruel.
He offered me a cup containing a dark liquid medicine.
“Drink this, sweetheart. It’ll help your body recover. We can always try again later.”
Try again.
Those words sliced through me like a blade.
“I don’t want to drink it,” I replied.
For one brief moment, his expression turned hard.
“Shelby, stop being difficult. You’ve always dreamed of giving me a child.”
I grabbed the cup from his hand and threw it against the wall. The dark medicine scattered across the pale floor like black ink.
“I already said no.”
Jared inhaled slowly, then looked toward the nurse.
“Give us some privacy.”
That was the final thing I remembered before a sudden sharp prick struck my arm.
The room began to spin.
His face faded into a blur.
Then everything disappeared into darkness.
When I finally opened my eyes, morning had arrived.
The pain inside my abdomen was different now. Lower. Deeper. Strangely hollow.
My hands trembling, I pulled back the blanket and found a fresh surgical incision stretching across my stomach.
Jared was sitting beside the bed, his eyes swollen, red, and filled with tears.
“Sweetheart, there were serious complications. The doctors discovered cancerous cells inside your uterus. I had no choice but to approve the operation in order to save your life.”
He placed a sealed medical folder into my hands.
Every page appeared official.
Every detail appeared flawless.
But I had already listened to the truth.
At that exact moment, the door opened.
Courtney stepped inside holding a basket of fruit, smiling as though she had come to attend a joyful family gathering.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you. I only wanted to visit Mrs. Harlan.”
Jared never told her to leave.
Instead, he tightened his grip around my hand.
And under the blanket, while pretending he was comforting me, his fingers shook because he wanted to reach for her instead.
That was when I understood that the most devastating part wasn’t the loss of my womb.
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It was realizing that the man ruining my entire life had been sleeping beside me every single night.
And he still had no idea what I intended to do next.
