Bound by Lies, Saved by Your Love

When I went to the hospital for my prenatal checkup, I ran into my husband, Carter Brooks, and his mistress, Chloe Jenkins, right outside the VIP clinic. "I told you to go easy last night, but you just wouldn't listen! Now the doctor says I can't have sex for a whole month," Chloe whined, her voice dripping with fake innocence. "I'm sorry, baby," Carter replied, his voice incredibly tender. "You were just too sexy last night, and I couldn't control myself. Tell me what you want, and I'll buy it to make it up to you." Hearing their conversation didn't bother me at all. After all, three years ago, I had agreed to Carter's proposal of an open marriage. Chloe snuggled happily into Carter's chest and kept asking, "But what if your wife finds a lover too? Would you really not mind?" Carter scoffed, his voice filled with disdain. "She would never cheat. She got pregnant just to keep me. She's desperate for my heart." Standing right outside the door, I cursed silently. What an arrogant, delusional idiot! I only told him I was pregnant, but I never told him that the baby wasn't his. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to the baby's real father, asking him to pick me up from the hospital in thirty minutes. Then, I pushed the clinic door open. The moment the crowd inside saw me, they instantly fell silent and stood up. Carter's face went stiff. He instinctively shifted his body to block Chloe from my view, as if he was terrified I would do something to his precious little mistress. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Why are you so tense?" I asked. "I just came to see you. Now that I know you're fine, I'll be on my way." Carter was clearly taken by surprise. His eyes lingered on my calm, emotionless face for a few seconds. Back when he first proposed the open marriage, I had screamed, cried, and even tried to cut my wrists to fight it. But he had stood by with a cold gaze, letting the media drag my name through the mud until I became the most famous "crazy, jealous wife" in the entire city. Carter rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking slightly guilty for once. "She wanted to try something... wild, and there was a little accident." He sighed. "The news in the papers today... you need to take the fall for her. She has a fragile personality, and she's still young. She can't handle the public backlash." Carter was talking about the morning headlines. He and his mistress had ended up in the emergency room due to some extreme bedroom activities. Yet, the public was blaming me. Some called me a desperate wife turned doormat, while others mocked me for throwing away my dignity just to keep my title, even taking the blame for my husband's embarrassing scandals. I simply smiled it off. "You're right," I said. "I have thick skin. I don't mind taking the blame." Carter's expression froze. He hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Amelia, I didn't mean it like that..." Before he could finish, Chloe burst into dramatic, hysterical tears, interrupting our conversation. "Oh, it's all my fault! I was just too clingy, and now I've made Amelia mad. Amelia, please, just slap me or scream at me like you used to! Just don't make things hard for Carter, I beg you!" Her seemingly innocent words instantly triggered Carter's memory. His face darkened, and he roared at me, "Apologize to Chloe, right now!" "You came here pretending to check on me, but you're actually here to humiliate her. Do you think I can't see through your pathetic little games?" I massaged my temples, feeling exhausted. "I really didn't mean it that way." "Ha! You've done things like this a thousand times. Stop acting so innocent!" Carter sneered. "Do you think playing the victim will make me feel sorry for you and go home with you?" I stared at him, momentarily dazed. In the past, I really had done everything to save our marriage. The first time he brought a woman home to spend the night, I had screamed and smashed our wedding photos. The first time one of his playthings shoved an ultrasound photo in my face, I had set his office on fire. Later, when my family's business was on the brink of collapse, he stood by and watched, taking the rescue funds meant for my parents to buy Chloe a luxury yacht instead. In retaliation, I plastered their intimate photos all over the city. That stunt cost me everything. My family's business was liquidated, and my parents, unable to bear the shame and ruin, took their own lives. Since then, I had learned my lesson. I became the perfect, obedient Mrs. Brooks he always wanted. But now that I was finally giving him what he asked for, he accused me of playing hard to get. I gently caressed my still-flat stomach, having no desire to argue with him. I quietly murmured, "I'm sorry, Chloe." Everyone in the room was stunned. They had never seen me so submissive. But Chloe's little lapdog of a friend decided to push her luck. "Chloe suffered so much because of you! You think a simple 'sorry' is enough?" Carter glanced at me, his brow softening slightly. "That's enough. Amelia is pregnant. Let's not push it too far." Chloe whimpered, wiping her tears. "Yes, let it go. I lost a baby for you once, Carter, so I know how hard pregnancy is. I don't mind suffering a little. After all, Amelia is pregnant." She made it sound like I was abusing my pregnancy to bully her. Sure enough, Carter's heart ached for her instantly. He glared at me with a freezing look. "Amelia Sterling, just because I allowed you to carry my child doesn't mean you're above Chloe. If you dare to bully her again, I can take this child away from you at any moment!"Even though I was long used to his cruelty, his words still pierced my heart. He pitied Chloe for her miscarriage, but he chose to forget that I had also carried two of his children. My throat tightened, and I looked up to force back the tears. With a bitter laugh, I asked, "Then what exactly do you want me to do, Carter?" Carter gently stroked Chloe's pale cheek, his voice softening. "If you hadn't hung that stupid car accessory to trigger Chloe, she wouldn't have insisted on doing it in the back seat. She lost so much blood, and it's entirely your fault." He looked up at me coldly. "I remember you two share the same rare blood type. You'll donate your blood to her." The moment the words left his mouth, his thugs stepped forward without hesitation, dragging me toward the blood-drawing chair. I struggled with all my might, refusing to cooperate. "Carter, are you insane? I have a baby in my womb! Are you trying to kill your own child?" Chloe's nose turned red as she sobbed, "Forget it, Carter. I don't mind losing some blood. After all, she's carrying your child. I know how much you want a baby of your own... It's just my bad luck..." Carter's brief hesitation vanished instantly at her tears. He commanded coldly, "She wasn't this dramatic when she had her miscarriage. It's just 800cc of blood. Draw it! It's not like this is her first pregnancy anyway." Every ounce of strength in my body seemed to drain away with those words. I stared blankly at the man in front of me. The very last shred of affection I had held for him turned to ash. I had conceived our first child six months after our wedding. I had been so excited to share the news with him, only to walk into our bedroom and find him naked, wrapped around Chloe on our wedding bed. The shock caused me to start bleeding on the spot. Instead of showing remorse, Carter forced the open marriage agreement on me. "Can't you just learn to be a proper Mrs. Brooks? Look at the other wives in our circle. Who throws a tantrum like you?" "We can both have our fun and not interfere with each other. Isn't that perfect?" I had screamed hysterically, slapping his face. "How could you do this? You told me you married me because you loved me!" Carter had pushed me away impatiently. "Are you done acting crazy?" "I married you because I loved you, yes. But I also love Lily, Chloe, and Amy. The world is huge. Loving only one person for the rest of your life is just pathetic and boring." "Grow up, Amelia." I miscarried that very night. He had actually looked relieved, saying, "Maybe it's for the best. The timing was bad anyway." My heart had been ripped to shreds. I began to act like a madwoman, desperately trying to catch him with other women. But every time I fought back, my family's business took a harder hit. My parents had begged me with tears in their eyes to stop. Looking at their aging faces and white hair, I finally got scared. I submitted to Carter and accepted the open marriage. Soon after, I got pregnant again. Coincidentally, Chloe found out she was pregnant at the same time. Carter had been ecstatic. He spun Chloe around in his arms, laughing like a happy child. It was the first time I had ever seen such genuine joy on his face. My heart bled. I asked him, "What about me, Carter? What about my baby?" What had he said back then? He had frowned, looking at me, then at Chloe, before waving his hand in annoyance. "I was drunk that night. I thought you were Chloe." "You can't have this baby. I promised Chloe our firstborn would be hers. Go get an abortion." I was dragged to the operating table like an animal, stripped of all dignity. The cold metal instruments entered my body, and the blinding pain ripped me in half. My second child was taken from me just like that. And now, he had the nerve to say, "It's not like this is her first pregnancy anyway." How utterly pathetic.As the nurse approached me with the thick needle, I grabbed it out of her hand and shoved it hard into Carter's arm. "Since you love Chloe so much, you should be the one donating blood to her!" Carter's face went pale. "Are you out of your mind?" "Yes! You drove me insane!" I backed away to a safe distance. "I apologized to her. But donating blood? No way in hell." "If you love Chloe that much, why don't you just marry her?" I pulled the pre-signed divorce papers out of my bag. "Let's get a divorce." A wave of laughter erupted around the room. Carter scoffed. "This trick again?" "Amelia, I thought you actually developed some dignity. Are you really using divorce just to get my attention?" He grabbed the papers and carelessly scribbled his signature on the line. With a mocking smile, he said, "I've signed it. Let's see if you actually dare to file it." He threw the papers back at my chest. His elegant signature stared back at me. But I smiled. He thought I was bluffing, just like before, using fake papers to threaten him. But this time, it was real. I didn't bother explaining. I carefully folded the papers and tucked them into my bag. The onlookers laughed harder. "She's really putting on a show. Hasn't she heard of the boy who cried wolf?" "Is she planning to run away with the baby? But Carter doesn't even care about that kid, haha!" Chloe patted my hand with a fake, comforting smile. "Alright, guys, stop teasing her. Amelia isn't like me. She doesn't have time to wait around. She has to use these little tricks to keep Carter." I instinctively pulled my hand back. The moment I did, Chloe collapsed onto the floor like a broken doll. Her face went pale, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Amelia, I know you hate me, but I was only trying to help. Why do you have to be so cruel?" This cheap trick had been played a thousand times over the years. Yet, Carter fell for it every single time. He shoved me hard, roaring, "Amelia Sterling, you really won't stop until you're in a coffin!" "I didn't push her!" I gasped, trying to steady myself. Chloe whimpered, "Yes, she didn't push me. I just tripped. Please don't blame her, Carter..." Carter's rage boiled over. "Chloe is always looking out for you, and you do nothing but plot against her! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll never learn!" On his command, two large security guards grabbed me and slammed me onto the cold operating table. I struggled desperately. But they pinned me down harder, and my stomach slammed brutally against the corner of the metal table. A sharp, agonizing pain flared in my abdomen. Cold sweat poured down my face as I gritted my teeth. "My... my baby..." Carter watched coldly, crossing his arms. "You didn't scream when you pushed her, but now you're using the baby as an excuse?" "Don't try to scare me, Amelia. You made your bed, now lie in it." As the blood began to drain into the bag, the pain in my stomach became unbearable. My body began to shake uncontrollably. "I'm not lying... it hurts so bad. Please, let me see a doctor first..." "This is my last chance to have a baby, Carter!" I wept. "If anything happens to this baby, I will never be a mother again. I'm begging you!" Carter's expression shifted slightly as he saw my twisted face and pale lips. He hesitated for a second and raised his hand to stop the guards. But right then, Chloe covered her mouth and sobbed loudly. Carter's attention was instantly pulled back to her. "What's wrong, Chloe? Why are you crying?" "I just... I remembered my own lost baby... I know Amelia is just faking it to escape punishment, but my heart still breaks for her..." "Let it go, Carter. I'm used to being bullied by her anyway." Carter clenched his fists, the last shred of his hesitation wiped out by Chloe's tears. His voice turned cold and rigid again. "We can't let her go, or she'll just take advantage of your kindness." "Keep drawing. Don't stop until Chloe stops crying." My heart sank into a dark abyss. I prayed that the baby's father had arrived. If he couldn't find me, he would tear this hospital apart. I just had to hold on until he found me.I took a deep, shaky breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Carter!" "Fine, you want my blood? Take it!" "But let me go to the OB-GYN department first, please... my stomach is killing me..." I could feel a warm, sticky liquid trickling down my thighs. It felt as if my life was slowly leaking out of me. Panic took over, and I begged hysterically, "Once the doctor says the baby is fine, you can take my life for all I care!" Carter was stunned by the desperation in my voice and remained silent. But Chloe sobbed again. "Amelia, why must you say such horrible things? Are you trying to make it look like I'm forcing Carter to kill you?" "I didn't..." Before I could finish, Carter's hand swung down, delivering a brutal slap to my face. My cheek swelled up instantly. "Draw the blood!" he barked. The sheer pain and blood loss made me feel freezing cold. I curled into a ball on the table, feeling my consciousness slipping away. Carter stared at my ghostly pale face, a sudden wave of anxiety washing over him. Suddenly, a nurse screamed, "Oh my God! Look at all that blood!" Carter looked down and froze. The sheet beneath me was completely soaked in bright red blood. His brain went entirely numb. Without a second thought, he scooped me up in his arms and ran frantically toward the emergency room. My mind was hazy, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Carter was panicked, shaking me desperately. "Stay awake!" "Amelia, you are not allowed to sleep!" "If anything happens to my son, I will make you pay!" The doctor quickly examined me and ordered immediate surgery. "Are you the father? Sign this consent form right now." Carter's hand shook as he reached for the pen. But before he could grab it, a hand with long, elegant fingers snatched the form away. "I am the father. I'll sign."