Chapter 1 Unexpected Pregnancy
"Congrats, Miss Voss, you're pregnant. If you go through with an abortion, it might be tough for you to get pregnant again."
The doctor slid the test results across the desk to Lila Voss, leaving her in a daze.
Lila walked out of the examination room, feeling weak all over.
Another doctor was waiting for her outside. "Miss Voss, I've already informed Mr. Hart about your pregnancy."
Killian Hart!
Lila's brow furrowed tightly at the mention of his name.
A month ago, Lila had agreed to perform at a private club as part of a job arranged by her employer. But when she arrived, she found herself in a luxurious suite instead.
She had taken the job because she had accepted a task on the dark web, intending to gather some intel.
Just as she was about to leave, Killian Hart, who had been sitting on the sofa, pounced on her like a beast.
His face was flushed, and his eyes locked onto her like a predator eyeing its prey.
Despite her struggles, Lila couldn't escape Killian's grasp. Her tight-fitting dress was torn, and his burning lips left ambiguous red marks on her fair skin.
The room's intoxicating scent gradually eroded Lila's rationality, and her body began to respond to Killian's advances.
By the end of the night, she was utterly exhausted.
After that wild night, Killian threw five hundred thousand dollars at her and told her to get lost.
Lila took the money and the pills he gave her.
A tap on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Miss Voss, I'll take you to get your medication," the doctor said with a smile.
Lila, who was stunningly beautiful, was a rare sight in the gynecology department, especially as Killian's doctor.
But Killian didn't seem too happy on the phone, suggesting the baby might not be kept.
The doctor went to get Lila's medication, leaving her to wait in the lounge.
Just as she was about to sit down, she saw a familiar figure in the distance.
Lila's nose tingled, and she instinctively turned to leave.
"Lila Voss!"
Silas Thorne quickly caught up to her. "Why are you at the hospital? Are you sick?"
Lila didn't look at him and kept walking.
Silas grabbed her arm and reached for the test results in her hand, but she dodged him.
"Let go of me," Lila said.
"Why are you at the hospital?" His tone softened, his gaze lingering on her face like a long-lost lover, full of longing.
Lila gave a bitter smile. It seemed Silas wouldn't let her go unless she explained.
"I'm here for a prenatal checkup."
Silas couldn't believe it. His expression darkened as he snatched the test results from her hand.
"Who is it with? You've been abroad for five years, and this is how you end up?"
His voice trembled, and he crumpled the test results in his hand, his eyes filled with pain. "I told you I'd take care of you and your grandmother, that I'd give you a carefree life. Why didn't you believe me?"
Lila felt a wave of exhaustion. "Carefree... Silas, you're comical."
Lila and Silas had known each other since childhood, their families even arranging a marriage between them.
Lila had looked forward to marrying Silas after graduation, but then her family's company went bankrupt, leaving them with a mountain of debt. Her stepmother and father took everything from her.
Soon after, her grandfather died of a stroke in prison, and her grandmother fell ill upon hearing the news.
Everything in the house was sold to pay off debts, and Lila couldn't even afford the $200 for her grandmother's IV treatment.
In just one month, Lila's life had plunged from heaven to hell.
The man who had sent her to hell was none other than Silas, the man she had once loved the most.
The first thing Silas did when he found her was to ask her to be his mistress.
"Even though I'm engaged, you can be my woman."
A slap cut him off.
"Never in this lifetime!" Lila clenched her stinging hand, her heart aching as she fought back tears.
Silas, after being slapped, grabbed her by the throat, his eyes filled with malice and anger.
"You were just a pawn to me. I only got close to you to be with your sister. No matter how proud you are, you can't even afford your grandmother's medical bills now!"
Lila smiled bitterly. "Silas, don't celebrate too soon. Even if I die, I'll take you down with me!"
Silas had deceived her for years, and when she was at her lowest, he had flaunted his engagement to her family. If it weren't for her grandmother, she would have had no reason to live.
After her mother's death, Lila was sent abroad to fend for herself. When she returned at eighteen, everything had changed.
"Fine! I'll wait for the day you come pleading to me! Lila Voss, in the end, you'll have no choice but to beg me!"
Lila's heart ached.
She had once thought Silas would be her future, the reason she endured all the hardships abroad. But Silas had been deceiving her from the start, destroying her life.
"Don't ever show your face to me again. You disgust me!" Lila said, looking at Silas.
"Disgust? Lila, you're the disgusting one. You found another man and got pregnant with his child? Did you do it for money?"
Silas shoved her away.
"Yeah, so what? What does it have to do with you?"
With that, Lila turned and walked into the crowd.
Silas watched her retreating figure with a pained expression.
Killian's grandmother, upon learning that Lila had gone to the hospital, insisted on bringing her to the Hart family estate.
By the time they arrived, it was already dark, and snow was falling from the sky.
Blinding headlights flashed at the entrance, and a servant hurried to open the door.
Killian stepped out of the Bentley. Dressed in all black, his imposing figure cut through the snow.
Lila kept her head down, but she could feel the overwhelming presence enveloping her.
Killian leaned down, his fingers gripping her chin without mercy, forcing her to look at him.
His voice was cold and detached. "I hear you're pregnant, hmm?"
Snowflakes landed on Lila's face as she faced Killian's questioning. She told him the truth.
"The test results do show that I'm pregnant."
Killian sneered, his deep black eyes sharp and cold, his grip on her chin almost making her cry out in pain.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just want to marry me, don't you?"
Lila clenched her fists in nervousness. "I don't..."
Before she could finish, Eleanor Hart emerged from the house, interrupting them.
"What are you doing, Killian? Why are you grabbing Lila like that?"
Killian released her, wiping his hands with a hot towel from a servant as if he had touched something filthy.
Eleanor Hart affectionately took Lila's hand. "Lila, how did the test go? Are you pregnant?"
Killian shot Lila a cold look, warning her not to say anything.
"No, I'm not pregnant..." Lila replied.
Eleanor Hart, disappointed, led her towards the dining room.
"That's okay. There will be time for children after the wedding."
"Who's marrying Lila?" Killian's voice was icy.
Eleanor Hart glared at him.
Killian sneered, enunciating each word. "Even if she were pregnant, I wouldn't marry her."