In my seven months of pregnancy, my mother-in-law, Natalie, resigned from her job to come home and take care of me.
After my prenatal checkup, I took a nap. My back was aching, so I got up and went for a walk. Seeing Natalie napping on the sofa, I approached to cover her with a blanket, but overheard some words from her sleep.
“Thank God, this baby’s heart rate is normal. Our precious grandson has a chance.”
“Once our son inherits the Gonzaga Corporation, she’ll be an orphan and nothing will happen.”
I thought she was just talking nonsense, but the more I listened, the more terrified I became.
My husband, Lorenzo Wegel, worked at Gonzaga Corporation and I was an orphan. It was our first child, so how could she expect a grandson?
I picked up the phone she kept under her pillow and opened WhatsApp to find an unfamiliar family group chat.
Besides her and my husband, there was a woman named “Marcello’s Mom.”
I clicked on “Marcello’s mom’s latest WhatsApp story with the caption “Son, soon you’ll be as healthy as all the other kids.” The attached photo was my baby’s heart ultrasound.
Shocked and terrified, I quickly snapped a screenshot as evidence. Watching Natalie’s peaceful smile in her sleep, I made a silent vow.
If they were going to go to such lengths, I would make sure the Wegel Family had no descendants.
——
My heart pounded wildly after placing Natalie’s phone back under her pillow. The venomous words in that WhatsApp group chat sent a cold sweat down my back.
The baby in my womb would be safely born in just two more months. Yet his own father and grandmother were plotting against his very life.
My mind raced, then suddenly I remembered the surveillance camera flashing nonstop in the living room.
Natalie had specifically hired someone to install it, claiming it was for my convenience to check on the baby anytime after work.
After reading the chat history, I discovered that installing the camera at home was “Marcello’s mom’s idea. It was solely for the purpose of monitoring me 24/7.
Realizing this, I quickly hacked into the cloud database and deleted the footage of me looking through Natalie’s phone.
As soon as I closed the laptop, the familiar WhatsApp notification tone rang out. My sleepy mother-in-law glanced warily toward my bedroom.
Seeing me lying peacefully in bed, she quietly picked up her phone and closed her bedroom door.
I quickly put on my headphones and opened the listening software I’d planted on her phone.
A faint, childish voice came through, “Marcello misses Grandma. When will Grandma come home?”
Seeing that face, eighty percent identical to Lorenzo’s, a sharp pain pierced my heart.
So it was all true. Lorenzo, my husband who vowed to be mine alone for a lifetime, not only had he started a family with someone else long ago, but he was even plotting against this innocent life growing inside me.
“Marcello, be a good kid. I will be home in two months. Then Marcello will be healthy like all the other kids.”
“Mom, Patricia hasn’t suspected anything, right? Marcello’s condition keeps fluctuating and I can’t leave him now. You have to keep her safe. The baby in her womb is Marcello’s future. There’s no room for carelessness.”
Seeing Lorenzo’s face, tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over uncontrollably. The man who once showered me with sweet words and vowed eternal love was now so cruel.
When he mentioned me and our child, not a trace of tenderness flickered in his eyes. As if we were merely vessels to house that heart.
“Don’t worry, son. I’m keeping a close eye on her. There won’t be any problems. As for you, take some time to call and comfort her.”
Lorenzo, who was gently soothing the child, said impatiently, “Shut up! If Marcello’s mom hears you, she’ll just get angry again.”
Natalie was stunned for a moment. Her eyes darted nervously.
“Finding a suitable heart isn’t easy. I’m just nagging for Marcello’s sake.”
Before Lorenzo could respond, the door swung open. A soft female voice drifted in, “Honey, are you done with your call? It’s time for Marcello’s medicine.”
His face was filled with embarrassment. He hurriedly stood up, holding the child and reached out to hang up.
The long-haired woman who pushed the door open stopped him. “Don’t hang up yet. I need to remind Mom of a few things.”
I broke out in a cold sweat when the phone camera focused on the long-haired woman. Every hair on my body stood on end, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at me.
“Mom, she’s almost eight months pregnant. Make sure you remember all the precautions I told you.”
She went on and on, emphasizing points to my mother-in-law. But I couldn’t take in a single word, still reeling from the immense shock.
How could Marcello’s mom be her? After closing the monitoring app, I pulled up Rachel Gonzaga’s WhatsApp. Staring at her profile picture, which was identical to “Marcello’s Mom’s.”
I chuckled a few times. It turned out Lorenzo hadn’t cheated after marriage. He approached me solely for this child’s heart.
This trap, threatening both my life and my child’s, had been set two years prior. When I graduated and was looking for a job, I submitted my resume to the prestigious Gonzaga Corporation.
Many more qualified classmates were rejected, yet I received the job offer alone. Just as I marveled at my incredible luck, an even bigger opportunity landed in my lap.
Lorenzo chose me, a new hire with mediocre credentials, limited skills and an unrelated major, to be his assistant.
Half a year later, I became best friends with Rachel, the Gonzaga Family’s only daughter.
When I thought fate was finally compensating me for the hardships of my first 23 years, Lorenzo proposed.
I had to admit, he and Rachel worked together seamlessly. From the day I joined the company for three years, they maintained a distant, professional relationship.
Even while watching Lorenzo kiss me passionately at our wedding, Rachel showed no emotion whatsoever. The only time I saw her visibly shaken was when I shared the news of my pregnancy with her.
Thinking of this, I quickly scrolled through her social media feed. The timeline froze on February 14th of this year.
On Valentine’s Day, she posted a photo of a pregnancy test with the caption: “This long journey is finally coming to an end.”
I was immersed in the joy of becoming a mother at the time. I hadn’t realized that photo was one I’d sent to Lorenzo.
After all the clues matched, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear. Just then, a wave of aching pain washed over my lower back and belly.
As if sensing my turmoil, the baby kicked my belly with all its might. The thought that this tiny life, which had shared every moment with me for seven months, was merely a vessel to sustain someone else’s existence.
Tears fell steadily down my cheeks. The faces of Lorenzo and Rachel, that despicable couple, kept flashing through my mind.
Steeling myself, I gently stroked my belly and whispered, “Baby, it’s my fault. I failed to protect you. But I’ll never let them succeed.”
After deciding to terminate the pregnancy, I searched for nearby hospitals. Since the beginning of my pregnancy, Lorenzo had arranged prenatal checkups at an international hospital affiliated with Gonzaga Corporation.
Seeing the staggering price list at the first appointment, I pulled Lorenzo’s arm and tried to leave.
He fondly ruffled my hair. “Honey, I work hard to earn money for you and the baby. As long as the child is healthy, spending a little money is nothing.”
Though he joined the company a few years before me and became Gonzaga Corporation’s youngest general manager, I knew he had worked a hundred times harder than others, without the support of a family.
Looking back now, everything he showed me was a meticulously woven deception. He claimed he chose the best hospital for my prenatal care.
But he was also to keep a constant eye on me, the vessel carrying the heart that would keep Marcello alive.
I just booked an induced abortion for tonight. The locked bedroom door was forcefully pushed open.
Natalie’s furious voice echoed through the house.
“Patricia, why did you lock the door?”
“Patricia, if you don’t answer me, I’m calling the police.”
After unlocking the safety latch, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. Natalie let out a long sigh of relief, seeing I was unharmed.
“Mom, why are you so anxious?”
Meeting my questioning gaze, she replied guiltily, “Of course I’m anxious when you don’t answer me. Why did you lock the door?”
Hearing her words’ accusation, I coldly retorted, “I didn’t lock the door. I guess there was a programming error that locked it automatically.”
“Impossible! This is the smartest door lock on the market. There’s no way the program could have been wrong. You must have locked it on purpose!” She carefully examined the lock
“This is my bedroom. It’s okay for me to lock the door to change clothes. Mom, what are you so tense about? Did Lorenzo send you specifically to spy on me?”
Hearing the accusation hidden in my playful tone, she looked up guiltily. Her eyes darted nervously at me.
“Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about? I quit my job to take care of you and the baby. How could that be called spying?”
Fearing my questions, she hurried outside to test the lock. The door slammed shut with a click. I immediately activated the interference program. The lock engaged automatically. No matter how hard she rattled it, she couldn’t open it.
“Damn it, the lock’s actually malfunctioning! Patricia, don’t be scared. I will call someone to fix it.”
The moment she closed her bedroom door, I activated the program again, locking her inside.
“Oh my God, this door is broken too?”
Listening to her pounding on the door, I offered a few casual reassurances. I uploaded the prepared video footage to the cloud database linked to the home security cameras.
When the four words “Transfer Complete” appeared on the large screen, I deactivated the automatic lock on my bedroom door.
I tiptoed toward Lorenzo’s study. Sure enough, my hunch was correct.
Sensing something was amiss, Natalie hurriedly sought Lorenzo’s help. Perhaps even the heavens were aiding me, she made numerous calls, but no one answered.
Upon entering Lorenzo’s study, I headed straight for the safe concealed behind the mural. Earlier, when I brought him coffee in the study, I’d caught him opening the safe to put something away.
At the time, he’d flown into a rage at me, as if his secret had been exposed. I’d naively assumed he was upset because I hadn’t knocked and had disrupted his work.
I never suspected the safe contained anything shameful. Staring at the intricate code prompts, I fell deep in thought.
Several combinations flashed through my mind, but I dared not attempt them lightly. Such a sophisticated safe would trigger an alarm at the slightest incorrect entry.
If Lorenzo sensed something amiss, not only would all my prior efforts be wasted, but I might also panic and perform an early cesarean. Both my life and the baby’s would be ruined.
Thinking of this outcome, I forced myself to stay calm and took a deep breath. Watching Natalie dial the phone repeatedly, I knew time was running out.
My hands trembling, I entered the most likely combination. When the indicator light turned green, I exhaled a long breath.
It seemed Lorenzo, like Rachel, desperately wanted the child’s heart growing inside me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have set the safe password to 2025.02.14.
After failing to reach Lorenzo, Natalie turned to call the locksmith company. Anticipating this move, I had preemptively installed a call-blocking program on her phone.
She couldn’t make any other calls except for Lorenzo’s number. To avoid arousing suspicion, I set the block to last only 15 minutes.
Watching the seconds tick away, I hurriedly slipped on my gloves and rummaged through the safe. After reviewing all the documents, a chill deepened within me. A powerful wave of dread engulfed me.
My legs grew weak and I stumbled backward several steps, unable to control myself. It turned out Lorenzo wanted more than just the heart of the child in my womb.
When exactly had he begun plotting this horrific scheme? After securing the evidence, I sneaked back to the bedroom.
Once my emotions had settled, I called out to Natalie, “Mom, is there anyone here to open the door? My stomach hurts!”
“Patricia, don’t worry! Damn that locksmith company! Just wait till I get out there, I’ll file a complaint to them.”
Seeing her growing increasingly agitated, I turned off the interception program on her phone. Screaming loudly, I uploaded those horrifying documents to the cloud drive.
Thinking of Lorenzo’s ruthless nature, my spine went cold. To save my life, I had to think several steps ahead.
“What kind of junk quality is this? How could it lock automatically when it was supposed to? My daughter-in-law is pregnant! If anything happens to the baby, I’ll complain to you.”
The moment she finished berating the lock company’s staff, she rushed to the window to check on me.
“Patricia, don’t panic! How’s the baby? Nothing can happen to the child! I’m coming in right now!”
Fearing she might lose the precious life growing inside me, she pounded frantically on the window. My phone vibrated twice and I glanced at the text message I’d just received.
[Take the medicine and start the process in 10 minutes. I’ll come as soon as I hear from you.]
I turned off the screen and gently stroked the little life that had been with me for seven months. With reddened eyes, I bid farewell.
“Baby, don’t blame me. I had no choice.”
After swallowing the pink pill with tears, the locked door was kicked open.
“Patricia, does your stomach still hurt? Let me take a good look!”
She carefully stroked my belly. Pushing her hand away forcefully, I feigned a casual expression.
“Mom, I was just too tense earlier. I feel much better now. “
After confirming the baby was safe, she turned and berated the locksmith company’s staff.
“Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen..”
Before I could finish the countdown, sharp pains shot through my lower body and a fine cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
“Will you ever stop? It’s your faulty installation, not the company’s fault!”
The technician’s retort only fueled my mother-in-law’s rage.
She already had a short temper and after this incident, her mood was shattered to the point of rage. She rolled up her sleeves and prepared to strike.
Seeing this, I stepped forward to block her, my stomach throbbing painfully. With a thud, she pushed me away, slamming me against the wall.
“Ah! Ah! My stomach hurts so much!”
Seeing the crimson stains seeping from my lower body, Natalie’s face turned ashen.
“Mom, my stomach hurts so much. The baby… is the baby going to be lost?”
The premature contraction was so painful that I was sweating profusely. Natalie froze in place, frozen with fear.
“Mom, hurry to the hospital! Hurry up and save the baby!”
She kept calling Lorenzo. “Why aren’t you answering the call? The baby might be in danger!”
“Mom, we can’t wait until Lorenzo arrives. Contact the hospital now!”
She frantically tried reaching the hospital where I was scheduled for my prenatal checkup. But I had remotely set up her phone and no matter how often she called, the hospital line went unanswered.
Blood seeped from my lower body, growing heavier by the minute. Natalie, utterly distraught, clutched the phone, paralyzed with helplessness.
“Mom, contact any nearby hospital! The baby can’t wait!”
Seeing my strength rapidly fading, she quickly dialed the hospital where I was scheduled for my surgery.
Minutes later, the doctor rushed in, hoisting me onto a stretcher. “Hurry to the hospital! We’re afraid the baby can’t be saved.”
Natalie followed me downstairs, but the locksmith staff grabbed her arm and said, “I’ve called the police. You can’t leave.”
In the ambulance, I clutched to the doctor’s sleeve. “Help me terminate this pregnancy and I’ll join you in seeking revenge!”
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