Chapter 2

Camille's POV

The hesitation on Bianca's face vanished instantly.

She pulled a folding knife from her purse and slowly approached the iron cage.

"Because of you, Nathaniel reprimanded me."

Bianca flicked open the blade, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

"If you're so fond of playing the victim, let's see how you handle some real pain."

In the next second, the cold blade sliced across my arm.

I let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The knife in her hand wasn't an ordinary weapon.

It was a torture blade specially designed by the Voss family to interrogate traitors. Its edge was coated with a chemical agent that prevented blood from clotting.

Blood poured relentlessly from my wound.

I pressed my hand against it desperately, but nothing could stop the bleeding.

Worse still, my body was already dangerously weak from the complications of my premature labor.

All I could do was curl up on the floor, desperately shielding my belly.

My consciousness began to fade.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Bianca returned.

The moment she noticed the blood smeared across the blade, her expression changed.

She pounded on the iron bars.

"Camille? Stop pretending to be dead!"

I couldn't muster the strength to answer.

She hurriedly found the key and unlocked the cage. Then she grabbed my hair and yanked my head up.

Seeing how pale my face had become, she merely scoffed.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

"Weren't you screaming so loudly just a moment ago?"

She shoved me back onto the floor and lowered her eyes to inspect the knife.

That was when she noticed something strange.

The special coating on the blade had begun to corrode, leaving behind irregular black patches.

It was a reaction caused by the medication in my bloodstream.

Bianca flew into a rage.

"How dare you ruin my knife?"

She kicked me hard in the stomach.

Pain ripped through me, leaving me barely able to breathe.

"Do you have any idea how much this knife costs?"

I was too weak to explain anything.

But Bianca only grew angrier.

"You still think you're going to give birth before Isabella? Keep dreaming!"

"Only Isabella's child deserves to inherit the Voss family!"

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Before leaving, she ordered someone to pour an entire bottle of highly concentrated chemical agent around the iron cage.

The pungent fumes quickly filled the room.

I lay helplessly on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

Through my fading consciousness, I thought I heard my baby crying.

I broke down in tears.

Today was supposed to be the day I finally met my child.

I'd even chosen a name for him.

But now, I couldn't even protect him.

I gently placed a trembling hand over my belly.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"If there's another life, I hope you get to be born into a family that truly loves you."

My breathing grew weaker and weaker.

Just when I thought I wouldn't survive another minute, the basement door suddenly swung open.

Light flooded into the room.

A strange man stood in the doorway, staring at the horrific scene in disbelief.

He was a newly assigned security guard at the estate.

Summoning the last of my strength, I reached out to him.

"Help... me..."

He looked at me warily.

"Who are you? Why are you locked up down here?"

My lips trembled as I struggled to answer.

"I'm... Nathaniel's wife."

With great difficulty, I pulled open the collar of my dress, revealing the wedding ring on my finger.

The inside of the band was engraved with the Voss family name.

The man immediately recognized the family wedding ring. His expression changed dramatically.

He quickly called Nathaniel.

"Don, I've found the madam in the basement. She's covered in blood and in extremely critical condition. Should I take her to the hospital immediately?"

Nathaniel's voice came through the phone.

"Blood? You must be mistaken."

"She did that to herself. Camille has been playing the victim for attention. Bianca already told me everything."

"Leave her alone. I'll deal with her when I get there."

The guard tried to say something else, but Nathaniel hung up.

He glanced down at me.

Then he turned and walked away.

I thought he had ultimately decided he couldn't afford to disobey Nathaniel.

But before long, he returned.

"I'm sorry, Madam."

He crouched beside me and unlocked my handcuffs.

"I can't stand by and watch a pregnant woman die down here."

He lifted me into his arms and rushed toward the garage outside the estate.

During the drive, he repeatedly urged the driver to go faster.

For the first time, I felt a faint sense of relief.

I was going to be saved.

But when we arrived at the Voss family's private hospital, we discovered that none of the necessary delivery equipment was available.

All the medical equipment, medication, and best doctors had been transferred to Isabella's private suite.

I lay on the hospital bed, hovering between life and death.

And my baby couldn't wait much longer.