Chapter 1 Chapter 1

In a luxurious villa. Meredith Leighton tumbled down the stairs from the second floor and her head hit the railings before she finally landed at the bottom of the stairs. "If anything happens to Yena, I will have your entire family buried next to hers!" A man taunted cruelly. With her limbs sprawled across the stairs and blood tracing down her forehead, Meredith put her hands over the wound on her forehead as she pleaded, "Joe, you have to believe that I didn't harm Yena in any way. I really didn't…""Meredith, please stop denying it. There is video evidence of you cheating on Josiah with Yoel Harper in Yena’s phone," Ysabelle Layne sobbed and went on, "Meredith, how could you kill someone just because you're afraid of your dirty affairs being exposed? Yena is our best friend!""I didn't," explained Meredith. The blow to her head was likely a concussion and lead to her feeling disorientated. However, she mustered up all the energy that she had left in her and crawled toward where Josiah Shelby was standing. Tugging at his trousers, Meredith tried to explain, "Joe, there's nothing going on between me and Yoel…and I didn't push Yena down the stairs…""You didn't? Then what is this that I'm seeing?" Josiah hissed as he bent over, grabbing Meredith's long hair from the back and forcing her to look at Yena's phone. In the video, Meredith was seen rolling in the sheets with the servant, Yoel, and as soon as she realized that she was being recorded, Meredith struggled away from Yoel haphazardly. At that moment, Yena turned around and ran. As soon as she reached the stairs, the video turned blur due to an abrupt and violent shake when Meredith and Yena were tugging at each other. Right then, Yena was seen being pushed down the stairs… With her eyes wide open, Meredith denied, "It wasn't me…it wasn't me that pushed her…" As the video was too blurred, the person involved in the struggle with Yena could not be seen properly aside from a woman's arm. However, Meredith remembered that she was drugged and did not even have the strength to get out of the bedroom hence it was impossible for her to be the one that pushed Yena down the stairs. "Meredith Leighton, I've given you what you wanted for the past year and I've given you the freedom to do as you please. I didn't expect you to do such a horrible act behind my back and even harm Yena!""I didn't!" With tears and blood on her face, Meredith looked at Josiah and tried to explain again. "Joe, I'm being framed…""How are you still denying when there's irrefutable evidence! It seems as if I have to teach you a lesson so that you know your mistakes," Josiah bellowed as he threw Meredith to the floor heartlessly and ruthlessly. Josiah was looking at her with feelings of disappointment and resentment in his eyes. Josiah had never imagined that someone as kind and gentle as her was secretly evil and ill-hearted. If he had known, he would have never agreed to marry her. Closing his eyes, Josiah turned around, and proceeded to walk over to Miss Leah who was sobbing silently as she was all crouched down on the floor and said, "Lock her up in the basement and hit her until she admits to her wrongdoings!""Sir, thank you for seeking justice for our Yena," sobbed Miss Leah as she thanked Josiah. She then scowled at Meredith with a look of hatred in her eyes. In the dark and damp basement, Meredith felt her skin and flesh tearing with every lash she received on her back. Trembling and shivering, Meredith lay breathlessly on the floor. "Ah-" Meredith cried out in pain when she received another lash on her back. "Miss Leah…it really wasn't me who harmed Yena, it's really…not me." Seeing how Meredith was still denying it, Miss Leah increased the strength that she used to lash her. "Our Yena had always been careful throughout the years and had never thought of taking your place as Josiah's wife. Why would you harm her? Tell me why!" With the feelings of pain and resentment of her daughter being hurt, Miss Leah took it out on Meredith by lashing her again, and again. Meredith would never admit to something that she had never done. With the wound on her forehead and the injuries from the whipping, Meredith finally passed out.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Meredith did not know how long she was unconscious for until she was awakened by a pail of ice-cold water. A burning and piercing pain spread throughout her body. Water beads fell on her lips and it tasted salty. Meredith only then realized that she was being splashed by salt water, hence the burning pain she was feeling. "Hey, are you dead? Make some sound if you're not," said Ysabelle as Meredith struggled to open her eyes. Under the faint yellow lights, the woman was smirking with looks of disdain on her face. "It was you…wasn’t it?" Meredith mumbled. Her voice sounded hoarse and croaky from crying and screaming from her lashes earlier. Meredith could only glare furiously at Ysabelle. In the video, the woman who pushed Yena off the stairs wore the same bracelet and had the same color on her nails as hers. It was obvious that someone wanted to frame her. Aside from Ysabelle, Meredith could not think of anyone else. "You're right, it's me. I was the one who drugged you and I was also the one who pushed Yena down the stairs," said Ysabelle as she bent over and placed her head next to Meredith's ears, then she laughed, "So, what do you think of my plan? One stone, two birds, isn't it perfect?""You…" Meredith clenched her fists tightly and seethed, "Why did you do it? Yena is supposed to be your best friend.""You're right that she's my best friend. But why did she have to be Josiah's lover?" Ysabelle replied as she straightened her back and cleaned her hands with a napkin and added, "And you, why did you have to be Josiah's wife? How am I supposed to marry Josiah if I don't get rid of the both of you?" Meredith's entire body was trembling with rage. Seeing how pathetic Meredith was, Ysabelle burst into laughter and said, "Look at you now, do you really think you're still the precious daughter of the Leightons and the wife of Josiah Shelby? "And people see you as the prettiest lady of Jehovah City? Oh please!" Ysabelle hissed in disapproval and continued, "You're no one but a witch who cheated on your husband!" Ysabelle bent over and tried to grab Meredith's hair only to be pushed away by her. "My my, someone's got some pride huh," scoffed Ysabelle as she added, "well, do allow me to kindly tell you something, Miss Leighton. Everyone in town had already seen the video of you and Yoel having an affair and everyone knows that poor Josiah was cheated on. So, tell me, do you think you'd still be able to turn things around?" "Ysabelle Layne, you will be sorry for this!" Meredith yelled in rage as she glared at Ysabelle with her bloodshot eyes. Meredith was covered in bruises and wounds all over, but it was nothing compared to the wrenching pain that she was feeling in her heart. Although her marriage with Josiah was arranged between their families, she was aware of Josiah's true feelings for Yena. However, her love for Josiah started when she was young. Being able to be his wife was the best thing that Meredith could ever ask for in this life. In the past year, she had given her all to be the perfect wife for Josiah. She tried her best to get closer to Josiah and she believed that there would come a day when Josiah would reciprocate her feelings too. Meredith did not expect that her dreams would be crushed by the dark-hearted Ysabelle. The thought of Josiah looking at her with resentment in his eyes when he threw her off the stairs hurt Meredith the most. Cowering on the floor, Meredith murmured to herself, "Joe will find out about the truth…" "The truth?" Ysabelle sneered and said, "Unless Yena regains her consciousness, and of course…I'll make sure that the day never comes." "Meredith Leighton, I'm sure you know how much Yena means to Josiah. Hence, you can give up on the thought of getting Josiah to forgive you." Ysabelle was about to leave the basement when a maid showed up with a meal tray in her hands. Ysabelle flashed a smile at the maid and said, "Miss Meredith is too weak to eat. Here, let me have this instead." The maid glanced at Meredith who was on the floor with a look of disdain on her face, turned around and left.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Ysabelle flipped the meal tray upside down, dumping all the food onto the floor as she smirked and sneered, "Since you won't be able to hold cutleries anyway, you can just eat off the floor." Ysabelle then left the basement. Looking at her bruised and bloody hands that were trembling, Meredith could not even find the strength to pick up food from the floor, let alone use cutleries. Since last night, from the time Meredith was drugged and put in bed with Yoel, followed by the incident with Yena…she had not taken even a sip of water. She was starving but the pain that she felt had made her forget about the hunger. However, Meredith refused to be defeated this way. She had to walk out of the basement alive to tell Josiah that her feelings for him were real and that she was being framed. Meredith was determined to make Ysabelle pay for what she had done. Using all the strength left in her, Meredith moved toward the food that remained on the floor. Just when she was about to take a bite, a large black shadow came barging into the basement. It was Josiah's pet dog, a Tibetan Mastiff, and because Meredith was scared of dogs, Josiah had his dog kept in the backyard and was looked after by Yena. The dog barked excitedly as it rushed toward Meredith. Meredith, on the other hand, was terrified at the sight of the large dog and shrieked in horror as she retreated to a corner. The large-sized Tibetan Mastiff was agile as it leaped onto Meredith and bit her arm. Meredith was instantly drowned in waves of piercing pain and feelings of horror. Ysabelle was admiring Meredith's pathetic look as she chuckled, "Josiah was worried that you'd be too lonely down here, so he got you a friend. So how do you like your friend, huh?""Help! Help me!" Meredith cried out as she struggled to get away from the dog. She tried to remove her arm from the dog's mouth but the dog thought that Meredith was playing with her and it got even more excited. "Joe! Joe! Please save me...!" Meredith cried for help as she thought of Josiah. Even though she knew that Josiah did not believe her, and neither would he come to save her, Meredith still called out for him. Because he was her husband, and also the person that she loved the most. Perhaps it was from the fear or the pain, Meredith lost her consciousness again. … In the study room, Josiah had been replaying the video. The half-dressed and drunk woman in the bed with another man was really his wife. The woman who said that she had loved him for almost ten years; the woman that was adamant about marrying him. Josiah could not wrap his head around how Meredith could cheat on him yet at the same time argued that she only loved him…and also how she could ruthlessly push Yena down the stairs. The video suddenly blurred followed by Yena's shriek. Josiah's gaze wavered. He pressed down the cigarette butt with force in the ashtray. The ashtray was already filled with cigarette butts. Josiah finally came back to his senses at the sound of someone knocking on his door. He then stopped the video on the screen. With a bowl of chicken soup in her hands, Ysabelle walked over to his side, put down the bowl and said in a gentle voice, "Josiah, I know you're worried about Yena, but you should also take care of yourself." Ysabelle swirled the soup with a spoon and blew on it in an attempt to cool down the hot soup. She then went on, "I made this soup myself. Let me feed you some, okay?""I don't want it," Josiah rejected her coldly without even taking a look at her. Gnawing on her lips, Ysabelle continued, "Josiah, I'm only doing this because I want to take care of you in their stead since Yena is still unconscious and Meredith is not admitting to her mistakes." Josiah glanced at her coldly and smirked. "What makes you think that I would be interested in you when I'm not even interested in a beauty like Meredith?" 'Beauty…?' Ysabelle thought to herself as she gritted her teeth. In the past year, Ysabelle had had enough of people complimenting Meredith's good looks, how Meridith was all-rounded and talented, or how Meredith was a good match with Josiah. Yet no one had complimented Ysabelle when she thought that she was not too bad herself.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

"Get out!" Josiah ordered coldly. Glancing at the cold but perfectly-sculptured face of his, Ysabelle secretly swore that like Meredith, she too would make Josiah her husband. "Alright, I'll leave. Remember to finish the soup," said Ysabelle before she left the room. Instead of drinking the soup, Josiah got ready to visit Yena at the hospital. Josiah only returned late at night. Upon seeing Miss Leah, the maid who was cleaning the house, he asked with a straight face, "Has Meredith admitted to her wrongdoings?""No. She remained adamant that she did not push Yena," replied Miss Leah whose eyes were red-rimmed, and added, "Sir, will Yena be alright?""Don't worry, she will regain her consciousness," said Josiah without saying anything else before heading up to the second floor. Just when he was about to go up the stairs, he noticed the Tibetan Mastiff who was supposed to be in the backyard. "Who let it in?" Josiah asked as he furrowed his brows tightly. Josiah did not seem to notice the fact that he was feeling annoyed that the dog got loose because he knew that Meredith was terrified of dogs. Miss Leah shook her head and lied, "I don't know. Perhaps it escaped on its own since it did not see Yena today." Miss Leah obviously knew how Ysabelle had tortured Meredith. Not only did she know, she desperately wanted to tear Meredith into pieces. "What did you feed it with?" Josiah asked. The Tibetan Mastiff had a body of white fur, yet the fur around its mouth had several blood spots all over. Noticing Josiah's hardened expression, Miss Leah started bawling, "Sir, my poor Yena is in such pain, even the dog had sensed it and wanted to avenge her, oh my poor baby girl…" Josiah knew right away where the blood came from. He hesitated a while before heading toward the basement. The wet and dark basement was dimly lit only by a small wall lamp. Meredith, covered in blood and mud, was cowering at a corner. Seeing how she was not moving, Josiah nudged her with his shoes and urged, "Get up!" Meredith remained still. Josiah nudged her a little more and hissed coldly, "Meredith Leighton, do you not hear me?" With his brows furrowed together, Josiah bent over, grabbed the back of her shirt to pick her up from the floor. He was immediately startled by the burning heat he felt when his fingers grazed across the back of her neck. Josiah guessed that her body temperature must be over forty celsius. It was obvious that Meredith had passed out from having a high fever. "Meredith Leighton, you think you can get away with all that has happened by dying?!" As if he was worried that Meredith would not hear him, he hissed into her ears and went on, "I will not let you get away with this so easily before Yena regains her consciousness!" Carrying Meredith into his arms, he then walked out of the basement in big strides. … Studying the woman on the bed, Finn Leroy shook his head as he exclaimed, "I must say that Miss Leighton is one hell of a woman. How is she still alive after all these injuries?" Finn then turned around to look at Josiah who looked grave and went on, "I mean, even if she did push Yena, you could have sent her to jail instead of whipping lashes at her and even letting her be bitten by a dog, right?""Jail? That'd be too easy for her, after what she had done," sneered Josiah as he went on, "I need to keep her alive and I will use her blood to save Yena's life. I will make sure her life out here is more miserable than when she's in jail.""Didn't we take almost a thousand milliliters of her blood yesterday?" Finn asked. When Yena was sent to the hospital last night, Meredith had volunteered to donate her blood. On average, the maximum amount of blood that one could donate was five hundred milliliters of blood. "A thousand milliliters? It's not enough," Josiah seethed coldly.

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Looking at Meredith who was lying lifelessly on the hospital bed, Finn uttered carefully, "Josiah, she's willing to risk her own life to save Yena's, are you really sure that…there isn't some kind of misunderstanding?""I've seen the video. There's no mistake." Looking irritated, Josiah frowned and added, "Doctor Finn, cut the nonsense and just tell me if she's going to die." Giving up on trying to persuade Josiah, Finn simply shrugged and answered, "The test results are not back yet." As soon as he finished his sentence, a nurse entered the patient ward with the test results. With a serious tone, she said, "Mister Josiah, Doctor Finn, the test results show that Miss Meredith is pregnant." Josiah's eyes lit up briefly upon hearing the nurse's remarks. However, the light in his eyes dimmed immediately and in an aloof manner, he asked, "What did you say?" Finn took the test report from the nurse and scanned through the report quickly before concluding, "Congratulations, Josiah! Miss Meredith is two months into her pregnancy." Josiah turned to look at Meredith who was on the bed. She looked extremely pale and frail due to the injury on her head. She was wounded from her head, arms, body, to even her fingers. Josiah was surprised that Meredith managed to hang on after suffering all those injuries…not only that, she was even pregnant. "But there are some early signs of a possible miscarriage, hence we need to transfer Miss Meredith to the obstetrics and gynecology department to further keep an eye on her," Finn looked at Josiah with mixed feelings and asked, "So, should we transfer her?" Josiah said nothing while he continued staring at Meredith. Getting anxious, Finn added, "Josiah, have you forgotten that your grandpa desperately wanted a grandchild? In any case, we ought to keep the baby first.""She is unworthy of giving birth to a child of the Shelby family," Josiah finally replied indifferently. "Meredith is your legal wife, if she is unworthy, then who is? Yena Llyod?" Finn continued, "Josiah Shelby, what you have toward Yena is just because of the feelings of indebtedness, so don't confuse this as feelings of love for her. Plus, you and Yena are from two different worlds, even if Meredith is not in the picture, you would never have married Yena." Josiah hesitated. Would he have married Yena if he did not marry Meredith? Josiah was not sure. All he knew was that Yena was the one who saved him, that he adored her, and wanted to protect her for the rest of his life. However, he was not sure how he would protect Yena. Under Finn's arrangements, Meredith was transferred to the obstetrics and gynecology department. Meredith had to be careful when consuming medication, hence even when she was being taken care of in the hospital, it took her quite some time to recover. Ysabelle, on the other hand, thought that she had finally gotten rid of Meredith completely, but things were not going according to plan the moment she found out Meredith was pregnant. Her face twisted in anger as she threw the glass in her hands onto the floor and yelled, "Meredith Leighton, so you think you can turn the situation around? Not a chance!" At night, Ysabelle visited Meredith at the hospital. At the knocking sounds on the door, Meredith's eyes lit up in excitement. Her first thought was that Josiah was here to visit her. Seeing how Josiah was willing to keep the baby, Meredith thought that he still had feelings for her. Meredith thought that she finally had the chance to explain herself regarding the incident with Yena. However, at the sight of Ysabelle, the light in her eyes dimmed instantly. With a cold attitude, Meredith asked, "What are you doing here?""What's wrong? Were you expecting Josiah to show up?" Ysabelle sniggered as she walked toward Meredith's bed and taunted, "I must say that you're quite lucky yourself. After all the injuries you still managed to keep the baby."

Chapter 6 Chapter 6

With a straight face, Meredith answered, "Sorry to disappoint.""Why would I be disappointed?" Ysabelle laughed and added, "The child is not even Josiah's. Did you really think that Josiah would care about that child of yours?" The look on Meredith's face changed and she snapped, "Ysabelle Layne, don't you dare vilify me and my child!" There was no way the child did not belong to Josiah as Josiah was the only man in her life. Even the night when she drugged, nothing happened between Yoel and her. "Well, the video of you cheating on Josiah is already spread across town. I'm sure the video speaks for itself, so why do I need to accuse you?" Leaning toward Meredith's ear, Ysabelle sneered, "If I say that the child isn't Josiah's, then the child isn't. You'll soon see what I'm talking about!" Ysabelle then turned around and left the room. Meredith's face was overcast. After the incident with Yena, she finally realized the lengths Ysabelle was willing to go just to get Josiah. Not long after Ysabelle had left, someone entered the room again. At the sight of the uninvited guest, Meredith's face turned white, and was immediately on guard, "What are you doing here?" It was Yoel Harper, the person who tried to keep her in bed the other night. After the incident, Meredith recalled that Yoel was kicked out of the house. Yoel looked haggard. With bruises and scars on his face, he walked toward Meredith in an awkward manner. Before Meredith could even respond, Yoel threw his arms around her tightly and apologized, "Edith dear, I'm sorry for coming to you this late. Let's run away with our child. Let's go somewhere that no one can find us." Meredith was first shocked but soon realized that she had once again fallen into Ysabelle's dirty scheme. What Ysabelle said to her earlier had finally made sense. Ysabelle had planned all of this. "You…""Edith…" Yoel had no intentions of letting her speak as he quickly planted a kiss on her forehead and went on, "Josiah Shelby is such an evil and cold-hearted bastard. If he knew that this child was mine, he would definitely kill you. But don't worry my dear, I'm here to save you, let's leave this place right now…" Yoel then took off his coat, put it around Meredith's shoulders, and tried to get her off the bed. "What are you talking about? Don't touch me!" Meredith cried out as she tried to push Yoel away. Looking past Yoel's shoulders, Meredith suddenly noticed Josiah who was standing by the door. The expression on his face was utterly cold and grave. Meredith's mind went blank at that moment. She knew that there was no way for her to explain herself about the situation. "No! This child is not yours, stop saying nonsense!" Looking pale, Meredith tried to argue again. With his back facing the door, Yoel pretended as if he was not aware of Josiah's presence and pulled Meredith into his arms again. He then said, "Edith dear, don't be silly. Josiah never loved you. Even if Yena is dead, he will never acknowledge you as his wife anymore…""Shut up right now!" Meredith yelled as she slapped Yoel on his face. It was then she was able to get rid of Yoel's grip on her. As she was still not fully recovered, Meredith staggered and stumbled her way to the door and kneeled down in front of Josiah. With tears blurring her eyesight, she sobbed, "Joe, please don't listen to his nonsense, there is nothing between me and him. Aside from you, I've never had another man in my life…""Edith, don't you beg him!" Yoel rushed over to where Meredith was and pulled her back into his arms. He then glared furiously at Josiah and fumed, "Josiah, don't you dare lay a finger on Meredith and my child! Just come for me and leave them alone!""No! It's not like that," cried out Meredith who was now losing her mind. Even though Josiah had not uttered a single word, the grave look on his face was a hundred times scarier than him yelling at her. Meredith knew that Josiah would not believe her with the concrete video evidence. She struggled away from Yoel, ran toward Josiah, hugged him, and said, "Joe, he made up the story. The child has nothing to do with him, the child belongs to you…" Josiah finally moved. He bent over and wrapped his fingers around her neck as he seethed, "Meredith Leighton, you're quite something, aren't you, huh?" Meredith felt his warm breath on her face but for some reason, she felt her body turn cold. With tears blurring her eyesight, Meredith shook her head and begged, "Joe, please believe me…you have to…""You want me to believe you?" Josiah raised a brow, grabbed a fruit knife on the table, and put it into Meredith's hands. He pointed toward where Yoel was standing and said, "I'll believe you if you stab him to death in front of me." Meredith was startled. Of course, she would gladly stab the disgusting man to death. But what would happen after that? She would need to face the consequences of killing a man and what would then happen to the child in her? What about all the injustice that she was put through?

Chapter 7 Chapter 7

Hence, no. She would not. "Why? Are you worried about your boyfriend? Or are you worried that that child of yours wouldn't have a father?""No, it's not like that…" Meredith shook her head, dropped the knife on the floor, tugged at the corners of Josiah's shirt, and pleaded, "Joe, I can't do it, I need to stay alive to take care of our kid…""Get your dirty hands off me," Josiah hissed. He was feeling suffocated as he recalled the video and how Meredith and Yoel were hugging each other and were about to escape. With all the strength in him, Josiah pushed Meredith off him. Meredith's head hit the corner of a table with a loud bang and she passed out immediately. Josiah did not even take another look at Meredith but instead glanced coldly at Yoel who was cowering at a corner. Yoel let out a painful shriek after getting furiously kicked by Josiah. "Guys, get in here!" Josiah shouted. A few bodyguards rushed into the room. "I don't care how you do it, just make sure that he is dead.""Yes sir," replied the bodyguards as they dragged Yoel out of the patient ward. … Meredith was once again being forced to wake up by a cold bucket of water. Still in a daze, she opened her eyes slowly to see Josiah standing tall in front of her bed. The room was bathing in the evening sunlight and Josiah looked breathtaking under the warm sun rays. Meredith recalled the time when she used all her strength to pull Josiah out of the water. The sunset too was beautiful on that day, and he too looked attractive as ever. However, Josiah did not remember the incident as he was passed out. "Joe, you're finally here to see me," Meredith pulled into a smile and continued, "I knew that you would believe me, after all, I am your wife…""And because of that, you're willing to push Yena off the stairs," Josiah uttered in an indifferent and cold tone, jolting Meredith back to her senses. "Joe, I did not push Yena," Meredith cried out anxiously as she grabbed onto his sleeves and continued, "Joe, you have to trust me…""Enough!" Josiah growled as he pushed her hands away with a disgusted look on his face. Standing tall and looking down at Meredith, he taunted, "Meredith Leighton, I'm only here to bring you bad news. That boyfriend of yours was drowned to death. You can forget about running away with him.""He's not my boyfriend! There's really nothing going on between us…""I don't believe a word that you say and I only trust what I see," Josiah cut her off and bellowed, "Sit up and drink this." He reached for a glass on the table. Looking at the contents in the glass, Meredith had a bad feeling. She asked, "Joe, what is this…""It's to get rid of the baby.""No..!" The look on Meredith's face changed. Shaking her head vigorously, she inched backward to the corner of the bed and said, "I don't want it, please don't do this Joe. This is your child.""My child? If it's really mine, why didn't you tell me but hid it from me for two months?""Joe, I only got to know about this at the same time as you." Pulling Meredith towards him, Josiah sniggered, "Meredith Leighton, even if I do believe that the child is mine, you have no right to give birth to that child.""Why..?""Because you're unworthy!" Meredith felt her heart being torn to pieces. She could not understand why Josiah had turned into someone like that. Even though they were only married due to the arrangements between their families, Josiah had always treated her with respect and had acknowledged her to be his only wife. Why was he willing to kill her and their child just because of someone else's evil scheme? "I'm not drinking it," Meredith cried as tears blurred her eyes, "Joe, this is our child. You'll regret this!""I will not!" said Josiah as he grabbed Meredith's chin to open her mouth and forced the liquid into her mouth. Struggling to push him away, Meredith shouted in fear, "No, Joe, don't…" There was no way that she was able to fight Josiah with a weak and frail body like hers. Soon, the glass of liquid was emptied. Meredith stuck a finger down her throat in an attempt to purge out the liquid. However, nothing came out no matter how much she tried. She burst into tears and yelled, "Josiah Shelby! I hate you!" The child belonged to them. How could he do such a thing to her? "Perfect. I hate you too," said Josiah. Ignoring her tears and cries, Josiah put down the glass and added coldly, "Meredith Leighton, we're even now. But you still have to keep paying for what you did to Yena until the day she wakes up." With her arms wrapped around her stomach, Meredith cried her heart out. At that moment, she swore to herself that she would never expect anything from Josiah anymore. But her child… Just when she got to know of her child, her poor child was killed by its father. The pain of losing her child was a thousand times greater than being pushed down the stairs, being whipped, or bitten by a dog. As soon as Josiah's back disappeared from her view, Ysabelle finally came out from hiding in a corner of the hallway and a smug smile tugged at her lips.

Chapter 8 Chapter 8

Feeling exhausted, Josiah pinched the center of his eyebrows, got up from his office chair, and was about to get off work. Josiah's assistant, Mister Wesley, knocked on his door before entering his office. He then reported, "Sir, the matter regarding Yoel Harper has been wrapped up." Josiah simply nodded and added, "I don't want to hear of him anymore from this minute onward.""Yes, sir," Mister Wesley nodded. Just when Mister Wesley was about to leave, Ysabelle was seen heading toward his director, looking all anxious. She said, "Josiah, Meredith had escaped from the hospital, I think she's going to find Yoel." Mister Wesley tried to shift his eyes rapidly to Ysabelle but before Ysabelle could get his hint, Josiah grabbed a glass on his desk, threw it at Ysabelle's legs, and growled, "How many times do I need to repeat myself? I said I don't want to hear that bastard's name!" Josiah was furious that Yoel had the audacity to sleep with his wife. Hence, just the mention of the bastard's name was enough to make Josiah want to kill him over and over again. Ysabelle was startled. Softly, she added, "I'm sorry, Josiah. I'm only worried that Meredith would do something stupid to herself.""I will bury her entire family next to her if she dares to die!" Josiah seethed as he walked out of his office. It was obvious that Josiah would not let Meredith die that easily. Keeping up with Josiah's footsteps, Mister Wesley made a call to make sure that they locate Meredith in the shortest time possible. Pressing her lips together, Ysabelle quickly followed behind them. Josiah was now on the floor where his car was parked. The driver quickly opened the door for him. It was at the moment when a messy and haggard-looking woman came out from behind the bushes. At the sight of her, Josiah furrowed his brows as he looked at her in disdain and asked, "What are you doing here?""There you are, Meredith," said Ysabelle as she walked toward Meredith looking all concerned. However, she was abruptly pulled into Josiah's arms when she passed by him. "Meredith Leighton, hear me when I say that even if Yena is dead, there is no way that I'll have you as my wife." Even though Ysabelle knew that Josiah was only using her to trigger Meredith, she was still pleased. This was the first time that she was able to be this physically close to Josiah. Ysabelle stood closer to Josiah and flashed a smug grin at Meredith. Meredith ignored her. Instead, she started walking toward them with slow steps as her body was still aching. She came to a stop in front of them and said politely, "Joe, I'm here to apologize.""Apologize?" Josiah sniggered coldly and added, "And I thought that our high and mighty Miss Leighton never apologizes.""No. I am sorry," said Meredith as she inched closer and closer to Josiah and continued, "I'm sorry that I cheated on you with Yoel, I'm sorry that I'm carrying Yoel's children, I'm sorry that I tried to kill Yena to hide my secret, I'm sorry for everything…" With a change of the look in her eyes, she took out a knife from her pocket and aimed at Josiah's chest, catching Josiah off guard. Ysabelle reacted quickly and pushed Josiah away. "Look out!" But the knife somehow ended up on Josiah's shoulders. "But Josiah Shelby, you're the one who needs to die!" Meredith started laughing maniacally, "You killed my child, I need to avenge his death, I…ah!" Before she could finish her sentence, Meredith was flung across the ground by a bodyguard. "Sir, are you okay?""Mister Josiah is injured!""Hurry up! We need to send him to the hospital!" All hell broke loose when Josiah was stabbed. Only Josiah remained indifferent and emotionless. He glanced at the knife that was stabbed on his shoulder and walked toward Meredith who was shivering and cowering on the floor. "So this is it?" Standing in front of Meredith, he sneered coldly, "I am the one who killed your lover and your children, and that's the best you could do?" Meredith looked up to meet his eyes. She said, "Josiah Shelby, you'll be sorry for what you have done!" Meredith was crying yet at the same time laughing. She looked as if she had finally lost it. Looking worried, Ysabelle said, "Josiah, I think Meredith had gone mad. Let's send her to a psychiatric ward to get her treated." Josiah took a look at Meredith who was dressed messily and how she was crying yet laughing at the same time and thought that Meredith had indeed gone mad. "Send her away," Josiah gave an order to Mister Wesley and added, "and keep a close watch on her!" Soon after, Meredith was being sent away. Ysabelle put her arms around Josiah's and said worriedly, "Josiah, let's get you treated at the hospital." Ysabelle thought that she was finally given the chance to stay by Josiah's side. However, Josiah simply shrugged her off, turned around, and got into his car. … Meredith was dragged and pushed into a small room with nothing but four walls. Her head hit the wall and she crashed onto the ground. Meredith had used up all the energy in her after rounds of attempts to struggle free. She did not even have the energy to get up from the floor. Her entire body was sprawled on the floor as she trembled. The staff then left, leaving her all alone in the room. After laying down for a while, Meredith finally mustered up some strength and tried to support herself with her hands as she tried to get up from the floor. However, before she could even sit up, Meredith felt a piercing pain coming from the back of her hand. A high heel embellished with diamonds was stepping on her hand. Meredith quivered in pain and fell onto the floor once more. "Meredith Leighton, have you forgotten what I told you before? Josiah could never accept the fact that his wife was carrying a child that was not his," said Ysabelle. With her arms crossed, she looked down on Meredith who was on the floor with a smirk on her face. Meredith cried out in pain. "Ysabelle Layne, you…do you really think that Josiah will marry you after getting rid of me and Yena? Keep dreaming…" Meredith's voice trembled as she added, "Josiah will never marry you…""Oh really? Let's see, shall we?" Ysabelle said as she stepped harder on Meredith's hand.

Chapter 9 Chapter 9

"You…you will pay for what you did!" Meredith cried out. "If there's really karma, it should be you, the cold-hearted and ignorant Miss Leighton who deserves to be punished! "All these years, my mom and I have been walking on eggshells around you. Now it's time for you to get a taste of how it feels like," Ysabelle seethed and continued, "If it isn't because of Josiah who needs to use your blood to save Yena, I wouldn't even have kept you alive!" Ysabelle then removed her high heel from Meredith's hand. She then walked out of the room and said to the two working staff standing guard at the door, "You've heard what Director Josiah had said earlier, right? Do everything you can to tame her, but keep her alive." "Yes, Miss Ysabelle," answered the staff as they glanced at Meredith with looks of disdain on their face. Almost everyone was criticizing Meredith. After all, she was the first person who dared to cheat on Josiah, and even carried an illegitimate child. Meredith wanted to defend herself but realized that it was pointless to explain herself anymore. Josiah chose not to believe her, tortured her, and even killed her child. There was no reason for her to be longing for a cold-hearted man anymore. There was also nothing left for her to fight for anymore. The door was closed tightly behind her. Meredith curled up her body that was covered in bruises and scars and finally burst out crying. In her mind, a shout was replaying over and over again, ‘I hate you, Josiah Shelby.’ Aside from a bed, there was nothing else in the room. Meredith had been curled up in her bed for three days. Apart from one of the working staff who brought her some cold bread, she did not see anyone else. One who had lost faith would not be bothered about feelings like hunger. Meredith did not even have the appetite to eat the piece of cold bread that was delivered to her only once a day. Looking at the bread on the floor, the staff scolded, "What's wrong? Are you disgusted by food like this just because you're used to eating good food?" Pretending as if she did not hear the staff, Meredith remained curled up on the bed with her back facing the staff. The other staff said, "Director Josiah had us make sure that she doesn't die. We need her alive to donate blood for Miss Yena." He was keeping her alive to save Yena…Meredith smiled as tears ran down her face. Meredith did not expect her life to turn out into such misery. "Since she's not eating on her own, let's force her." The staff walked toward the bed and dragged Meredith to sit up. The abrupt jolting movement caused the already weak Meredith to feel dizzy. She felt a churning in her stomach. She started throwing up next to her bed. "You disgusting little b*tch!" The staff who got soiled by Meredith cursed out loud and threw Meredith off her bed onto the floor. The staff then cleaned up herself and continued cursing as she walked out of the room. "Forget it if you don't want to! Let's see how long you can stand it!" The other staff left the room too. Meredith lay still on the floor. She was too weak and was feeling extremely uncomfortable. Meredith could not even be bothered to try to get herself off the floor. Meredith did not know how long she was lying on the floor when she heard light footsteps coming her way. "Miss, wake up." Meredith felt someone nudging her arms and at the same time, she heard the gentle voice again, "Hurry up, wake up." The voice was unfamiliar. But it was the most gentle and soft voice that she had heard in such a long time. Meredith struggled to open her eyes. Perhaps the light was too bright, Meredith could not make out the girl's face. She could see that it was someone young, thin, and gaunt, but her eyes were filled with feelings of concern. The girl had a bowl in her hand and Meredith smelled a delicious smell. "Miss, you must eat when you're pregnant. If not, the baby will get hungry," the girl said as she placed a mouthful of pasta near Meredith's mouth and continued, "eat well so that the baby wouldn't get hungry." Her baby… Meredith unconsciously placed her hand on her lower belly. She had lost her baby, and it was all because of Josiah. Tears started rolling down her face as she sobbed silently, "I've lost my baby, it's gone…" The girl nodded her head and said, "You still have your baby. I saw you throwing up just now. I remembered throwing up like you did when I was pregnant." The girl's eyes suddenly reddened as she said, "My baby is dead because I didn't eat…my poor baby…it's all because of me." Meredith's eyes were now wide open. She felt her lower belly with her hands and a thought flashed across her mind, 'Could there be a possibility that my baby is still alive?' 'My baby is still alive and that was why I threw up earlier?' Meredith wondered to herself. This was her first pregnancy and she had not went through a miscarriage before so she did not know what was the truth. Everything had happened in a day, from the moment she knew that she was pregnant until the moment she was forced to drink the liquid to kill the baby. Right after she was forced to drink the liquid by Josiah, she felt a churning pain in her lower belly and had even bled a little. Hence, Meredith had assumed that she had lost her child. At the thought that her baby might still be alive, Meredith was overjoyed and relieved. She had suddenly found the urge and hope to stay alive. Grabbing the bowl from the girl's hand, Meredith started stuffing her mouth with the food. For her child, she had to eat well and stay alive.

Chapter 10 Chapter 10

The girl who was still sobbing a minute ago was now grinning from ear to ear when Meredith started eating. After clearing the bowl of pasta, Meredith looked up at the girl and thanked her, "Thank you for the food, I really appreciate it." With the empty bowl in her hands, the girl smiled and said, "You're welcome. I'm happy as long as the baby is healthy.""Thank you, but…" Meredith noticed that the girl seemed somewhat mentally unstable, but still, she said to her, "Miss, can you please help me keep a secret and don't tell anyone about my child?""Why do we have to keep it a secret?""Because they are evil people out there who want to kill my baby, so I have to keep it a secret." Upon hearing that the baby might be in danger, the girl put a serious look on her face and pressed a finger on her lips making a hush sign. She then said, "Okay, we'll keep it a secret. We'll protect the baby." Meredith did not expect to meet a kind-hearted person even when she was in this miserable situation. Even though the girl was mentally unstable, Meredith was still grateful. "I'm Meredith Leighton, but you can call me Edith," Meredith introduced herself and asked, "May I know how I should address you?""I'm Qira Francis," answered the girl. … After finding out that her baby was still alive, Meredith did not go against the two working staff anymore. She would eat everything that was served to her, be it cold bread or cold pasta. For her baby's health, she even begged and pleaded with the working staff for some meat. Meredith was determined to do all she could to protect herself and her baby. She planned to do a paternity test after giving birth to the baby to prove her innocence. The two working staff exchanged looks with each other and scoffed, "Where did the high and mighty Miss Leighton go? Is this the best you could do?""Seeing how you're begging us, there, have some meat," Miss Linda, one of the working staff, sneered and threw a sausage bun at her. The sausage bun landed at Meredith's feet. "Thank you, Miss Linda," Meredith thanked her and quickly bent over to pick up the bun. However, before she could pick up the bun, a pair of red high heels stepped on the bun. Meredith froze. She knew immediately who the owner of the red heels was. The evil woman was here to pick a fight with her again. "Oh no you poor thing, do you want this sausage bun?" In a mocking tone, Ysabelle asked as she lifted her foot off the bun. Looking at the crushed sausage bun, she continued, "But I'm afraid you'd have to kneel and eat it off the floor." Meredith sat still and remained silent. For the sake of her child, she did not want to get on the wrong side of Ysabelle. Seeing how Meredith kept quiet, Ysabelle burst into laughter and said, "Oh my dear Meredith, I'm sure Doctor Finn would feed you something after he takes your blood. After all, it will take some time before Yena gets better." At the mention of taking her blood, Meredith felt chills running down her spine. She had no objections to saving Yena with her blood as Yena would be able to prove her innocence when she regained her consciousness. However, she was worried that she would lose her baby again if too much blood was taken from her body. She heard footsteps nearing her room. It was Doctor Finn, and he brought with him pieces of equipment for taking blood. "I don't want to…" Shaking her head, Meredith begged as she inched backward to a corner of the room and went on, "I don't want to give my blood, please don't…" With Doctor Finn around, Ysabelle changed her attitude instantly as she looked at Meredith empathetically and tried to comfort her, "Meredith, to be honest, Josiah didn't want to take your blood, but that would put Yena in danger. Do you really want to see Yena die?""I don't want to!" Meredith cried out as she started crawling frantically toward Finn and tugged at his robe while pleading, "Doctor Finn, you've taken a thousand milliliters of blood just half a month ago, I'll die if you take more. Please, I'm begging you…" Doctor Finn studied Meredith who was cowering at his feet. Meredith looked even thinner than the last time he saw her. Her eyes were filled with tears, which made her look more lowly and weak. 'How did the once well-respected young lady end up this way…' Finn wondered to himself. "Meredith, Doctor Finn is only doing what he was told. Let's not put him in a difficult situation," said Ysabelle who was pretending to be kind. She then said, "Doctor Finn, Josiah wants you to take a thousand milliliters of blood from her, but I do think that it's a bit too much. Why not reduce the amount?" A thousand milliliters… 'Josiah Shelby, do you really have to go to this far?' Meredith thought to herself. Tears filled up her eyes again. "My apologies, Mrs. Shelby. I'm only doing as I'm told," Even though Finn felt bad for Meredith, he had no other choice as Josiah was determined to save Yena. After setting up the equipment, Finn asked for Meredith's arm and requested, "Please cooperate with me, Mrs. Shelby." Still sobbing, Meredith did not reach out her arms but shook her head and wept, "Josiah shouldn't be treating me like this, he will be sorry…""Get away from Edith!" Qira who suddenly barged into the room shouted. She stood in front of Meredith with her arms wide open and shouted angrily, "Edith had made it clear that she doesn't want to give her blood, why are you guys forcing her!""Who is this crazy woman? She almost tripped over Doctor Finn's equipment," Ysabelle scolded and went on, "Get her out of here this instance!" Under Ysabelle's orders, Qira was dragged out of the room. Meredith, on the other hand, was forcefully pressed down on the floor.

Chapter 11 Chapter 11

When she saw the needle being pierced into her skin followed by the red blood flowing out of her body into the blood bag, Meredith broke down. She did not know how much blood was taken from her body. All she felt was that her head and body felt light. In the end, Ysabelle put on an act and helped Meredith get back onto the bed. She then placed a thermos flask on a small table and said, "Meredith, I've made some chicken soup for you. Make sure you take them." Putting away the blood bags, Finn apologized to Meredith and left hurriedly. The look on Ysabelle's face changed again. Smirking, she said, "We need to make sure you're healthy, after all, we still need your blood to save Yena. Am I right, Meredith?" Laying on the bed, Meredith tried to make herself feel better. "Meredith, this soup is really tasty. Would you like to try some?" Ysabelle asked as she placed the thermos flask in front of Meredith. Meredith of course wanted to drink. In any case, she must drink the soup. Struggling, she reached out her hands slowly but Ysabelle was one step ahead of her. "Oops, my bad!" The thermos flask dropped on the floor, spilling the chicken soup all over. Ysabelle burst into laughter, turned around, and left the room. Closing her eyes tightly, Meredith lay down helplessly on her bed. … "Are there any signs of Yena waking up soon?" With his brow furrowed, Josiah asked as he stared at Yena who was lying still on the bed. "Not yet," answered Finn. "Could it be that she's not getting enough blood?""No, it's not about the amount of blood. Miss Yena is unconscious as she hurt her head." Josiah remained silent. For some reason, the air would always turn cold when Josiah stayed silent. This side of Josiah tended to frighten Finn, but he could not help himself and asked, "Josiah, are you really not visiting Meredith?""Why should I?" Josiah asked with a straight face. His eyes were still glued on Yena. "She'd lose a ton of weight. She looked really weak and frail too." Pulling into a scoff, Josiah replied, "The time when she was weak, she still managed to stab me with a knife." Even though she only managed to stab his shoulder, it was clear that Meredith was determined to kill him. The stab wound was still fresh on his shoulder. "So you're planning to keep her locked up in the psychiatric ward for the rest of her life?" Finn asked. "What's wrong? Do you feel sorry for her?" asked Josiah who turned around and squinted at Finn. "Doctor Finn, it seems to me like you have always been looking out for her, am I wrong?""I…" Finn cleared his throat and said, "I'm simply worried that you'd regret this later.""Regret?" Josiah sniggered coldly and said, "She pushed Yena and even stabbed me with a knife. I could have thrown her into jail, but did I? So, tell me, what more does she want?""You didn't send her to jail because you wanted to take blood from her.""Doctor Finn, what is it that you're trying to say?""Fine. I just wanted to remind you that she's really weak right now. If you want to keep taking her blood, at least make sure that she's eating and living properly.""Why do I need to do that for a madwoman? In any case, I heard you loud and clear. You can leave now." Seeing how Josiah was unfazed, Finn gave up on persuading him. After Finn had left, Josiah stayed seated in front of Yena's bed for a while before leaving the ward. In the car, Josiah had his eyes shut tightly. After a moment, he uttered, "Doctor Finn and Meredith were from the same college?" Mister Wesley, his assistant was startled. He then nodded and replied, "Yes, sir. Both of them were from Jehovah Medical College.""No wonder," scoffed Josiah. Mister Wesley did not ask further and simply continued driving. … Five months later. As soon as she heard footsteps nearing the door, Ysabelle hurriedly snatched the towel from the caretaker and started wiping Yena's body. "Yena, you've been sleeping for five months now. When are you waking up?" While wiping Yena's arms, she continued, "We promised to travel to Lopud Bay together in spring, don't you remember? You have to wake up now as spring is almost over." Standing by the door, Josiah was looking at Yena's lifeless face that was basking under the evening sunlight. He did not want to interrupt but the caretaker noticed his arrival and greeted him, "You're here, Mister Josiah." At the mention of Josiah, Ysabelle then turned around to look at him. "Josiah, what are you doing here?" Ysabelle wiped away the tears that she faked and said, "The doctor said that we should talk to Yena more and this would help her to recover faster, so I…""Thank you," Josiah cut her off coldly. Ysabelle was disappointed by Josiah's indifference. She thought that with Meredith and Yena out of the picture, she would finally receive Josiah's love and grace. However, almost half a year has gone by, nothing has changed. Josiah had not even taken a good look at her. Leaving Yena's ward, Ysabelle furiously dialed a number on her phone. She then asked, "How is Meredith doing these days?" On the other end of the phone was Miss Linda, who was responsible for keeping an eye on Meredith. Miss Linda sounded anxious as she replied, "Miss Ysabelle, I was about to call you. Meredith…she…""She's what?" Ysabelle seethed, "Are you dumb? Why can't you even speak properly?" Being yelled at by Ysabelle, Miss Linda stuttered even more, "I…today…I accidentally realized that her stomach was growing bigger…could it be that she still has the baby?"

Chapter 12 Chapter 12

Ysabelle froze. After a while, she finally came back to her senses and yelled into the phone, "Are you guys blind? How is it that you only find out about it now?" Fuming with rage, Ysabelle then ended the call. After racking her brain for some time, Ysabelle called Miss Linda again and said to her, "See you at our old place. I'll teach you how to get rid of both of them…" … "Edith, guess what good food I've brought you today?" Qira asked. In the small darkroom, Qira was beaming like stars in the night sky. "Hmm, let me guess. Eggs? Or fruits?" As Qira was mentally unstable, Meredith had been interacting with Qira like her younger sister. In the past five months, Meredith was forced to work, forced to eat cold bread and cold pasta, and forced to give blood to Yena. If it was not for Qira, her child would have died of hunger. "You guessed it wrong, it's a chicken drumstick!" Qira took out a drumstick behind her back and beamed. "Edith, I've saved this for you specially. Here, eat this while it's still hot." In the past, Meredith would have taken the food as she knew she had to eat well for the baby in her tummy. However, this time, she held Qira's hand in hers as she studied her gaunt figure, and said, "Qira, you should have this yourself. Look at you, you've lost so much weight.""But the baby needs more food than me.""I know. If it wasn't for your care and help, my baby and I could have died." Meredith held back her tears and said, "Promise me that you'd take care of yourself when I'm gone, okay?""Edith, are you planning to escape?" Qira lowered her voice. Meredith nodded her head. She knew that she would not be able to hide the bump anymore. She was worried that Josiah would force her to kill the baby again if he found out. "Qira…" Meredith tightened her grip around Qira's hands and sobbed, "If things go wrong, please forget that you've ever met me. But if I get out of here alive, please wait for me, I will come back to get you out. I will help you to find your brothers and sisters.""But…" Feeling worried, Qira started crying, "I'm worried that Miss Rosa would betray you." With her necklace, Meredith had bribed the other working staff, Miss Rosa, without Miss Linda's knowledge, to let her escape. Miss Rosa was tempted by the expensive necklace and gave her word to Meredith that she would let her out tonight during the dinner party. Meredith knew well enough that it was a risky move. However, there was nothing else for her to do aside from this. Meredith had waited for this day for far too long. Hence, she could not allow herself to give up simply because she was scared While the working staff was busy with preparations, Meredith seized the opportunity and snuck into the woodshed in the backyard. Miss Rosa had told her that she would be able to escape through the back door from the woodshed. Hiding at a corner in the woodshed, Meredith placed her hand on the bump of her stomach and murmured under her breath, "My child, don't worry. I will do whatever I can to save you." Just when everyone had left, Meredith found out that the backdoor was locked. There was no way she was able to escape. Did Miss Rosa betray her? Or… With a loud bang, Meredith heard someone closing the door. Feeling suspicious, Meredith walked over to the front door to realize that someone had locked the front door as well. Outside the door, Meredith noticed Ysabelles' silhouette. It was Ysabelle Layne! What was she doing here? Meredith slammed the door over and over while yelling, "Ysabelle Layne, open up the door!""My, my, Meredith. Were you planning to run away? What a cunning little witch you are!" Ysabelle sniggered with her arms crossed in front of her. She pulled into a smug smile and provoked further. "What's wrong? Were you planning to run away with that child of yours? Aren't you worried that Josiah would kill both of you?" Meredith felt her legs give away and almost fell onto the ground. It was over. Her plan had failed. Meredith started panicking as she knew that Ysabelle would never let her and her child go. At the crucial moment, Meredith kneeled down on the floor and begged, "Ysabelle, please, I'm begging you, please open the door, I…I only want my child to stay alive. You can have Josiah all to yourself…please, I'm begging you.""Meredith, trust me, I really want you and your child to be safe. But Josiah had made it clear to kill that child of yours.""No, please don't…" Ignoring Meredith's desperate pleas, Ysabelle said coldly, "Meredith Leighton, you brought this on yourself." With that, Ysabelle threw gasoline into the woodshed followed by a lighter that was already lit up. With a loud bang, the bright flames of the fire lit up their faces. At the sound of Meredith's horrified shrieks, Ysabelle, on the other hand, had pulled into a smug smile on her face. 'Meredith Leighton, so you want to escape to keep that child of yours? In your dreams!' Ysabelle thought to herself. The fire caught onto the wood pieces quickly and spread over the woodshed in a blink of an eye. Meredith was terrified. Using all the strength in her, she tried to open the door while screaming for help, "Help! Help me!" A dinner party was going on in the front yard and music was playing loud. Hence, no one would be able to notice that the woodshed in the backyard was on fire, let alone notice Meredith's desperate call for help. Meredith tried to look for another way to escape. Covering her mouth with her hands while coughing strenuously, she noticed a window and started making her way to the window. "Ah - !" The heavy smoke had blurred her eyesight causing her to trip over something on the floor. Meredith fell onto the floor, hitting her belly. She felt a piercing pain coming from her belly.

Chapter 13 Chapter 13

For the sake of staying alive, Meredith used all the strength left in her to get up from the floor, but no matter how much she tried, she remained on the floor. Just when she was about to give up on all hope, she heard someone opening the door, followed by Qira's anxious voice. "Edith, don't worry! I'm here to save you!""Qira…I'm here…" Meredith cried as she was relieved. "Hurry up…go get help!" Qira though did not leave Meredith alone, instead, she barged into the woodshed that was burning. "No…don't come in!" Meredith yelled. "Edith, I'm here to save you and the baby," said Qira, who was clueless. As Qira was mentally unstable, she did not have any idea of how dangerous the situation was. By the time she appeared in front of Meredith, Qira was gasping for air due to the heavy smoke. However, she still tried her best to pull Meredith who was lying on the floor. "Qira, I can't hold it any longer…my stomach is really painful, go please, leave me and save yourself…""No! I have to save you and the baby, I…I must…save you and the baby!" With Qira's support, Meredith finally got up on her feet. Holding on to each other, Qira and Meredith dragged themselves toward the front door. Just when Meredith stepped out from the woodshed, she suddenly realized that Qira was not by her side. A huge wood log had fallen and blocked Qira's path, and Qira had dropped onto the floor. "Qira!" Meredith shouted as she ran back into the woodshed anxiously. However, Meredith was already weak and injured to the extent that she was not able to support herself anymore, let alone saving Qira. With the fire and smoke spreading rampantly, Meredith fell onto the ground and her face landed on a wood that was burning. "Ah - !" Meredith shrieked in pain. She almost passed out from the amount of pain she felt. However, she continued dragging herself across the floor to save Qira. All she could think of was saving Qira. People at the front yard finally noticed a fire had broken out and the staff had rushed over to the scene. Meredith was dragged out of the woodshed. "Let me go! Let me go…" cried Meredith as she struggled and wept, "Qira is still inside, I need to save her…I have to save her…""You crazy woman! Can't you see that the woodshed is already covered in flames?" A staff member who was holding her back scolded. Meredith of course noticed how the fire had swallowed the entire woodshed. She also saw how Qira was slowly being swallowed by the raging fire. Qira was still in the woodshed. "Qira - !" Meredith shouted out in despair. She then finally passed out. Meredith passed out because of devastation but woke up in an agonizing pain. The burning pain on her face and the excruciating pain in her stomach was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling in her heart. She opened her eyes slightly and in a hoarse voice, she asked, "Did we save Qira?" Pouring a bucket of cold water over Meredith, Ysabelle sneered, "You're finally awake huh? I was about to use salt water if you haven't woken up." Closing her eyes, Meredith finally realized that she was woken up by the bucket of cold water. "Qira…" All she could think about was how she had dragged poor Qira into her miserable situation. It was as if she had forgotten all about the burn wound on her face and the excruciating pain in her stomach. Ysabelle who had no intentions of wasting another minute on Meredith called out to Miss Linda hastily, "Get that baby out of her and throw it into the fire." She then turned around and left. Meredith finally realized why she was feeling a churning pain in her lower belly. Qira was burnt to death, there was no way that she would let her child be burnt to death. There was no way! "No! Please, I'm begging you, please don't hurt my baby!" With tears blurring her eyesight, she pleaded with Miss Linda and Miss Rosa. "My child is only six months old, please don't hurt my child…""Miss Meredith, the baby was already hurt when you were in the fire earlier. I'm afraid that you will have a premature birth. The baby will die either way if we don't get it out," explained Miss Linda. "No! It's impossible! My child will not die!" Meredith yelled as tears came running down her face. Meredith knew that her baby was malnourished and it was only six months old. It would be dangerous for the baby if she was to deliver the baby now. But the waves of cramps that she was experiencing were telling her that the baby could not stay in her any longer. "Miss Meredith, please cooperate with us and push harder," Miss Linda urged as she placed her hands on Meredith's lower belly. She then reminded her coldly, "Don't come blaming me when the child dies in your belly." Meredith did not want to give birth yet but the cramps she was feeling were getting stronger as time went by. Meredith who was gnawing on her lips to hold back the urge to scream, finally let out a painful cry. It was too painful for her to hold it in. It was excruciatingly painful as if she was being torn into pieces. She did not expect herself to be giving birth under such circumstances. "Save me, Joe! Help me - !" Meredith shrieked in pain. She was actually calling the name of the man that she despised and resented the most. Her dignity and her pride came crashing down on her at that moment. "Joe! Help me -!" Meredith cried out again and again. However, in the meantime, Josiah was sitting in front of Yena's bed and he had his eyes glued on her pale face. Josiah's mind started wandering. He suddenly heard a desperate call for help. “Joe, save me!” Josiah shivered and came back to his senses immediately. 'Was it Meredith who was crying for help? Shouldn't it be Yena? It's her who had almost lost her life, isn't it?' Josiah wondered to himself. Feeling frustrated, Josiah suddenly got up onto his feet and started pacing around the room. Finally, he made a call to his secretary, Mister Yoseph, and said, "Is Meredith up to no good again?"

Chapter 14 Chapter 14

Mister Yoseph was slightly taken aback but replied, "Not that I'm aware of, sir. The psychiatric hospital is having a dinner party tonight.""Did Meredith join?""Sir, I heard from the warden that Miss Meredith is not allowed to leave her room. Hence I think that she wouldn't be attending the dinner party.""True," Josiah scoffed. Josiah knew that Meredith was a woman with pride. It was impossible that she would lower herself and attend a dinner with a group of patients with mental issues. "Sir, if you would like to hear about Miss Meredith, I can call the warden right away.""It's fine, leave it," Josiah said. Though Josiah rejected his secretary's request, he could not help himself but dialed the warden's phone number on his phone. However, the warden was not picking up. Meredith used up almost all the strength in her and finally delivered her child. Meredith, who was still in a daze, vaguely heard Miss Linda who was saying, "Throw the child into the fire." Upon hearing this, Meredith, who almost lost consciousness, quickly moved her body that was in pain and pleaded weakly, "No, please don't kill my baby…" Reaching out her hands, Meredith struggled and finally grabbed onto Miss Rosa's shirt. She fell off from the bed that was now stained with red blood. Meredith desperately wanted to snatch her baby from Miss Rosa's hands. "Please don't kill my baby, I'm begging you…" Staring at Meredith who was crawling on the floor, Miss Rosa flung away her hands ruthlessly and walked out of the room without even looking back. "No - !" Seeing Miss Rosa disappearing from her view, Meredith started crying her heart out. Meredith finally got up on her feet, but before she could even chase after Miss Rosa, she fell onto the ground again and lost consciousness. Meredith had a dream. In that dream, she saw her child being trapped in an ocean of fire and her child was reaching out to her, crying out, "Mommy, save me, please help me…" Meredith tried her best to pull her child out of the fire but she could not move her legs. All she could do was to see her baby being burned alive while she did nothing. "No! My baby!" Meredith shouted and opened her eyes. But what she saw was Ysabelle who was scoffing at her with an evil look on her face. Tears started welling up in her eyes. In her hoarse voice, Meredith asked, "Ysabelle Layne, where is my child?""Your child?" Ysabelle smirked and said, "It burned to death. Right there in the woodshed." Meredith was startled as she thought to herself. 'So the dream was real!' Her child did ask for her help! Struggling, Meredith fell off from her bed. While crying her eyes out, Meredith staggered and stumbled her way back to the woodshed. The woodshed was already gone. All that it left were ashes. Not caring about her safety or whether her hands would get burned, Meredith rushed into the pile of ashes and started digging frantically while she whimpered, "Baby, my poor baby, where are you? Mummy's here for you!" But she could not find her baby no matter how much she tried to dig. Towering over Meredith whose limbs were sprawled across the ground, bawling her eyes out, Ysabelle crouched down and sniggered coldly, "Meredith Leighton, Josiah was the one who gave the orders. So, you should be blaming him. Oh wait, or maybe you should blame yourself for marrying a man who doesn't love you at all." Meredith dug her fingers deep into the soil as if the soil were both Josiah and Ysabelle. Meredith was fuming in rage and despair. She despised and resented both of them. "Oh dear Meredith, your husband loves another woman while you're here, pathetically hanging by a thread. He even killed you and your child, tsk tsk, don't you think you're a bit pathetic?" Shaking her head, Ysabelle mocked, "If I were you, I would have ended my life since I've got nothing else to lose, rather than staying alive just to save my enemy's life.""Oh, for your information, there's a cliff close by, just a hundred meters to your left. You can consider jumping off there," Ysabelle laughed and went on, "this is my last gentle reminder for you. Oh, and save your thanks!" Nothing left to lose… Meredith cried until she laughed, and laughed until she cried again. Ysabelle was right. She had indeed lost everything. In just one night, she had lost her best friend and her child. And the person who caused her loss was Josiah Shelby and the woman in front of her. Even if she wanted to die, she must take Ysabelle with her. The look in Meredith's eyes changed. Along with her scarred face from the fire, Meredith's face contorted in anger. Ysabelle who was smiling smugly a while ago suddenly had the urge to escape after seeing how Meredith was staring at her intently. Meredith got a hold of a knife behind her and started charging toward Ysabelle. With a push, Ysabelle fell onto the ground and saw the knife being stabbed into her lower belly. Her dress was immediately stained with blood. "Help, help me…" Ysabelle whimpered as she struggled. "Meredith…you're nuts!" Meredith had indeed gone mad. But who would not have? Just when she was about to stab Ysabelle again, Meredith was held back. "Let me go! I will kill this woman to seek justice for my baby!" Like a madwoman, Meredith struggled with all her might as she glared furiously at Ysabelle who was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. "Miss Meredith, you'll need to pay with your life if you kill Ysabelle," Miss Rosa reminded her as she tried to hold back Meredith. Seeing how Ysabelle lay in the pool of blood lifelessly, Meredith dropped the knife in her hands and started laughing maniacally. She had to pay with her life? Meredith had got nothing to lose anymore when God had taken away everything she had. Using up the last bit of strength that was left in her, Meredith staggered and stumbled all the way to the cliff. Underneath the cliff was a sea with turbulent and raging waves. Ysabelle was right. Just a leap and she would be free from all the misery and despair. She would be able to stay by her poor child's side forever. 'I'm sorry, mom…I'm sorry, Qira…I'm sorry, my baby. I wasn't able to protect you and even brought tragedy onto you…' Meredith thought to herself. Meredith started climbing onto the cliff until she was standing by the edge. With a leap, she dropped into the ocean with raging waves. She felt herself being enveloped in cold, cold water. As soon as she received the news of Meredith's death, Ysabelle finally got up from the floor. She purposely left the stab wound untreated and left the psychiatric hospital in pain. As soon as she saw Josiah, Ysabelle showed the wound to him and started wailing, "Josiah, Meredith started a fire just to escape and even stabbed me! And I heard from the staff that Meredith ran all the way to the cliff and…she…" Ysabelle sobbed pitifully as she tried to explain the situation to Josiah. She was still waiting for Josiah to comfort her and to ask her about the wound. But Josiah did not do any of those. Josiah who had always been calm and collected suddenly got anxious. He felt his stomach drop. Josiah tried to act calm but his voice trembled as he urged Ysabelle, "Go on, say it, what happened to Meredith?!"