Chapter 4
He was screaming now, voice completely unraveling,
I stared at the screen for a moment, then gently swiped my finger.
Call ended.
Phone off.
I sat on the hospital bed, fingers absently stroking the sheets as my best friend, Ashley, spoke in hushed tones on the phone.
After a few seconds, she hung up and looked at me.
“Don’t worry, everything’s arranged,” she said with her usual steady tone. “We’re going ahead with the plan.”
I nodded slightly, my voice calm and detached.
“Alright.”
The pack doctor pushed open the door, holding my chart, his expression serious.
“Luna, I need to confirm one last time before the procedure-”
He flipped through the file, then looked up at me, his tone cautious.
“The fetus is in the late stages. This will require induced labor, which might affect future fertility. Are you certain?”
My eyes remained steady, unwavering.
“I’m sure.”
He paused, then asked,
“Will any family be accompanying you?”
Family?
A quiet scoff escaped my lips.
The same so–called “family” who claimed to love and protect me were now deceiving and manipulating me—
waiting for me to deliver a baby they could hand over to someone else like a transaction.
I raised my eyes to meet the doctor’s, my voice calm–unnervingly calm–as I replied:
“No. As far as I’m concerned, they’re all dead.”
He looked at me for a long moment, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he simply sighed and nodded to the nurse.
“Prepare to move her to the operating room.”
The door closed slowly.
The world fell into silence, broken only by the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor.
This… was the first choice I had ever made solely for myself.
It was alright.
Without them, I would still live well. Better, even.
After the surgery, I hadn’t fully regained consciousness when I heard a familiar voice by my side.
“Landon kept calling,” Ashley said. “I gave him a fake address, but he’ll probably figure it out soon.”
I opened my eyes and met Ashley’s worried gaze.
How are you feeling?” she asked softly, cautious.
For a second, I was dazed. I instinctively reached for my belly-
Flat.
My fingertips lingered on the empty skin, as if trying to confirm something. Or retrieve something lost.
Chapter 4
R
ReelShort
Their seer
2.25%
Ashley hesitated, then asked tentatively,
“Do you… regret it?”
I didn’t respond.
My fingers slowly curled, nails digging into my palm until it hurt, then released.
Regret?
How could I regret this?
What I felt wasn’t sorrow.
It was hatred.
Hatred for their lies. Hatred at myself for not seeing through it sooner.
But it was fine.
At least… they didn’t win.
I looked up, a faint, cold smile curling on my lips.
“Not even a little bit.”
I reached for the drawer beside the bed and took out a folder I’d prepared earlier.
“I’ve already signed it,” my voice was hoarse but clear.
Ashley took it, flipped through the pages, and froze.
“A bond- severing deal?”
I nodded.
“Send it out. Now.”
She didn’t ask anything further.
“No problem.”
After a brief pause, she added,
“Those stocks you bought under my name paid off. I’ll transfer the money to your account.”
I lowered my eyes, my voice flat.
“Good.”
After another pause, I let out a small, sharp laugh. My eyes narrowed.
“Don’t let them know yet. Once I’ve healed…, I’ll deal with them–one by one.”
The next day, hurried footsteps echoed outside the hospital room.
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, fingers gripping the blanket.
So they had come.
The door slammed open.
Landon rushed in first.
The moment he saw me lying on the hospital bed, his face drained of color–panic flooding his eyes.
“Lauren! What are you doing? This is a misunderstanding–just let me explain!”
He hurried to my bedside, his voice frantie.
Chapter 4
