It felt like something inside me split clean in half.
I begged after that. I said everything I could think of. I told them I was pregnant. I told them I would do anything—anything at all—if they would just stop.
But he turned away before I could finish.
When the final bid came through, the voice declared, “Sold.”
I don’t remember walking off that stage.
Only being dragged through corridors. Cold hands. Locked doors. A dim room that smelled like smoke and expensive alcohol. I kept repeating it like a prayer that might save me.
“I’m pregnant… please… don’t…”
No one listened.
Pain, noise, panic—it all blurred together until the door suddenly slammed open.
“Enough!”
A voice cut through everything like thunder.
Chaos erupted. Shouting. Fists hitting walls. Someone falling hard against furniture.
And then—arms caught me.
Steady. Strong. Real.
When my vision cleared, I saw him.
Vincent Wolfe.
Matteo’s rival.
“Stay with me,” he said firmly, holding me as if I might disappear. “You’re safe now.”
Safe.
The word didn’t feel real anymore.
And then everything went dark.
When I woke again, it was white ceilings, soft beeping machines, and the sharp smell of disinfectant. My body felt heavy, like it didn’t belong to me anymore.
I turned my head.
Vincent was sitting nearby, watching me in silence.
“My baby…” My voice cracked immediately. “Where is my baby?”
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze dropped instead.
That was enough.
A doctor came in moments later, clipboard in hand, face tight with pity that made my chest tighten even more.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Grant,” she said gently. “There was severe internal bleeding. The pregnancy couldn’t be saved.”
The room tilted.
“And…” she hesitated, softer now, “the damage is significant. It may not be possible for you to conceive in the future.”
Silence swallowed everything.
It felt like something was being pulled out of me—something I could never get back.
Tears slid silently into my hair as I stared at the ceiling, completely hollowed out.
Vincent stood up, his voice low but sharp. “He’s going to regret this.”
A laugh escaped me—but it sounded broken, wrong.
“He already destroyed everything.”
Vincent stepped closer. “Then don’t stay broken. Take it back.”
I turned my head slowly, eyes burning. “Why would you help me?”
His answer came without hesitation.
“Because I want him to fall too.”
For a long time, I just looked at him.
A stranger who pulled me out of ruin.