Lauren’s heart pounded in fear as the door slammed shut in her face. She felt a chill run down her spine, a growing sense of unease creeping over her. Something was wrong.She banged on the door desperately, but it wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, she kicked and pulled at the handle, hoping to catch the attention of the bodyguard.Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her daughter. The state she was in broke her heart. She couldn’t believe what had happened. Just as she was about to continue her frantic attempts at the door, the bathroom door creaked open.Asper Stanley stepped out, wearing only a robe and rubbing his golden hair with a towel. Lauren stared at him, stunned.“So it was you,” she breathed, her voice trembling. She should have known it all along. Asper and her stepsister, Katherine, were the only ones who can hurt her and her daughter like this. But she never imagined Asper could be so cruel, so twisted.A smug grin spread across Asper’s face as he approached her. “Of

Ethan was overwhelmed by a swirl of emotions as he rushed toward Miracle Hospital. If the call had truly come from his daughter, it meant Lauren had been pregnant before he left. His eyes widened in shock as the truth sank in.So... Lauren had been enduring mistreatment and harsh criticism while being pregnant? Did I really leave a pregnant woman all alone?He couldn't imagine all what she would have gone through.A sense of suffocation filled Ethan as his breathing became strained. The guilt weighed on him so heavily that he didn’t even realize when a tear fell down his cheek.He had been so selfish, so consumed by his own needs. While the Walkers might not have killed Lauren, he knew they could have mistreated her to the point where she might wish she were dead.On top of that, her mother seemed to care nothing for her well-being. She was only interested in the Walker family's wealth. Lauren was treated like a servant, while Katherine her step sister was treated as the favored child.

Lauren's fists clenched against the ropes that bound her. She couldn’t let this happen. Her mind raced, searching for any words she could say to Asper to save Maya. But in this moment of helplessness, all she could do was curse Ethan for abandoning her, for leaving her to fend for herself in this cruel place with their child."Why?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Why did you leave me, Ethan? Why didn't you take us with you?" Her voice cracked under the weight of years of unanswered questions.Asper leaned in closer, his face twisting into a mocking smirk. "That’s not something you’ll ever get an answer to. He chose to run away and left you behind. And you… well, you’re just a pawn in this game now. I can manipulate you and your child as I wish."Tears streamed down Lauren’s face as she stared at him. She had nothing left to lose—nothing except Maya. And she would fight for her daughter’s life until her last breath."If you harm her, Asper, I swear to you, I will make you regret i

Lauren grabbed the doctor’s collar harshly.“Why would you do that? Why the hell would you release my daughter to Asper’s men? Don’t you have security to call on?”“Calm down, Miss Lauren. We thought the man was her father,” the doctor replied, his voice shaking.“Her father, my foot!”Lauren turned swiftly toward Ethan, grabbing his hands. “You have soldiers with you, right? You have to save Maya—she’s probably somewhere in one of Asper’s houses. She has a pin stuck in her eyebrow and eyelashes together; she needs surgery as soon as possible!” Her voice trembled with panic.Ethan took a deep breath and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Listen to me, Lauren. I’m Maya’s father, aren’t I? So… Maya is with me.” He pointed to his chest, his voice calm but firm.“What? You… you…” Lauren faltered, speechless. The reality hit her hard. Ethan was the father the doctor had mentioned. But how did he know Maya was in the hospital?“Where is she?” Lauren demanded, her voice tight.“At my

Lauren shouted as tears poured down her face. Ethan rushed to her, pulling her into his arms."I’m sorry, Lauren. Deeply sorry. I regret everything. I didn’t know you were pregnant," he said, his voice full of remorse."Even if I wasn’t pregnant, does that make it right to leave me alone? To endure the maltreatment, the criticism, the ridicule? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? What we went through? We went through hell, Ethan! If it hadn’t been for Maya, I would’ve ended it all. I would have died!""I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t. You are important to me, and we should have faced everything together. I should have taken you with me. I’m sorry—deeply sorry.""Take your hands off me." Lauren pushed away from him, her voice cold. "Your apologies won’t change anything, nor will they bring justice for everything we've suffered.""I know." Ethan's tone hardened. "I promise you, those who hurt you and our daughter will not go unpunished."Lauren raised an eyebrow, her expres