「The next day.」
Nina Walsh, her eyes red and swollen, appeared at the hospital's OB/GYN department with a numb expression.
"You're the type who has difficulty conceiving. If you lose this baby, it's very likely you'll never be able to get pregnant again. Are you absolutely sure you want to terminate this pregnancy?" the doctor asked, seeking confirmation.
Nina Walsh froze. 'I'm the type who has difficulty conceiving?'
'But Aiden Sinclair doesn't want me anymore. Why should I keep the child?'
After a long moment of hesitation, Nina Walsh finally nodded. "I'm sure."
"Then sign here. After you've paid the fee, head to the operating room for the procedure."
Just as Nina Walsh took the form and stepped out of the consultation room, she heard a nurse call out a name.
"Clara Jacobs—"
"Here."
Nina Walsh couldn't help but look back. She saw Clara Jacobs being supported by a man as she limped into the VIP OB/GYN clinic.
The man had a cold, distinguished air about him, one unmatched in all of Crestfall.
Aiden Sinclair might have seemed aloof and otherworldly on the surface, but in bed, he was always aggressive. With his endless stamina, he had hurt Nina Walsh on several occasions.
But every time, she had to come for check-ups by herself. She'd never even dreamed of being accompanied like this.
'Is this the difference between true love and just being a fling?'
As if sensing her gaze, Aiden Sinclair turned to look in her direction just before entering the room.
Nina Walsh lowered her head, turned, and left.
...
"Take off your pants and lie down."
Nina Walsh took off her pants and lay on the operating table, her legs resting in the stirrups. She felt like an animal waiting for slaughter; it was a horribly degrading position.
The image of Aiden Sinclair with Clara Jacobs kept replaying in her mind. It wasn't until the surgical tray was rolled over that she snapped out of it. Seeing she was all alone, the doctor said earnestly, "Young women should have more self-respect. If you ruin your body now, you might not be able to have children later when you want them."
Nina Walsh turned her head and saw the cold, glinting steel of the surgical forceps. A shiver of fear shot through her.
As the speculum was inserted, Nina Walsh's back arched reflexively, her body curling up like a frightened shrimp.
"Doctor, I... I think I need to use the restroom."
Nina Walsh scrambled off the operating table and ran into the restroom. She leaned against the sink, her legs trembling uncontrollably.
After a long moment, she splashed her face with cold water until the stinging in her eyes finally subsided.
'It's just a baby. I don't need Aiden Sinclair. I can earn enough to raise it on my own.'
'Why should I harm my body and destroy a life just for some scumbag?'
Having calmed down, Nina Walsh dried her face and was about to leave the hospital when a door in the hallway suddenly swung open. A large hand clamped over her mouth, pulling her inside and pinning her against the back of the door.
That chilling, masculine scent was all too familiar.
Behind them was the busy corridor. Aiden Sinclair rested his head in the crook of her neck, his practiced hand slipping inside her clothes. Anyone who glanced through the small window on the door would see the two of them in a compromising position.
Unable to push him away, she could only try to block his wandering hand under her clothes.
"Show some respect."
"Respect?"
Aiden Sinclair snorted. "Didn't you used to love the thrill? Or have you forgotten being on display for the whole city on that Ferris wheel?"
Nina Walsh's chest tightened.
Aiden Sinclair had agreed to marry her, but he always kept her at arm's length. Only when they were intimate could she feel any passion from him.
He was so far above her, with a constant stream of women vying for his attention. It made Nina Walsh feel deeply insecure, constantly terrified of losing him. She found herself unconsciously trying to please him, forcing herself to be uninhibited and cater to his desires in bed.
She didn't even like Ferris wheels. She wasn't looking for a thrill up there; she was terrified of heights and was just clinging to him for dear life. But he had deliberately taken advantage of the situation, teasing and touching her at the very top.
"This is assault. I'm calling the police."
Aiden Sinclair laughed out loud, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Speaking of the police, that reminds me I'm missing something. The bidding proposals from my laptop—do you have them?"
Nina Walsh froze, then firmly denied it. "I didn't."
Aiden Sinclair ignored her, roughly pulling at her clothes.
Nina Walsh looked at Aiden Sinclair in horror, "What are you doing?"
Aiden Sinclair replied, "A body search."
Nina Walsh tried to dodge, but he stripped off her light jacket, leaving her in just a thin tank top.
The large rose tattoo on her back was exposed. Paired with the suggestive marks on her nape, it created a stunning visual, like a flower in its final, most brilliant bloom.
Nina Walsh wrapped her arms around herself, her body trembling uncontrollably. A sudden, intense fear gripped her. 'If Aiden Sinclair doesn't find what he's looking for, will he have someone strip me naked in front of everyone?'
"What's this?"
Aiden Sinclair pulled a USB drive from the pocket of Nina Walsh's jacket.
Nina Walsh scrambled to snatch it back. "Give that back."
Aiden Sinclair clenched his fist around the drive. "So nervous?"
"Give it back! That's mine. I didn't steal your files."
"Whether you did or not, you can explain it to the police."
SLAP—
Nina Walsh's hand flew out, striking Aiden Sinclair hard across the face.
"Aiden Sinclair, does tormenting me make you feel powerful?"
Tears welled in Nina Walsh's eyes as she gritted her teeth and forced the words out.
Aiden Sinclair tasted the coppery tang of blood in his mouth, and his eyes turned sinister. "Who do you have to blame? Weren't you the one who agreed to the terms without a second thought? When you make a gamble, you have to be prepared to lose everything."
It was as if a knife had already been plunged into Nina Walsh's heart, and she was barely clinging to life with every breath. Now, Aiden Sinclair had just ripped that knife out, and the gushing wound was about to kill her.
'She had been blinded by lust!'
Two years ago, a car accident had robbed Nina Walsh of all her memories. The first person she saw upon waking was Aiden Sinclair, and she latched onto him as her one and only, shamelessly insisting on marrying him. She had agreed even when he laid out his harsh conditions.
Aiden Sinclair had agreed to marry her, but only on the condition of a two-year trial period. During this time, she was forbidden from revealing their relationship, interfering with his private life, getting jealous, questioning his schedule, or showing up to see him unannounced.
If she passed this two-year test, he would give her a lavish wedding and make her his wife in name and in fact.
For Nina Walsh, it had truly been an all-or-nothing gamble. And now, she had lost. Completely and utterly.
"Aiden—"
Clara Jacobs had appeared at the doorway at some point, and was now looking timidly at Aiden Sinclair. "Aiden, I'm ready."
Aiden Sinclair's expression softened. He walked over to Clara Jacobs's side. "All set? Let's go, then. I'll take you out to eat."
"Okay." Clara Jacobs sweetly took Aiden Sinclair's arm, and the two walked away, talking and laughing together.
After Aiden Sinclair left, his assistant, Jay Keane, stepped in front of Nina Walsh. "Miss Walsh, your theft of confidential documents from Aethel Group constitutes a criminal offense. The Aethel Group can press charges against you."
"I didn't do it." Nina Walsh picked her clothes up from the floor and silently put them on.
Jay Keane took out his phone and played a surveillance video for her.
"This is from the security cameras inside Lividia Villa. The footage clearly shows you accessing Mr. Sinclair's laptop yesterday. The evidence is undeniable."
Nina Walsh froze. 'I never knew there were 24-hour security cameras in the villa.'
A mocking smile touched her bloodless lips. She raised her hands. "In that case, go ahead. Send me to prison."
'Since he doesn't believe me, there's no point in saying anything.'
Jay Keane said, "Mr. Sinclair says that, for the sake of the past two years, he's willing to give you one more chance, Miss Walsh."