Love Lost in Crimson

After seven years of marriage, Alaric Williams never suspected that everyone in my familyexcept mewas utterly unhinged.

My father, Arthur Blackwood, was a ruthless crime lord; my brother, Rhys, collected victims' remains. Since my mother Eleanors death, they raised me, Elara, like a hothouse flower, with twisted affection. They always swore, with chilling calm, that anyone who hurt me would be torn apart.

On the day I went into labor, Alarics assistant Chloe Vance screamed about a vaginal tear and sent the doctors away. Clutching his hand, I pleaded hoarsely: Alaric, get them back. If my family finds out youre doing this, youre dead.

He shook me off coldly. Still lying? Im a billionaire noweven the mayor respects me. Why would I fear them?

Voice detached, he added, Remember when Chloes blood sugar dropped and you made me attend that dinner? Now youre in labor. Tough it out till she recoversyou wont die.

The door slammed. Agony tore through me. With trembling fingers, I pressed the emergency button hidden in my necklacenot for ordinary guards, but for the Raven Syndicate, the worlds most feared mercenaries.

1.

Alaric didnt return that night. Dragging my bleeding body, I painstakingly crawled to the door. Looking up, I saw Mr. Poirot, Alaric's executive assistant, leaning against the wall, his eyes as cold as a winter storm.

"Please call a doctor my baby my baby is dying"

I reached out, my trembling fingers trying to grip the hem of his trousers. Mr. Poirot kicked my hand away, his disgust palpable.

"Every doctor in this hospital has been called by Mr. Williams to attend to Ms. Vance. Mrs. Williams, you'll just have to wait patiently."

The blood beneath me spread, a growing crimson stain, and my abdomen spasmed with the searing pain of a blunt knife. "Im about to give birth! What injury could possibly be more important than a woman in labor?!"

He chuckled, a cynical, humorless sound. "Mrs. Williams, you haven't heard? Last night, Mr. Williams put Ms. Vance through quite a night. Her intimate tearing was rather severe. Mr. Williams was heartbroken and immediately ordered all doctors to stay by her side."

"You you said what?" My mind went blank, a chilling plunge into an icy abyss. Even the agonizing pain in my belly couldn't override the suffocating tightness in my chest. I clung to his trousers, desperately pleading. "Please, call Alaric. Tell him to come see me and the baby, even if it's just for a moment"

"Dont waste your breath, Mrs. Williams." Mr. Poirots voice was arctic. "With Ms. Vance in his arms, why would Mr. Williams care about you? You and your baby, if you dont die, you'll just have to endure it. If you do, well, it serves you right."

His words were daggers, piercing my heart. He was right. Alaric wouldn't care. His thoughts, his world, were entirely consumed by Chloe Vance. How could he possibly save me? I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but the blood loss overwhelmed me. My vision blurred, and I collapsed into unconsciousness.

2.

In my dream, I was falling, endlessly, into a bottomless chasm. When I opened my eyes again, I saw my father, Arthur, crouching by the villa's swimming pool. He held a bloody piece of meat, tossing it into the water. The fish, their bellies distended, their scales an eerie, blood-red, devoured it greedily. He turned to me, a chilling smile on his face, telling me how the scales of fish fed human flesh were the most beautiful, perfect for my bookmarks. My brother, Rhys, leaned against the glass door, proudly showing me a bracelet hed fashioned from human bones.

Back then, Id just witnessed my mothers sudden death, and the darkness terrified me. Alaric, no matter how late his engagements, would always return early to be by my side, waking before dawn to go to work. I casually mentioned I loved the stars, and he spent millions to buy the observatory outside the city, a birthday gift just for me. An heiress from a prominent family, desperate to be with him, offered him a billion-dollar project to force him to break up with me. To reassure me, he blocked her number and declared publicly, "The only woman I will ever love in this life is Elara Blackwood."

I believed him.

So I defied my family, helped him build his empire from the ground up, shielded him from countless schemes, and even deliberately cut ties with my own family for him. He'd held me countless times, whispering, "Elara, once the company goes public, I'll take you on a world tour, pamper you like a princess."

But now? That man, who swore he'd never betray me, was watching me bleed to death in a hospital, all for another woman!

A baby's cry pierced through my hazy consciousness. The next moment, I was jolted back to reality. Looking at Mr. Poirot beside me, I forced the words past my pain. "Mr. Poirot, years ago, my father personally chose you to protect me. You know my family's methods better than anyone."

He said nothing, but his trembling hands betrayed his terror.

"What do you want?"

A pallid, bitter laugh escaped me. "My father and brother will be here any minute. If you don't get a doctor now, when they arrive, you'll be buried alive, your body never found!"

Mr. Poirot instantly paled, his whole body shaking, scrambling to find a doctor. Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something. A twisted smile spread across his face, and he whirled around, slapping me hard across the cheek!

The sharp crack echoed in the room, my head snapping to the side. "This is Mr. Williams's private hospital, built in the deepest wilderness! Forget satellites, even a god couldn't find this place!"

I gasped for air, my weak voice filled with a venomous resolve. "You're all too late. I've already sent out my location."

His face instantly turned ashen, his legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor, his eyes wide with a ghostly horror. "Th that's not true"

I gritted my teeth, every word a fresh surge of cold sweat-inducing pain. "Go get a doctor now. If my father comes, I'll put in a word for you and you might keep your miserable life. Otherwise next year's this day will be your death anniversary!"

Mr. Poirot, utterly terrified, fumbled for his phone, scrambling out of the room like a madman. I lay on the bed, my belly churning with knife-like spasms, but the knot of dread in my heart finally loosened, if only by a fraction.

3.

When Mr. Poirot finally pushed the doctor in, the sight of me, drenched in blood, made him explode!

"Are you insane?!" He stomped his foot, pointing at my belly in exasperation. "The mother is barely clinging to life! The baby is breached, the pulse so faint it's almost undetectable. Five more minutes and it'll be a double tragedy!"

The doctor swiftly checked my pulse, then pried open my eyelids, shouting, "Get the delivery kit! And bring the high-potency stimulant! She needs to stay conscious, we cant afford any more complications!"

A needle plunged in, and the icy liquid flowed into my veins. My mind, which had been a blur, instantly sharpened. Finally, my baby and I had a chance

The doctor had just picked up a scalpel when the door to my room burst open with a resounding crash! Chloes mother, Serena Vance, stormed in, shoving the doctor to the ground.

"Last night, Alaric and my daughter were up until dawn, and her wound has torn again! She can barely stand! I order you to go save her immediately, or I swear I'll have you run out of this city!"

She turned to glare at me, her face practically glowing with smug satisfaction. "My daughter is Mr. Williams's most cherished darling! He said, every doctor in the city must prioritize her!" Then, with a sneer, she kicked my belly, her eyes filled with utter disdain. "Elara Blackwood, don't think that just because you have a face that could launch a thousand ships and helped Alaric build his empire, you're hot stuff. Look at yourself, what are you? You don't deserve to be Mrs. Williams!"

I writhed in pain, gathering the last ounce of my strength to spit right onto her fleshy face. Serenas face instantly contorted, turning green, and she raised her hand to strike me.

"You witch! Today, I'll teach you a lesson for my daughter, so you'll know who the real mistress of the Williams household is!"

Mr. Poirot, horrified, lunged forward, desperately blocking her. "Mrs. Vance, Mrs. Williams is barely alive! If you do anything more, she and the baby will die!"

"So what?" She laughed, a terrifying, twisted sound, and shouted for two bodyguards from outside the door. "Hold her down! Daring to steal my daughter's man, today you'll learn what it means to wish for death!"

Two burly men rushed in, gripping my arms and legs with iron strength. Powerless, I could only watch as she snatched a solid wooden stick from the corner of the room.

"Giving birth isn't supposed to be painless, is it? Screaming like a stuck pig, how delicate!" She patted my face with cruel glee, the wooden stick poking my belly. "The baby's breached, so what? Just roll this stick on her belly a few times, and the baby will come out, won't it?"

My pupils constricted in terror, and I struggled frantically. "You wouldn't dare! Alaric will kill you if he finds out!"

She laughed even harder, a deranged cackle, raising the stick and pressing it down hard, rolling it across my swollen belly!

"My daughter is the apple of Alaric's eye! If you and this bastard die, he'll be thrilled!"

The moment the stick pressed against my skin, I shrieked in agony. My insides felt dislocated, and the baby in my womb struggled violently for a moment, then went completely still!

"No! My baby!" I screamed, a heart-wrenching wail, tears streaming down my face, mixing with sweat. She ignored me, continuing to roll the wooden stick back and forth across my belly, each push with all her might. My skin burned, my organs felt like they were being shredded, and I convulsed in pain, my consciousness fading. Mr. Poirot was drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Stop! She'll really die if you keep this up!"

"Get out!" Serena kicked him away, raising the wooden stick again, aiming for my groin. "Might as well finish the job, make sure you can never have children again, then see if Alaric still wants you!"

Just as the stick was about to descend again, a furious roar echoed from behind her.

"Elara!"

4.

Alaric rushed forward, shoving Serena aside. "Mr. Williams why are you here?"

The blood Id lost soaked the sheets. My belly was red and purple from the beating, swollen to a horrifying degree. Alaric looked at me, his eyes bloodshot, and spun around, roaring, "Who gave you the audacity?! How dare you touch my woman and child!"

Chloe, her eyes red and tear-filled, clung to Alarics sleeve. "Alaric please dont blame my mom. Punish me instead. Its all my fault, I couldnt stop her"

Chloe sobbed, gasping for breath, then abruptly shifted her tone. "But Elara always hits and scolds me, saying I'm a temptress and unworthy of you When my mom came to visit, Elara even hit her. I dont know what I did wrong for Elara to hate me so much!" She said, rolling up her sleeve to reveal faint, old scars on her arm. "These are all from Elara hitting me before. I never dared tell you, fearing you'd be put in a difficult position. My mom just lost her temper; she really didn't mean to"

Alarics gaze instantly turned icy, his eyes fixed on me, his voice brimming with disappointment. "Elara Blackwood, I thought you were merely spoiled, but I never imagined you were this vicious!"

His words were like an ice pick, brutally stabbing my heart! Whatever last vestige of hope I had for him shattered into dust! Alarics eyes darkened. "It seems Ive pampered you too much, allowing you to become so lawless! You need to learn your lesson! Whatever punishment Chloe desires, you will accept it!"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Alaric! Are you blind?! They were trying to kill our baby!"

Chloe, seeing this, whimpered softly. "Alaric, Elara is just too anxious. I once heard an old shaman say that ice silkworms can calm the blood and help with labor, without harming the baby"

No sooner had she spoken than a bodyguard brought in a dark box. Inside, countless silver-white worms writhed, their bodies gleaming with a cold light, emitting faint, viscous hissing sounds that made my skin crawl!

"These ice silkworms love to suck pregnant blood. They cling to the skin and burrow into the flesh. The coolness will numb the pain, helping Elara calm down and give birth properly." Chloe smiled innocently, already pinching an ice silkworm between her fingers.

Alaric glanced at the box, frowning in hesitant thought. Chloe quickly shook his arm, pouting. "Alaric, the doctor is here. The baby will be fine. I'm just trying to help Elara have a safe delivery."

He paused for less than three seconds, then spoke in a low, grim voice.

"Do it."

Chloes eyes flashed with triumphant glee. She pressed the ice silkworm onto my swollen, red belly!

"Ah!"

A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped my body. The ice silkworms, with their fangs bared, ravenously burrowed into my flesh, devouring my blood and skin! I convulsed, screaming in agony. "Alaric, stop them that's your own flesh and blood!"

The ice silkworms crawled swiftly along the bloody tracks, and my belly quickly turned blue and purple. The coldness, coupled with the searing pain, made my vision dim. I lay in a pool of blood, consumed by despair. "Father Rhys where are you?"

As the last tear slipped from my eye, I stopped struggling.

A thunderous BOOM!

The door exploded outwards, shattered by a bomb, sending splinters of wood flying! My father, Arthur, covered in blood, stormed in. His eyes swept over the box of worms in Chloes hand, the stunned Alaric, and finally landed on my barely breathing form. They instantly turned scarlet.

"It seems my fish will have fresh bait to eat!"

Rhys casually followed behind, his eyes fixed on Chloe with a look of terrifying fascination. "That face it would make a perfect lampshade."