Chapter 18
757words
"Wren," Kai called out.
Wren stared at his bruised and swollen face for several seconds before recognizing him.
She instinctively stepped back while protecting her belly. "What happened to you?"
"Luther was in a bad mood and took it out on me. What about you? Are you about to give birth?"
Kai's eyes fell on her stomach, and his tone softened. "Luther's anger will pass. This is the Spencer family's only child. They won't just ignore you.
"Wren, I've helped out a lot regarding you and Luther. Now that my sister's gone, you're the only one who can say something good about me to Luther."
Wren finally smiled. "As long as you're sensible, these things are easy to handle. I always repay any kindness shown to me."
"Where are you heading now?" he continued to ask.
"I'm going to the 17th floor for an ultrasound."
"That's just one floor up," Kai said while glancing toward the elevator.
"The elevator's going to take a while. Let me help you up the stairs. You'll owe me one."
Wren didn't think much of it and handed him her arm. Kai supported her as they entered the stairwell, and they began walking up.
"Luther said before that once you give birth, he's planning to send you far away. The child will stay with my sister, and he'll call her 'Mom.' It'll be like she had the baby herself.
"But as a hired surrogate, how dare you covet what belongs to Cally?"
Kai's voice grew colder with every word.
Wren's skin prickled with goosebumps. "What do you mean? I'm warning you—this is the Spencer family's grandchild. If you hurt me, they won't let you off.
"Kai, you're hurting me! Let go!" she cried out as he tightened his grip on her arm, nearly breaking it.
"Help—"
Just then, Kai threw her with all his strength. Wren tumbled down the stairs, landing hard on the platform below.
A large pool of blood quickly spread across the floor, staining everything in its path.
"It hurts… My baby…"
Wren lay motionless as she writhed in pain. She was even unable to scream. Her pleading eyes turned to Kai.
"Please… help me… the baby…"
Kai didn't move an inch.
Was this how Callista felt when she had to give up her child? Was her pain like this too?
The blood on the platform kept growing. It even tricked down the steps. Wren's breathing grew faint until she finally lost consciousness.
Kai stood there for a long time before taking out his phone. He snapped a picture and posted it on his social media.
"Cally, please forgive me. Will you?"
It was the only way he could think of to reach Callista.
A piercing scream broke the silence as the stairwell door burst open. The commotion brought people running, and Wren was rushed to the emergency room.
Kai followed calmly. As the doctors worked to save her, the police arrived.
Kai extended his hands without resistance. "After the rescue is done, I'll go with you."
An hour later, the emergency room doors opened.
"The baby couldn't be saved. The mother suffered severe bleeding, and we had to perform a hysterectomy to save her life. She'll be moved to the ICU for observation until she's out of danger."
Kai's lips curled into a bitter smile after hearing this. He thought to himself, "See that, Cally? The baby's gone. Wren can't hurt you anymore."
He glanced at his phone expectantly but saw no response from Callista. He knew then that she would never forgive him.
Kai's body trembled uncontrollably as he buried his face in his hands and sobbed. His post went viral, setting the internet ablaze and dragging the Spencer family into yet another scandal.
Comments began flooding the post again.
"The fact that Kai is asking for Callista's forgiveness means he knew about Luther's affair, right? Maybe he even helped cover it up?"
"God, imagine being Callista. Betrayed by both your husband and your brother. I feel suffocated just thinking about it."
"The most painful wounds always come from the ones closest to you."
The news reached Luther almost immediately.
Arthur spoke cautiously. "Mr. Spencer, the board wants you to release a statement and control the narrative. If you don't, you'll be forced to step down as CEO."
Luther picked up his phone and made his first post in days.
