Chapter 5

Nina froze. She couldn't fathom why Shane was asking this, nor did she know how to answer. Silence was her only option. Marriage? Thanks to Shane, she had long lost interest in romance. If she had to say anything, it would be that her only goal now was to save enough money to leave the Lawsons, escape from the madman Shane, and disappear. But Shane was determined to hear her answer. His voice turned colder. "Speak." Nina had no choice but to respond, "Whether I marry or not depends on you, doesn't it?" Shane leaned in and gripped her chin, his words chilling. "Forget about any unnecessary thoughts. For the rest of your life, you will stay by my side." Nina's eyes widened. This was her worst fear. She swallowed her frustration, but she couldn't hold back. With a biting tone, she retorted, "Of course. After all, even if I wanted to get married, who would want a woman who's already been ruined?" The moment her words landed, the temperature in the car plummeted. A dark storm brewed in Shane's gaze. His grip tightened, leaving a glaring red mark on her skin. "Take that back." Nina had no idea what had triggered his fury this time, but from past experience, she knew better than to provoke him further. She would be the one to suffer if she did. It was a lesson learned over the past three years. "Fine. I take it back." Yet Shane's expression didn't soften in the slightest. He let go of her abruptly, pushed open the car door, and left. Nina felt utterly drained. She had no idea what Shane really wanted, but deep inside, she sensed danger. Her hand moved instinctively to her lower abdomen, her expression growing resolute. The child couldn't stay, and she had to get rid of it as soon as possible. … The next morning, Nina arrived at the office early. Just as she sat down, Daisy Claire from the secretary's office approached with a stack of documents. "Nina, the general manager asked me to take these to the top-floor conference room, but the entrance requires fingerprint access. You're the only one in the secretary's office with clearance. Could you come with me?" Nina hesitated. She had already checked the day's schedule—there were no meetings planned. "Wait a moment. Let me confirm with Mr. Lawson." Before she could finish, Daisy cut her off, "It's not Mr. Lawson's meeting. Why would you call him?" There was a mocking tone in her voice. "Our company isn't run by just one person, you know. Besides, even if we made a mistake, it's just a wasted trip. "No big deal. We get paid to do our job, don't we? No matter who we are, once we step into this company, we should act like proper employees. Don't you think so?" Nina caught the underlying meaning. Even since Wendy returned to the Lawson family, David had given her the title of general manager to make up for her years of suffering outside. In reality, it was nothing more than a glorified idle position with no real responsibilities. But regardless of the truth, Nina knew she had no choice but to go. Wendy was eager to prove she was the true Lawson heiress, while Nina had long been cast aside. Wendy wanted to trample over her at every turn. And many in the company agreed. The elevator stopped at the top floor. Nina scanned her fingerprint to unlock the door. They had barely stepped in when Daisy shoved the documents into Nina's hands. "I suddenly need to use the restroom. Wait here for me." With that, Daisy hurried away. Nina stood there for a while, but Daisy never returned. Sighing, Nina walked toward the restroom. "Daisy?" As she called out, she took a few steps inside. The next second, a strong force slammed into her back and caused her to stumble, crashing into a stall. Before she could react, the door behind her slammed shut with a loud bang. From outside, Daisy's gleeful laughter rang out. "This is just a little lesson to remind you of your place. Stop acting so shamelessly! Did you really think you were still the Lawson family's princess?" Struggling to her feet, Nina tried to push open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Something heavy had been wedged against it. Then, a bucket of ice-cold water poured down from above. There was nowhere to dodge in the cramped stall. The freezing liquid drenched her from head to toe. Outside, Daisy tossed aside the bucket and made a call, sounding triumphant. "Ms. Lawson, I did exactly as you asked. That bitch is locked on the top floor. "I've been waiting to do this for ages. Don't worry. No one else knows. It's all taken care of." Sitting on the toilet, soaked and shivering, Nina listened as Daisy's footsteps faded away. A sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen. Her limbs felt numb, her blood frozen. She pulled out her phone to call for help, but after scrolling through her contacts, she realized the only person she could reach was Shane. With pale fingers, she tapped on his number. Each ring dragged out painfully long. "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later." She called twice, but Shane never answered. Her hands trembled. She was about to dial 911 when her phone, soaked in water, flickered and went black. Pain and cold wrapped around her like a vice. Her thoughts grew sluggish. She stared at the dark screen, realizing this had to be Shane's punishment for her. Her consciousness grew heavier. If she stayed here, she might die, and no one would even know. Gritting her teeth, she bit down on her tongue to stay awake. She kicked off her heels, climbed onto the toilet, and gripped the stall wall, forcing herself up. The moment she exerted strength, pain ripped through her abdomen. Her face turned white, but she bit her lip, pushing through the agony inch by inch. Finally, she managed to hoist herself halfway over the divider. She had almost no energy left. Gathering her last bit of strength, she reached for the toilet tank in the next stall. But exhaustion weighed her down. Her grip failed, and she fell. With a loud thud, she crashed into the next stall, pain shooting through her body. For a long moment, she couldn't move. Drenched, freezing, and exhausted, she had reached her limit. Then, something warm trickled down her legs. She didn't even need a doctor to tell her—the baby was gone. That was her last conscious thought before darkness took over.