Chapter 3

Before Margaret could respond, Madison added her mocking commentary.

"If you can't have them, someone else can.

Jason can have children with another woman.

You're a barren woman anyway. IVF babies aren't even healthy.

Let Jason have kids, and you can just pay to raise them."

"You just focus on raising my Tyler. If I'm satisfied, I might consider letting Tyler take care of you when you're old."

I was about to explode with fury.

She wanted me to raise her son, while Jason had children with other women, and I'd have to pay for them? What did that make me?

A complete fool?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was about to reveal the secret I'd kept buried for three years.

"The one who can't have children isn't me, it's..."

"Emma!"

Jason dropped to his knees in front of me, frantically giving me meaningful looks.

"Emma, I know you're suffering. But Madison saved my life when we were kids. I owe her this.

I have to repay her. I'm begging you, please just agree."

I was furious.

"You owe your sister, so you repay her yourself. Why should my baby's life be the price? I'm telling you, absolutely not!"

Madison pulled him up, glaring at me coldly.

"Why are you negotiating with her? You're the father. You have the right to terminate the pregnancy!"

Madison dragged me toward the door without another word. I screamed in panic.

"This is illegal! I'm calling the police!"

I grabbed my phone to call for help, but Margaret snatched it away.

Then Madison slapped me hard across the face.

"You dare call the police? This is a family matter. I'll tell the cops you're pregnant with another man's baby and we were just trying to stop you from leaving. Who's going to interfere?"

My face burned with pain. I was shaking all over.

I stared at Jason. "Jason, you're just going to watch your sister hit me?"

Jason cowered like a turtle, glancing timidly at his sister before pleading softly with me.

"Emma, that's just how Madison is. Please bear with it."

"Bear with it? How am I supposed to bear with this? Jason, your mother and sister want to kill our baby. Do you have a heart or not?"

Before I could finish, Madison kicked me in the chest.

"So what if I hit you? Let me tell you something, Emma.

If you come with us quietly to get the abortion, it'll be easier on you.

Otherwise, I'll kick that baby out of you myself.

You'll hemorrhage so badly you won't even be able to save your uterus. Believe me?"

I stumbled backward and fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Jason took a half-step forward as if to help me, but didn't dare. He looked at me pathetically.

"Emma, just agree. I promise we'll get you painless anesthesia at the hospital..."

"What painless anesthesia?"

Margaret shot him a displeased look. "She can't have children. Spending money on her is wasteful. Save it all for Tyler!"

She turned to look at me with a smile that held poison-tipped needles.

"Emma, don't blame me for being cruel. You can only blame your timing for being wrong. If you'd gotten pregnant three years ago when you got married, the baby would be running around by now. This is your fate. Just accept it."

I looked up sharply at Jason.

"Jason, say something! Tell your mother the truth---I'm not the one who can't have children. This baby can't be aborted. You have azoosper---"

"Emma!"

Jason pulled me up from the floor and said earnestly.

"Margaret's just blunt. But I never looked down on you for not being able to conceive, did I?"

"Tyler and Madison are my mom's whole life. She can't stand to see them suffer even a little. She's just upset."