To Save My Daughter, I'll Bear His Child Again

Chapter 8

In the shabby single room, a middle-aged man with graying hair lay on the bed, eyes fixed, his body wired to various machines.

This was my father's room.

Steven forced me to the bedside, sneering, "Owen, your precious daughter came crawling back to sell herself to me for your medical bills."

The man's eyes bulged, his chest heaving violently, spittle dripping from his twisted mouth.

But he couldn't move, only emitting helpless whimpers.

I averted my gaze, unable to face my father.

Steven pinned me against the wall and yanked up my skirt.

I struggled, begging, "Not in front of him, please..."

His voice was merciless. "You said you'd do anything if I spared him. Perform well, and I'll let him live, just like three years ago."

Three years ago, Steven had spared him, leaving Owen paralyzed after a stroke to endure relentless torment.

Owen's agonized whimpers grew louder, the bed shuddering faintly.

I shut my eyes, enduring the humiliation.

Suddenly, the machines shrieked a piercing alarm.

I shoved Steven aside and lunged for my father. His vitals were crashing.

I stumbled out, screaming for a doctor.

The crash team barred me outside as they rushed in with equipment.

My whole body trembled, my face deathly pale.

After an hour of failed resuscitation, the doctor told me to say goodbye.

I nodded, but my legs buckled as I stepped forward.

Steven caught me. He hadn't left.

For just a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes. Pity, maybe. "He's dead. We're square now. Maeve, you're free."

Without answering, I pushed him away and entered the ward.

My father was in his final moments. I leaned close to his ear and couldn't stop myself from smiling.

The person who hated Owen Shepard most in this world, besides Steven, was me.

The money Owen embezzled never went to my mother or me. It all went to his overseas mistress and illegitimate child.

My mother and I were hounded by the victims he'd wronged. We had to live in hiding, always running. And because of his affairs, she'd gotten cervical cancer. She left me far too early.

Steven knew none of this. He used me, a daughter who'd never known a father's love, as a pawn for revenge.

These two demonic men utterly ruined my entire life!

After my release from prison, I never once visited Owen.

But I deliberately placed Hailey in the same hospital as him to shield her from disaster!

The most dangerous place was often the safest. As long as Steven thought I was there to care for Owen, he wouldn't dig deeper. He'd never discover my daughter, so close by.

Owen's final worth? Paving the way for Hailey with his death!