CHAPTER 002
1508 Words
CHAPTER 002
JARVIS' POINT OF VIEW
Pain serves as a force that drags me out of my dark state. A deep, aching pain wrapped itself around my stomach like a snake squeezing my internal organs. Every muscle in my body screams in pain, but this pain is unlike any other.
The pain extends beyond the marks left by beatings and bruises. It’s something deeper.
Something is wrong.
Something wet.
My attempts to move fail because my arms refuse to cooperate. Metal cuts into my wrists with its cold grip. Chains. The familiar heaviness of these chains causes my stomach to twist with nausea.
A sudden intense pain shoots through my body when I move slightly. Then I feel it.
Blood.
A sudden panic attack hits me with overwhelming force.
Not again.
I close my eyes tightly as I attempt to control my breathing. My heart pounds wildly, my mind screaming at me to stay calm. But how can I?
I know what this is. I have firsthand experience feeling life fade away within my body.
The nine months of this living nightmare have already claimed three of my unborn children. Three tiny pieces of hope vanished from my grasp before I could defend them. The experience is repeating itself right now.
A shuddering breath escapes me.
Please. Not again.
The door creaks open.
Soft footsteps move toward me.
My eyes remain closed because I already recognize the person standing before me.
Elza.
This place feels cold to everyone else, but she brings the only comfort anyone can find here. She is the sole source of kindness in this place.
A gentle hand sweeps my wet hair aside from my face. Gentle. Hesitant.
Her voice trembles as she speaks my name with a whisper that carries deep sadness. “He did this to you once more.”
I force my eyes open. The dim candlelight reveals her face as whiter than normal. The usual brightness in her eyes has turned to redness while her eyes remain swollen. She’s been crying.
“I think… I’m bleeding,” I choke out. “A lot.”
She draws a deep breath before lowering her eyes. Her hands shake while she reveals the thin sheet. The instant she notices the blood spreading across the bedsheet, her face turns completely white.
Her gaze flicks to the door. Fear shadows her expression. “You don’t think—”
“I don’t know.” My voice is barely audible. “It’s too much. It’s not time for my period.”
Elza bites her lip, hesitating.
We both know what I’m asking.
Raymond's discovery of this secret would lead to his fury and suspicion.
I won’t survive his wrath.
She warns me that the Alpha will become furious when he learns about this. “If he finds out—”
“Please.” My desperate plea breaks down a hidden part of my inner self.
She swallows hard, nodding quickly. “I’ll get the doctor. Just hold on. Please, Jarvis. Just hold on.”
The door makes a gentle closing sound as she leaves me to face my suffering alone.
Another wave of intense pain seizes me when I close my eyes.
And then the memories come.
***
Lisa stands directly in front of me.
Her once radiant complexion has turned into a deathly white as blood covers her body.
The deep wound in her neck continues to bleed while black blood saturates her clothing.
The torn opening of her swollen pregnant belly reveals itself to me.
Empty.
She tries to stop the bleeding by holding onto the torn opening that has already lost its contents.
“You took everything from me.” Her voice is not her own. It’s layered, twisted, and unnatural.
My body refuses to move as it remains paralyzed in its current position.
Blood drips from her fingers while she approaches me.
She speaks through a twisted voice as she says, "You always wanted what was mine."
I shake my head furiously.
“No,” I whisper. “That’s not true.”
But she only laughs.
She speaks with a twisted tone as she declares, "You wanted him." You wanted Raymond so intensely that you took him away from me.
Her eyes burn into mine. Empty. Soulless.
"You stole my mate. My life. My child."
My throat remains silent as I try to refute her accusations while she stands there laughing.
Her hand strikes fast to clamp firmly around my throat.
“You killed me, Jarvis.”
She moves closer, her cold breath touching my ear.
“You took everything from me.”
My throat produces no sound when I attempt to scream.
***
A sudden, violent movement of my body wakes me up while a strangled gasp escapes my throat.
The dim room tilts, my vision blurry.
A soft hand grips mine.
“She’s awake,” Elza breathes.
My eyes open to see the second person standing next to her.
Dr. Valtere.
Her gray hair is secured in a tight bun while her face shows no emotion as she approaches.
She has seen too much.
She knows too much.
Dr. Valtere approaches me with a firm yet peaceful voice to ask, "How are you feeling, Jarvis?"
My throat feels too raw to produce any sound when I attempt to speak.
Elza squeezes my hand. “Just breathe, okay?”
I swallow. My throat feels parched as if I had consumed sand. “There’s… blood,” I whisper. “Am I—”
Dr. Valtere speaks fast to reassure me, "You're not miscarrying."
The relief is instant.
The relief stays for just a brief instant.
She continues by saying that she has noticed some bleeding. “But this isn’t a miscarriage.”
A trembling breath escapes my lips. “Then… then what is it?”
Her expression hardens.
“It’s the result of trauma.”
Something cold slithers down my spine.
“The beatings. The forced i*********e. Your body responds to the brutal treatment it has experienced.
Elza stiffens beside me.
My hands clench into weak fists.
“You’re pregnant, Jarvis.”
I freeze.
My entire body becomes paralyzed.
Dr. Valtere watches me carefully.
Dr. Valtere speaks in a gentle voice before she adds, "The situation will become worse if he keeps mistreating you."
I can predict her words before she actually speaks them.
I feel it in my bones.
The Alpha's abusive treatment will cause you to lose your pregnancy.
Elza draws a sudden deep breath while her hold on my hand becomes stronger.
Dr. Valtere’s gaze sharpens.
Dr. Valtere warns that losing this baby would make it impossible for Jarvis to have more children because of his current physical condition.
My heart stops.
Elza uses her other hand to cover her mouth.
I struggle to take breaths while the air seems too dense.
Too heavy.
Dr. Valtere doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
She has always maintained a practice of delivering facts without any embellishment.
But this?
This is the ultimate punishment.
This isn't just for the child.
For me.
The discovery of my pregnancy by Raymond would lead to certain death for both me and my unborn baby if he learns about it.
He’ll never let me live.
A violent stomach twist occurs in my body, followed by a complete blockage of air.
Elza shifts beside me. She asks in a hushed voice, "What should we do?"
Dr. Valtere stands up straight as she forms a tight line with her lips.
Dr. Valtere insists we must hide the pregnancy from everyone. Dr. Valtere tells us we need to keep the pregnancy hidden until we develop a solution.
Elza nods quickly. She promises to hide the pregnancy from him. “I’ll find a way.”
Dr. Valtere hesitates.
Then—
“I can help,” she murmurs.
My pulse spikes.
She’s never said that before.
My lips open as I speak in a whisper that barely reaches a whisper. “You mean…”
Her eyes appear hard as steel as she looks directly at me.
She tells me she can assist my escape.
The words remain suspended in the air while their deep significance becomes apparent.
Elza's head jerks up as her eyes expand to their full width.
I feel my heartbeat pound against my ribs.
Escape.
I have not allowed myself to think this word since months ago.
I force down a hard swallow as my throat becomes hot. “How?”
Dr. Valtere moves closer to me while speaking in a hushed tone.
She tells me there exists an escape route. Dr. Valtere speaks in a hurried tone because we have limited time.
Elza grips my hand tighter.
Do you have the courage to accept this danger?
My breath shakes.
Am I?
Because if this goes wrong—
If Raymond finds out—
I won’t just lose the baby.
I’ll lose everything.
But what choice do I have?
What alternative escape route exists?
I raise my eyes while maintaining a composed tone despite the panic that swirls within me.
“When?”
- Writer
