Erased and Reborn: Rise of The Billionaire's Wife

"Come on, hurry up, Jake! We're running out of time!" Claire's sharp voice pierced the night as she assisted the emergency crew in sliding the gurney into the waiting van. The red-and-blue lights from the siren cast a frantic glow over her pale face, revealing every bit of a desperate mother. "Please... wait!" Laura dashed out of the house barefoot, her hair flowing wildly as she sprinted toward them, panic coursing through her veins. She was only steps away from the gurney when strong hands grabbed her wrists and pulled her back. "I told you to keep your dirty hands off him!" Jake shouted. "Haven't you done enough?!" He pushed her hard. Laura fell onto the floor, her back hitting painfully against the ground. A sharp cry escaped her lips as pain shot through her body. Still, she crawled forward, desperate to reach him—reaching for the child. "Jake... please, hear me out!" she sobbed. "It's a misunderstanding! You don’t know what really happened!" "To hell with your lies!" Jake's eyes blazed with anger. "Everything about you has been a lie from the start!" "No... please, Jake—" "Jake!" Claire interjected sharply. "What are you waiting for? Get in! We might not have much time left." To anyone watching, she seemed like the perfect mother—caring, frantic, trembling, and heartbroken. Jake turned away without looking back. He climbed into the van as its doors slammed shut behind him. The engine roared to life, driving away urgently. And just like that, they were gone. Laura lay frozen on the cold floor, her heart pounding violently against her ribs. She had never imagined her life could unravel so quickly. Just hours earlier, she had been preparing dinner when she heard Claire shouting at her son again… for reasons Laura could never comprehend. He was only five—too young to endure such harshness. When Laura stepped in to pull the boy away, Claire angrily shoved him aside. No one anticipated what would happen next. His foot slipped on the stairs and in an instant his small body tumbled down onto the polished floor below. Blood pooled beneath him as he lay still. Laura screamed for help and rushed to his side in a desperate attempt to save him. But when Jake arrived, sensing something was wrong, Claire, shocked and terrified for the first time, hadn't known a better plan other than to lie against her son’s life. She quickly masked her expression and did what she always did. She cried concealing, denied everything, and she blamed Laura for pushing her own son out of jealousy. Jake didn’t for once question it, not for a second, because the reasons were clear. For five years of marriage, Laura didn't have a child to speak of. Jake had become annoyingly furious about it over time. As a result, two years back.he brought in Claire her ex girlfriend, along with a little boy no more than three years… claiming he had an affair with. Each time Laura chose to question such a decision he made behind her back, it was always taken aback with one single word; “Laura, I don't know what to call you, and you can't give me a baby so what do you expect?” The humiliation and heartfelt pain was so infuriating, to a time Laura hadn't even known what decision to question anymore taking her own condition. So in his eyes, she could never understand, she could never care, never be innocent. Her accusations were always enough. Now Laura slowly sat up against the cold floor, with trembling hands she held up a single pile…a test result she was given earlier that day. She looked down at the papers, tears streamed down her eyes upon the paper. It was a pregnancy test result. “Positive.” The doctor had earlier confirmed that she was three weeks pregnant. Derived with joy, that day she planned something more special, a dinner candles, with hot meals to celebrate this moment. After five years of marriage, she was finally pregnant. And was about to tell Jake after dinner, unbeknownst to her, things were going to end this way. Instead, the world had turned against her. Still, none of that mattered now. The child was dying. Whether she had given birth to him or not no longer mattered. He had lived under the same roof. Slept while she watched over him. Cried in her arms. That was enough. Panic surged through her. She stumbled back into the house, grabbed her small purse, and hailed down a taxi without a second thought. The drive to Clayton Hospital felt endless. Every red light clawed at her nerves. Every second dragged like torture. When the car finally stopped, Laura threw money at the driver and ran inside. The hospital lights were blinding. The air reeked of antiseptic and fear. “H…Hello!” she gasped, stopping a nurse clutching a file. “Please… have you seen a little boy brought in urgently? About five years old?” Her hand pressed against her chest, as if holding her heart together. “I—I don’t think so,” the nurse said, startled by her sudden expression. Nearby staff turned, drawn by the pale woman trembling in front of them. “Please, he…” “Are you referring to the boy who was rushed in about ten minutes ago?” A calm male voice interrupted from nearby. Laura turned. The man stepped out from the corner…tall, and broad shouldered, dressed in a dark gray suit. His blue eyes were sharp, and quietly assessing. “Y… Yes,” Laura stammered. “He was taken to the fifth ward.” Without another second, Laura nodded shakily and turned, clutching the papers in her hand tighter as she ran. The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. When Laura stepped out onto the fifth floor, her breath became shallow, her heartbeat roaring in her ears. The hallway felt unnaturally quiet… no crying, no shouting, only the steady beeping of machines behind closed doors. She followed the signs, her bare feet making almost no sound against the cold marble floor. She suddenly slowed when she spotted them. Jake and Claire were sitting on the small outdoor balcony just outside the pediatric emergency ward. Claire's head rested against Jake's shoulder, her hands tightly wrapped around his arm, as if he were the one holding her together. They looked like a portrait of grief entwined. A foolish, fragile sense of relief surged through Laura’s chest. He's alive, she thought. At least he's alive. She hurried toward them. Jake was the first to look up. The moment he saw her, his expression twisted in anger. “What the hell are you doing here?” he shouted, his voice echoing through the quiet corridor. Laura stopped a few steps away, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Please, Jake,” she said, forcing her voice to remain steady. “I know you're angry, but this isn’t the time for that. What did the doctors say? Is he going to be okay?” Jake stood up abruptly. “Okay?!” He scoffed bitterly. “After what you did to him? After you finally decided to hurt him out of jealousy?” He ran a hand through his hair, barely able to contain himself. “I’ve kept my anger in check for years,” he continued, his voice shaking with rage. “I didn’t want to be cruel. But is this how you repay me, Laura?”