Erased and Reborn: Rise of The Billionaire's Wife

Chapter 5

“Yes?” a sharp female voice answered. “Why are you calling? Have you done what I asked?”

He scoffed. “Your attitude is disgusting,” he muttered. “But yes, it’s done.”

“And?” the voice snapped back.

“And she’s lying here in blood… pregnant and barely breathing.”

There was a long pause before sudden, cruel laughter erupted on the line.

The man’s face twisted in anger. “You sent us to kill a pregnant woman?” he hissed. “Do you even realize how sick that is?”

“What I asked for is done,” the voice replied coldly.

“Yeah, but if you don’t pay what we agreed upon, I’ll expose every filthy secret you’ve buried,” he retorted. “She’s lifeless. She won’t survive.”

With that, the call ended.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket in frustration. “Tch… going after your co-wife,” he mumbled.

They tossed Laura’s lone black bag beside her motionless body and drove off, the tires screeching loudly as the car disappeared into the night.

Laura could barely feel the rain anymore; the pain had dulled into numbness. Weakly, she stared at her trembling fingers, a bitter smile forming on her lips.

“So… this is it,” she whispered. “You’ve won.”

Memories blurred—the house, the lies, the hospital, the betrayal. Everything had ended the moment she walked out that door.

“There’s nothing left,” she murmured.

Tears mingled with the rain as her smile wavered.

“At least… I’ll see you again.”

Her breath hitched.

“I’m coming home, my little one. Mummy is coming home.”

The world grew heavy and silent; gradually everything slipped away as her vision faded to darkness.

****

The next few hours passed in a haze that Laura could barely recall.

She sat frozen beside the hospital bed, gazing blankly into space, uncertain of how she had ended up there or who had brought her. Every part of her body ached in ways she couldn’t identify, and each breath reminded her that she was still alive when she had wished otherwise.

According to the nurses, the person responsible for her care had refused to reveal their identity. This mysterious benefactor paid all the medical bills, covered every expense, and ensured she received everything necessary during her treatment… before vanishing without leaving a trace.

Gratitude should have followed.

Instead, pain took its place.

The hardest truth for Laura to accept was about the baby. She had lost her child.

Her only remaining hope—the fragile life she had vowed to protect, was gone. Taken from her cruelly… deliberately. By Claire.

That woman hadn’t just wanted her belongings, her home, or her dignity; she sought to erase both her body and soul.

“How can someone be so cruel?” Laura whispered, biting down on her lip as she forced herself upright on the couch.

Instantly, sharp and unforgiving pain surged through her body, but she welcomed it. Pain meant she was still here. She had no choice but to move forward.

An entire week had slipped by in the hospital; every bill settled and every necessity provided by an anonymous stranger. The nurses spoke of this person with admiration, but Laura couldn’t bring herself to dwell on it. She didn’t want to spend her life confined within white walls and pitying gazes. She still had a life to live.

The doctor suggested that she stay admitted for at least another week, but she refused. She could walk and stand. Though persistent, the pain was manageable... and that alone was enough.

I’ll recover, she told herself. I always do.

Fortunately, her black bag had been found. Inside were a few important documents and her phone… just enough to start job hunting. Her two storage boxes were gone, stolen along with everything else she once owned. All that remained was a small savings of two hundred dollars.

No clothes to sell. No safety net.

This was her third stop of the day.

Every workplace she’d approached had turned her away… some politely, others more bluntly. They all cited the same reasons: lack of experience, visible weakness, and concerns about her health. They noticed the pain she desperately tried to conceal.

This place was no different.

Rejected once more.

Laura rose slowly from the couch and headed toward the exit, glancing at her phone for the time.

12:45 p.m.

There was still time to try one more place, but frustration gnawed at her chest. Three rejections. The same words, the same looks.

She let out a bitter breath and pushed open the door, only to be met by a sudden splash of heat on her clothes—coffee.

It drenched her blouse and splattered over the documents she held tightly in her hands.

“What…” Laura gasped. “Ah!”

A woman stood in front of her, impeccably dressed in a tailored grey suit that fit her perfectly. Her hair was neatly braided, and her sharp eyes assessed the situation quickly.

“Oh my God… I’m so sorry,” the woman said hurriedly, pulling out a napkin and reaching toward Laura. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Laura barely registered her words; her eyes were fixed on the now soaked papers in her hands—stained and ruined.

A quiet grief washed over her face.

“No… no,” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. “How can this be cleaned? These are my papers…”

“I’m truly sorry, ma’am,” the woman replied sincerely. “I’ll do anything to help.”

“Help?” Laura retorted bitterly as she met the woman's gaze with frustration flaring within her. “You spill coffee on me, ruin my last chance, and you call that help?”

The woman looked down at the damaged documents and gently took them from Laura's grasp, scanning their contents despite their condition.

For several seconds, silence hung between them.

Then she looked back at Laura; her expression wasn’t mocking but rather filled with something resembling intrigue.

In that moment, it became clear that Laura desperately needed a job.

A slow smile appeared on the woman’s lips.

“I think,” she said calmly, “you may have just found the right one.”

The confidence in her voice unsettled Laura further. She shot back an incredulous glare filled with anger. “You spill coffee on me, ruin everything I’ve worked for today, and now you act like it doesn’t matter?”

Laura instinctively raised her hand, ready to slap the hell out of her, but froze mid-motion. Pain shot through her arm, forcing it down as reality set in.

The woman didn’t flinch. Instead, she spoke softly, almost too gently. “Follow me,” she said. “If you’re looking for work, my boss needs someone to fill a position. You might be just the right fit.”

Laura froze again.

Her brows knitted together in disbelief as her hand hung in the air.

“What…?” she whispered before asking more loudly, “What did you just say?”

The woman stood taller, smoothing her coat with deliberate ease while wearing a polite smile—one that felt unnervingly composed and assured.

“Like I said, Miss Laura,” she replied evenly. “You need a job. Follow me. I have something suitable for you.”

Laura’s blood ran cold. How does she know my name? Did she read it from my CV?

Her gaze snapped to the damp papers still clutched in the woman’s hand. Her pulse quickened as suspicion crept in alongside desperation. “Give me…” Laura said sharply, reaching forward to grab the documents back.

The woman released them without hesitation.

Laura paused for just a second longer before saying, “…Fine.”

The word tasted bitter on her tongue as she straightened herself up. Pain rippled through her body; she clenched her jaw and followed because pride didn’t pay bills, and survival had long taught her when to move forward instead of retreating.