The CEO's Rented Family

“You seriously thought I’d never find out?” Kael Spencer shouted the moment his girlfriend walked into the apartment. Shaira froze in the doorway. He was clutching a sheet of paper in one hand, but she had no idea what it was. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey. Is everything okay?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “Of course it’s not okay, and don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Kael snapped. “Did you really think you could keep this from me forever? I know you had an abortion. You got rid of my baby!” The color drained from Shaira’s face. Her eyes fell on the document in his hand, and she immediately recognized the logo of the clinic she had visited only a few days earlier. “How...?” she whispered. “How did you find out?” Kael threw the paper onto the floor. She bent down and picked it up. Just as she had feared. Proof of what she had done. “My company pays for your health insurance,” Kael explained, staring at her with barely restrained fury. “I got an email notifying me about the appointments you scheduled. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw you’d booked an ultrasound.” Shaira kept staring at the report. There was no point trying to lie anymore. Everything was out in the open, and Kael—a thirty-year-old Olympic champion and the owner of one of the country's most successful sporting goods companies—wasn’t someone she could fool with a flimsy excuse. She took a deep breath, carefully choosing her words. “Kael... it’s not what you think. There’s an explanation.” “Don’t you dare lie to me, Shaira!” he roared. “Everything is perfectly clear. You were pregnant—with my child. I thought you were just waiting for the right moment to tell me, but now I know why you kept it a secret. Do you have any idea I already told my father? I wanted to give the old man something to be happy about, something to ease the burden of his illness. He was overjoyed at the thought of becoming a grandfather.” A wave of indignation rose inside Shaira. She felt as though she was being blamed for something that wasn’t entirely her fault. “You shouldn’t have told him,” she said quietly. “You got ahead of yourself. Besides... this just isn’t the right time, Kael.” “It was never going to be the right time, Shaira. Now I finally understand that. You aborted our child without even telling me. If you didn’t want the baby, if motherhood wasn’t part of your plans, you could have at least talked to me. I would have taken full responsibility. But you couldn’t even do that.” Realizing that fighting back would only make things worse, Shaira changed tactics. She lowered her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Kael... I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I didn’t think. I just acted on instinct. I had no idea this was something you really wanted...” “Stop pretending,” Kael cut her off. “I’ve told you from the very beginning how much I wanted to be a father. You’ve always known how important having a family is to me. You knew all of that, and yet the only person you thought about was yourself... your timing.” “You think this was easy for me?” she cried. “It wasn’t! You know I wanted—” “Liar!” Kael exploded. “Do you honestly expect me to believe this was hard for you? If it had been, you wouldn’t have gone on vacation with your friends right afterward! The least I would’ve expected was for you to be grieving. But instead, you acted like nothing had happened!” Seeing that her tears were having no effect, Shaira abruptly dropped the act. “I didn’t owe you an explanation, Kael,” she said, wiping the fake tears from her cheeks. “It was my body, and it was my decision. Or what century do you think we’re living in?” “My decision?” Kael repeated with a bitter laugh, fixing her with a cold stare that sent a chill down her spine. “Fine. Then this is mine.” He pointed toward the front door. “I want you out of my apartment. Now.” “What?” Shaira gasped. “Kael, no... You can’t do this to me!” “Yes, I can. It’s my decision, and I’m making it.” “Kael, please—” “You have forty minutes,” he interrupted icily. “Anything you leave behind after that is going straight into the trash.” His finger remained fixed on the door. “Now get out.” As the apartment door slammed shut behind Shaira, Kael felt as though the weight of the entire world had crashed down onto his shoulders. It wasn’t just the loss of the unborn child that crushed him. Now he also had to tell his sick father the devastating truth. And deep down, he wasn’t sure the old man would survive another heartbreak without suffering a second heart attack. Six Months Later Valery woke with every inch of her body aching. A sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, and instinctively, she reached down to touch it. The moment she felt her stomach was flat, panic seized her. “Help!” she cried, her voice little more than a raspy whisper. There was barely enough air in her lungs to speak. “Please... somebody...” A nurse hurried into the room and gently helped her lie back down. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Try to stay calm. I’ll call the doctor right away.” But Valery grabbed the young nurse’s arm before she could leave. “My baby!” she gasped frantically. “Where’s my baby?” “She’s fine,” the nurse reassured her with a warm smile. “Don’t worry. Everything went well. She’s in the maternity ward right now.” She paused before asking gently, “Do you remember anything about how you got here?” Valery’s mind was a tangled mess. Fragments of recent memories collided with older ones, making it impossible to think clearly. The only thing she could focus on was seeing her daughter. Tears welled up as she closed her eyes. She remembered arguing with her husband, Dominic, over his reckless spending just weeks before their baby was due. She still had three weeks left before her due date, but the contractions had suddenly started during the argument, and Dominic had rushed her to the emergency room... At least, that was how she remembered it. “How... how long has it been?” she stammered fearfully. The nurse smiled gently. “You had to undergo an emergency C-section four days ago. Your baby girl was born healthy, although she’s a little small because she arrived early. Unfortunately, the surgery led to complications, and you've been in a coma ever since.” She hesitated before continuing. “Is there a family member you'd like us to contact?” Valery’s eyes flew open. “What...? My husband... Dominic!” she exclaimed. “He brought me here. Where is he?” The nurse pressed her lips together before slowly shaking her head. “I’m sorry. You arrived alone. We only know your identity because of the documents in your purse. No one has come to ask about you... and no one has stayed with you.” Valery clutched her chest as panic spread through her. How could that be possible? Hadn't Dominic brought her to the hospital? Then why hadn't he visited either her or their daughter during all this time? She tried to sit up, but a wave of pain tore through her abdomen. “My daughter...” she sobbed, looking pleadingly at the nurse. “Can I see her now?” “Of course.” A few minutes later, the nurse returned carrying a tiny bundle wrapped in a soft pink blanket. “She’s a beautiful little girl.” The instant Valery held her daughter in her arms, every other thought disappeared. Her baby was safe. For now, that was all that mattered. But the peace didn't last. She tried calling Dominic over and over again, using every possible method to reach him, but none of her calls went through. Then, later that afternoon, just as she was preparing to leave the hospital, another devastating blow awaited her. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Carter,” the hospital director said apologetically, “but we can't discharge you until the remaining balance on your bill has been paid.” “The remaining balance?” Valery frowned. “I don't understand. I have health insurance.” “Oh, you do,” the director replied with a nod. “Your insurance covered the emergency C-section, but it didn't cover your hospitalization during the past week. Unfortunately, your daughter's medical expenses weren't included in your policy either.” A knot tightened in Valery's throat. “How... how much do I owe?” The director glanced at the invoice in his hand. “Thirty-two thousand dollars.” Valery blinked in surprise. She knew she had a little more than that in her savings account—the money she'd carefully put aside over the past three years. It would leave her with almost nothing afterward, but at least she'd be able to take her daughter home. “All right,” she said. “I'll transfer the money now.” The director handed her the invoice. Valery scanned the QR code with her banking app and confirmed the payment. Transaction declined. Insufficient funds. “What...?” she whispered in disbelief. She immediately logged into her account. Her balance... Was zero. “No...” she breathed. “No... no, no, no!” Her heartbeat thundered in her chest as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. “This can't be happening... It can't...” With trembling fingers, she opened her transaction history. The answer was exactly what she'd feared. Every cent had been transferred out... By Dominic. On the very day she'd been admitted to the hospital. Frozen in shock, Valery could only explain what had happened to the hospital director. He listened quietly, sympathy evident in his eyes. Sadly, it wasn't the first time he'd seen a situation like this. “Please don't worry,” he said kindly. “If you can't pay today, we can work out a payment plan. We can spread the debt over forty-eight months.” Valery looked at him through tear-filled eyes before giving a silent nod. She had no other choice. Heartbroken, she signed the agreement, then hugged her newborn daughter tightly, drawing strength from the tiny warmth nestled against her chest. Thanks to the money the nurses had collected among themselves, she was able to pay for a taxi home. When she finally reached her apartment building, she struggled to slide the key into the lock. Slowly, she pushed the door open. Then she froze. The apartment... Was empty. There was no furniture. No clothes. Nothing. Not a single trace that she had ever lived there. Everything... Was gone. Dominic hadn't just emptied her bank account. He had taken everything she owned. Everything she loved. Everything that had made up her life. It was as if he had tried to erase every trace of her... And of their daughter. Even the crib she'd bought just days before giving birth was gone. Valery couldn't understand it. How could he be so cruel? How could he abandon them with nothing... no money, no home, nowhere to go? Tears poured down her face as her legs finally gave out beneath her. Still clutching her newborn in her arms, she collapsed onto the bare floor and wept. She was completely alone. No one to turn to. A newborn baby in her arms. And no place left to call home.