"Charlie and I are all alone in this world... We just can't compete..."
Her voice cracked. Her expression was pure devastation—as if she'd suffered a thousand injustices.
She didn't finish, but James understood her meaning immediately.
"Don't talk nonsense," he said firmly. "I told you I'd take care of you both. I won't go back on my word."
His cold gaze fell on me. "Linda, are you really so desperate to keep me that you'd frame a child?"
His grip tightened around my wrist—so hard I heard my bones creak. But the worse pain was in my belly.
The little life connected to my blood was slipping away. I thought of last night's dream—
Instinctively, I clutched at James's sleeve, my voice weak and trembling. "Help me... my stomach hurts so much..."
But James's face remained cold. "Stop pretending. In my past life, you gave birth to our son just fine. Nothing's going to happen this time either."
The pain was so intense I couldn't form words. Perhaps my expression was too agonized to ignore—James seemed half-convinced and moved to help me up.
But Delia grabbed his arm. "James, let me take a look. I've been through childbirth before. I have experience."