Betrayal and Regret: The Donna Lost Her Child Chapter 03
I went to the door and kept pounding on it, shouting, trying to get the attention of anyone passing by outside.
When I finally heard footsteps approaching, I opened my mouth to explain-but the voice on the other side
cut me off cold.
“Stop banging! Don Ryan had that door custom-made for his wife. If you damage it, your life won’t be worth
enough to cover it.”
The next second, the door swung open. My heart leaped-I tried to rush out.
But the bodyguard grabbed me by the back of the neck and tied me to a pillar.
“Sit tight and stop trying to cause trouble. Don Ryan will let you out when night falls.”
He thought I was too loud, so he taped my mouth shut.
Struggling was useless. All I could do was pray my child would make it through.
When evening finally came, the bodyguard untied me and handed me a gown.
“Don Ryan says you have to wear this. Otherwise, you’re disrespecting him and Chloe. If you don’t wear it,
face the consequences.”
I looked at the gown. A crop top. Ryan knew full well I’d been too ashamed to show my body after all the
stretch marks from pregnancy-not to mention the C-section scar on my abdomen.
I knew what Ryan wanted. He wanted to trade my pain and scars for Chloe’s amusement.
Thank God I no longer loved him. I put the gown on without resisting. My dignity meant nothing to me
anymore. I just wanted to save my child.
But when I arrived at the beach party, I saw that members of the Vulture family were there too. They’d all
come.
Countless familiar eyes locked onto my bare stomach.
There was mockery in their gazes. Contempt.
Every kind of stare made my skin crawl.
I clenched my fists, kept my head down, and walked over to Ryan.
He let out a few mocking laughs and pointed toward the stage.
“Go up there and apologize to Chloe. She’s my older brother’s widow. Today you’ll apologize in front of the entire Vulture family. And from now on, you leave her alone.”
Don’t worry. I will. After this, I’ll disappear from their lives.
Because I knew-no matter what I did-
The moment Chloe acted wronged, my husband would always take her side and find new ways to torment
I took a deep breath, gathered every ounce of courage I had, and walked onto the stage.
“I’m sorry, Chloe. I shouldn’t have been cruel to you. It will never happen again.”
As I stepped off the stage, the people around Ryan started whispering.
“Is this the Donna of the Vulture family? Ignorant and trashy. Who wears a crop top to an occasion like this?”
“Not just that-she slandered the Don’s late brother’s widow. This punishment was too light.”
“Don Ryan, a woman with a heart this vile? Aren’t you disgusted? Find someone else already.”
The wave of mockery emboldened even those who’d been too afraid to speak.
The voices swirled around me, threatening to drown me. I kept my head bowed, fighting back the tears
pooling in my eyes.
I can’t cry. I can’t break.
I finally made it back to Ryan.
But he recoiled with disgust, stepping backward, and tossed a jacket at me.
“Put this on. Quick. You’re going to scare Chloe.”
The humiliation crashed over me. Tears streamed down like beads snapping off a string.
I’d lost. Completely.
I ducked my head, frantically wiping my face so no one would see, and pulled on the jacket.
Once I’d steadied myself, I looked up at Ryan.
“Where’s my child?”
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
“The baby! The baby! The baby is safe with the nanny! Can you stop bringing up the baby every second?!”
He sounded so certain. But my heart only pounded harder.
“Tell me where he is.”
