Chapter 173

Layla's visage paled as though she had been struck by a bolt of lightning, a disconcerting hum echoing in her ears.

"Abort the baby!"

The words she had dreaded most had finally been spoken aloud. She had contemplated the possibility of him making such a demand, but hearing it voiced sent her spiraling into chaos.

Instinctively, her hand moved to her belly, her eyes brimming with desperation. "The baby is innocent..."

The statement seemed to pierce Samuel's soul, his gaze as icy as a glacier. "The baby may be innocent, but you, Layla, are not. If you had any respect for him, you wouldn't have lain with another man while carrying my child. Didn't you find it repulsive? And now you claim the baby is innocent after the fact, how is that different from a murderer pleading victimhood?"

Her actions had not only insulted him but also desecrated their unborn child, a symbol of their love he had once eagerly anticipated.

The deeper the love, the more agonizing the betrayal. Samuel was human, and like any other, his heart was made of flesh. He had adored her, forgiving and indulging her in every way except betrayal - the one boundary she had chosen to cross.

"It's my fault, but I truly don't want to lose our child, please..." she pleaded.

"Keep the baby and later fight for the inheritance?" he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Layla immediately shook her head, "I've never wanted the Holland family's money, not a cent. I'll raise the child on my own."

"After that shameless act with another man? You think you still have the right?" Samuel snorted with a scornful sneer. "Abort the baby, or let Owen rot in jail for life. The choice is yours."

His words left no room for negotiation. Layla's complexion turned ghostly, and she gasped for breath. Neither choice was acceptable to her; both seemed as if they could make her wish she were dead.

"Please, don't be so cruel," she pleaded.

"Don't talk to me about cruelty when you're the one who's been cruel!" he retorted. She was the one who had betrayed his love first. What right did she have to accuse him of being cruel?

The RV pulled up in front of the hotel.

"Get out," Samuel commanded, his voice devoid of warmth.

"Holland..." she started.

"I don't want to hear your voice," Samuel interrupted sternly, turning his face away from her, as cold and impassive as an iceberg.

Layla took a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly. "Fine, I agree to your terms."

A shock ran through Samuel. Was she agreeing so easily? What a heartless woman she was. He was the one who demanded she terminate the pregnancy, but he was also the one torn up about it. Otherwise, he would have insisted on it the moment he learned of her betrayal, not wait until now.

As it turned out, her heart was millions of times harder than his.

"I will terminate the pregnancy, but you must keep your promise and release Owen."

Samuel laughed, a sarcastic, chilling laughter that Layla found frosty to the bone.

...

She felt miserable all night.

In the morning, Layla arrived at the hospital entrance, looking haggard with agony written all over her face. Clutching her lower abdomen tightly, her youthful, plump face was now pallid as if the life from her had been drained.

A part of her heart was unwilling a thousand times over, yet when she thought of Owen still in prison...

Thinking of the future...

Biting her lip, Layla choked up as she looked down at her belly, "I'm sorry, baby. I hope in our next life you can come back to my womb, to be my child again. Next time, I promise to take good care of you."

Bearing the excruciating pain in her heart, Layla steeled herself with the resolve of someone walking to their execution and marched toward the hospital.

Just as she stepped onto the first stair, two bodyguards suddenly appeared from behind, one on each side, and lifted her up.

As she was hoisted in midair, Layla screamed, "Who are you? What are you doing?"

Kicking wildly and shouting in panic, she cried, "Let me go!

"Let me go!

"Help, someone help..."

Bystanders kept their distance as Layla was forcibly stuffed into a car.

Five minutes later, the vehicle arrived at the hotel, the same one where Samuel had stayed the night before.

"Let me go, I can walk on my own," Layla insisted, elbowing past the security and following them to the top floor.

Down the hallway, rows of imposing bodyguards stood like statues.

One of the bodyguards pushed open a door.

Layla walked in.

A wall of golden floor-to-ceiling windows greeted her, revealing a bustling riverside view.

Amidst the glaring gold light sat a tall, detached silhouette on the couch, legs crossed, holding a glass of liquor, exuding an air of unmatched grandeur.

On the round coffee table by his side was an array of empty whiskey bottles.

Samuel's eyes were sunken, his gaze fierce, as if his eyeballs were about to bulge out of their sockets. The ferocity was but a veil over the pain of torment, and his lips were void of color.

"Didn't you get any sleep last night?" Layla asked, her heart aching for him.

Sleep?

Samuel hadn't closed his eyes for days and nights. Not since he found out she had cheated on him.

His heart throbbed painfully every second.

The silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Feeling suffocated, Layla's voice trembled again, "I went to the hospital like you told me, but your guys brought me back from the entrance..."

"I know what they did," Samuel cut her off. They were just following his orders.

"Mr. Holland, I already-"

"Crash-"

The wine glass shattered at Layla's feet, startling her so badly she trembled and turned even paler, looking at him wide-eyed in shock.

"I told you, call me that one more time, and I'll kill you," Samuel raged, veins pulsating at his temples. The sleepless nights had taken a toll on his sanity, making him quick to anger, like a lion ready to be provoked.

Swallowing hard, Layla whispered, "I did what you said, I terminated the pregnancy. Why did you bring me here?"

"Was it that easy for you?" Samuel glared, his eyes bloodshot.

Stabbed in the heart-that's how Layla felt.

Easy? Not in the slightest. It was like having a bone ripped out of her body-in fact, it was worse. It was like it cost her life itself.

But what else could she do? What other choice did she have?

"Wasn't it your command?"

Suddenly, Samuel leapt up from the sofa like a cheetah and grabbed Layla by the throat in a few strides.

She gasped for air, making a choked sound, her vision blurring. It was the first time he'd been so violent towards her-it terrified her. Layla looked at him with panic in her eyes.

"My command? Was it me who told you to share a bed with Nathan, to betray me?" Samuel shook her by the neck, yelling at her so loudly that his roar could be heard down the corridor.

His voice was terrifyingly loud. Layla's ears rang, feeling as if she had been bombed, about to shatter completely.

The pain was unbearable, and she couldn't breathe...