Erasing My Child Meant Erasing Him in My Life Too

Yvonne's POV Melina cried for a long time, yet not a single tear fell. Still, Cedric panicked. He swept Melina into his arms and comforted her gently. “This isn’t your fault. You were in surgery for hours. You’re exhausted. I’ll take you to rest. Don’t worry. I’m here. Nothing will happen to you.” Then he turned to me, his gaze turning ice-cold. “That’s enough, Yvonne. You insist on pinning the child on me just to magnify Melina’s guilt and pressure me, aren't you? Whether that child was mine or not, it’s gone. And that’s that. If you keep stirring up trouble, Yvonne, don’t blame me for using my own methods to teach you a lesson.” With that, he left, taking Melina with him without once looking back. I stood there while a chill crept into my bones, until my whole body began to shake uncontrollably. For seven years of love, Cedric had indulged me, giving me anything I asked for. But ever since Melina returned to the country, she had almost completely replaced me. I had just come out of surgery, but was left standing there as a punishment. Clearly, I was worth less than Melina’s fake tears. This was the eighteenth time he had abandoned me for her. I was done swallowing my pride. As the anesthesia fully wore off, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor. Gritting my teeth, I called my father. “Dad, I need some people tonight. Send me two doctors as well.” Since he refused to deal with Melina, I would handle them myself. That night, with my father’s backing, I uploaded all the evidence reporting Melina to the internet. Cedric might be able to suppress things behind the scenes, but public opinion was beyond his control. I was lying in my hospital bed when the ward door was kicked open. Melina stormed in, fury written all over her face. “Yvonne, you bitch! What nonsense did you post online?!” With Cedric absent, she didn’t even bother pretending anymore. I gave a subtle look to the people behind me. Fortunately, my father’s men had arrived quickly, and they were sharp. One glance was all it took. Tacitly, several of them rushed forward and restrained Melina. Yet there was no panic in her eyes. Instead, she looked at me with confidence, a provocative smile curling her lips. “Who are you trying to scare? You really think you dare touch me? If you lay a finger on me today, tomorrow I’ll have Cedric divorce you.” Voice dripping with contempt, she sneered, “If it weren’t for Mr. Winslow refusing to let us be together back then, do you really think you could’ve married him? You were nothing but a pawn that Cedric used to declare war on his grandfather. Do you really think he ever loved you?” My face went pale. My heart stuttered painfully, then clenched as if being torn apart. Back when Cedric and I got together, Mr. Winslow had indeed threatened me. Yet Cedric, who had always been filial, openly brought me to public events—no different from declaring war on his grandfather. I had even asked him once if he regretted it. His eyes had been complicated, filled with emotions I couldn’t understand, as though he were looking through me at someone else. He sighed, rubbed my head, and said softly, “Yvonne, I just don’t want to regret it again. So, this time, I’ll hold on to you.” At the time, blinded by love, I hadn’t noticed how strange that word "again" sounded. So, this was it. He was using me to make up for the regret of missing out on Melina all those years ago. A violent wave of nausea surged up from my stomach, nearly spilling out of my throat. Seeing my face turn deathly pale, Melina looked satisfied. “Be smart and get lost. I’ve seen plenty of gold-digging women like you. Do you really not understand why Cedric silently allowed me to abort your child? Because a lowly woman like you was never worthy of carrying his child.”

Yvonne's POV “Oh, right! You should thank me, too,” Melina added casually. “When you were kidnapped, Cedric was actually prepared to let you die in there. If I hadn’t been afraid someone would end up dead and told Cedric to call the police, you’d still be locked up and tortured right now.” That last sentence burned away the last of my restraint. Hatred surged through me like a wildfire, devouring every trace of reason. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. The pain brought me a moment of clarity. “I’ll give you what you want,” I said calmly. “But that child was innocent. Melina, you picked the wrong person to mess with.” I stood up and walked toward her slowly, gripping her chin between my fingers. “Since this mouth of yours talks so well,” I said softly, “let’s sew it shut.” For the first time, panic flashed across Melina’s face. She struggled violently. “You wouldn’t dare! You’re nothing but an orphan. Cedric won’t let you get away with this!” I laughed. “Right. I’m an orphan. But does that mean I’m supposed to let you bully me?” After my father’s affair, I had convinced myself that my only family was my mother. So, when she passed away, I considered myself an orphan. My father was a terrible husband, but at least he was still somewhat of a father. When I was with Cedric, he had secretly called me and told me I could use his influence so that Cedric's grandfather wouldn’t oppose our relationship. But I had refused. I never expected that, in the end, I would still have to rely on his power. Not wanting to waste any more words on her, I stepped aside. The two doctors my father had sent moved forward, needle and thread in hand, and began stitching Melina’s mouth shut. Blood soaked into her white dress. Her heart-wrenching screams slowly faded into muffled whimpers. I had her locked inside the operating room. “You spent four hours operating on me,” I said coldly. “So, I’ll pay you back double.” “Turn the air-conditioning all the way down. Don’t let her out until eight hours have passed,” I instructed the men. Early the next morning, when I returned to our house, a message from my father’s people popped up on my phone. [We've already finished our task, Miss. We’ll leave now.] Then, the door opened. Cedric hurried over and pulled me into his arms. “I told you I’d come get you. Why did you discharge yourself?” He then carried me to the dining table and added, “I made egg drop soup, your favorite. Sip some while it’s hot. What happened this time was that Melina went too far. I’ve already scolded her. She said she knows she was wrong, so don’t hold it against her anymore.” I listened to his lies without any expression. Last night, Melina had been locked in an operating room. So, how could she have had the chance to talk to him, let alone be lectured? My eyes flicked to the gift box on the coffee table. “What’s that?” His expression stiffened, a hint of unease crossing his face. “Nothing. Just a small gift from a client.” Suddenly, his phone vibrated twice, and his childhood friends' voice messages auto-played. "Cedric, how’s that ruby from New York? My intel wasn’t wrong, right? Melina likes it?" "Obviously. Cedric flew overnight to the New York auction just to cheer Melina up. How could she not like it? Looks like he still can’t forget Melina." "Idiot, wrong group." Immediately, the three messages were deleted. Seeing there was no way to hide it anymore, Cedric sighed and reluctantly pulled a necklace out of his pocket. “Actually, I flew there to buy a gift for you. They’re just talking nonsense. Don’t listen to them.” I glanced at the necklace, and bitterness flooded my mouth. It looked more like a free add-on to the ruby, worth less than a tenth of its price. Cedric pushed the necklace toward me, as if offering a treasure. For a moment, I saw the twenty-year-old Cedric again.

Yvonne's POV Back then, after openly defying Mr. Winslow, all Cedric's financial support was cut off. As such, he worked day and night at nightclubs and convenience stores just to buy me a pair of earrings that cost thirty-two dollars. The love in his eyes had been so intense it nearly overflowed. His eyes were red, afraid I’d feel even a hint of grievance. “Someday,” he promised, “I’ll buy you jewelry that’s more expensive, more luxurious. Yvonne, I swear it.” But now, there was nothing left in his eyes except the dull numbness of someone just going through the motions. Just then, the doors were shoved open, and Melina stumbled in, utterly disheveled. The blood at the corners of her mouth had already dried. The stitches were also gone, but tiny needle marks were still visible on her upper and lower lips. “Cedric, save me!” she begged. Cedric’s pupils shrank slightly. He rushed forward so fast he didn’t even notice his slippers slipping off just to catch Melina in his arms. Her eyes burned with hatred as she glared at me, venom spilling from her gaze. “She had people sew my mouth shut! And she locked me in an ice-cold room all night! Cedric, divorce her, please? She’s going to kill me. My mouth hurts so badly. She even turned that incident into a PowerPoint and posted it online. Now the hospital director told me to get out. My whole future is ruined. I don’t want to live anymore.” Without a second thought, Cedric turned and slapped me hard across the face. A storm brewed in his eyes, as if he wanted to tear me apart. “Yvonne, have you lost your mind? Didn’t I warn you not to touch her?” Years ago, when he faced Mr. Winslow, he had stood exactly like this, shielding me behind him with everything he had. Only this time, I had become the “Mr. Winslow,” and they were the lovers being cruelly torn apart. Bitterness flooded my chest. My eyes reddened despite myself. Still, I laughed weakly through my choking voice as I looked at him. “She took my child from me. She took away my right to be a mother. The doctor said it’ll be very hard for me to get pregnant again. Sewing a few stitches into her mouth was already the lightest punishment.” “Cedric,” I demanded, staring straight at him, “why do you believe everything she says? Who exactly is your wife?” I stubbornly searched his face, desperately hoping to find even a trace of pain or guilt. But there was none. His voice was heavy with barely restrained fury as he replied, “Yvonne, you’re just using this as an excuse. Melina studied medicine for so many years, and you destroyed her future with a single move. You’re vicious. She’s right. I spoiled you too much all these years.” He then waved his hand, summoning the bodyguards in the courtyard. Quickly, they grabbed my arms and forced me to the ground. Cedric turned his face away, as if even looking at me made him feel dirty. The he gently wrapped an arm around Melina, holding her like a precious treasure he’d almost lost—every movement careful, cherishing. “Melina,” he said softly, “tell me. How do you want to vent your anger?” Melina glanced smugly at my deathly pale face. “Bring that bastard over,” she said sweetly. “Burn it in front of her as an offering to heaven.” My eyes widened, bloodshot, disbelief tearing through me. “Cedric, are you insane?! That was our child!” But he replied coldly, without hesitation. “As long as Melina is happy, I don't care. This is the price you pay for hurting her, Yvonne.” Amid my hoarse, desperate screams, Melina personally had someone bring the corpse of my already fully formed child from the hospital. Right in front of me, she tossed him into the fire basin. The flames surged up like venomous snakes, instantly devouring him. “No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. The overpowering stench of burning flesh assaulted my senses. It felt as though my body had been ripped apart, as if my soul itself had been torn from its place. Even so, Melina still wasn’t satisfied. “Strip her,” she said coldly. “Sew the word ‘bitch’ onto her back.” Cedric frowned slightly, and with a trace of displeasure in his tone, he muttered, “Melina.” But she didn’t back down. She clung to his arm and shook it. “Cedric, my mouth hurts. I won’t even be able to eat hot food for weeks!” In the end, Cedric looked at her helplessly, indulgence winning out. “Just this once. Don’t take it too far.” As such, I closed my eyes in resignation. Inside, everything was already desolate and numb. No matter how I begged, no matter how hysterically I screamed, the needle behind me still came down with ruthless precision. As blood beaded and spilled, pleasure appeared in Melina’s eyes, and her hand only grew harsher. I lay sprawled on the ground, stripped bare, forced to endure the lewd, mocking stares of the surrounding bodyguards. In the end, the pain overwhelmed me, and I passed out. Just before losing consciousness, I caught a fleeting trace of pain in Cedric’s eyes, but it vanished almost instantly. When I woke up, I was still lying on the cold floor, but the word “bitch” was crudely stitched across my back. Gritting my teeth, I called my father once again. “Dad, I want a divorce from Cedric.” Three hours later, I left our house with my father’s car.