CHAPTER 3
A year had passed since the night Juliet lost her first pregnancy.
Time moved forward, but the wounds from that night never truly disappeared. The scars on Juliet's body had faded slightly, but the scars in her heart remained as raw as ever.
Yet life had continued, as it always did.
And fate had placed Juliet in another fragile situation.
She was pregnant again.
When she first discovered it, she had been terrified. The memory of the miscarriage still haunted her dreams. For days she debated whether she should even tell Robbinson. Part of her hoped that maybe—just maybe—this child might soften his heart.
Maybe he would finally change.
Maybe he would finally see her.
But when she eventually told him, his reaction was nothing like she had imagined.
Robbinson had simply nodded.
No excitement.
No joy.
No concern.
Just a careless nod before he returned to whatever he had been doing.
What Juliet didn't know was that fate had created a strange and dangerous coincidence.
At that same time, Lily was pregnant too.
When Lily shared the news with Robbinson, his reaction had been completely different.
His face lit up with excitement.
He hugged her tightly, promising that he would take care of everything.
From that moment, Robbinson began spending even more time with Lily than he ever had before.
He visited her almost every day.
He took her shopping.
He paid for expensive prenatal checkups.
And to make things easier for her, he even hired two maids to take care of Lily's apartment.
The maids cleaned, cooked, washed clothes, and made sure Lily never had to lift a finger.
Robbinson wanted her to remain comfortable and stress-free throughout her pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Juliet remained alone in their home.
No maid.
No help.
No support.
She still woke up early every morning to clean the house, prepare meals, and handle every responsibility by herself.
But she didn't complain.
She had long grown used to living that way.
In her mind, suffering had become normal.
Some nights, after finishing all the house chores, Juliet would sit quietly in the bedroom with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her heart felt heavy.
Her body felt weak.
The pregnancy had been difficult from the beginning.
During her last hospital visit, the doctor had warned her that her blood pressure was unusually high.
"Stress is very dangerous during pregnancy," the doctor had explained gently. "You must try to stay calm and avoid worrying too much."
But how could Juliet avoid worrying?
Her husband rarely came home.
When he did, he barely spoke to her.
And deep inside, Juliet could feel that something in their marriage had completely died.
One evening, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding her stomach as quiet tears fell down her face.
"Why is my life like this?" she whispered softly.
Her mind was filled with questions that had no answers.
She loved Robbinson.
Despite everything he had done to her, a part of her heart still held onto the man she once believed he was.
But Robbinson's heart had already moved somewhere else.
And he had plans.
Dark plans.
Plans that Juliet could never imagine.
Robbinson had already decided what he was going to do.
In his mind, Juliet no longer had any place in his life. The marriage had become a burden he no longer wished to carry.
But the baby she was carrying…
That baby was different.
Robbinson had convinced himself that the child belonged to him alone.
And he had decided that once Juliet delivered the baby, he would take the child away from her and give it to Lily.
Lily had always complained that she wanted a child that would grow up in comfort and luxury.
Robbinson believed he could make that happen.
If Juliet didn't have the baby, she would have nothing tying him to her anymore.
Once the child was gone, he planned to file for divorce and finally free himself from the marriage he now despised.
Everything had been carefully planned in his mind.
All he needed was the right moment.
One afternoon, Robbinson returned home to pick up some documents he needed.
As soon as he stepped into the house, he noticed something unusual.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then he heard it.
Soft crying.
The sound was coming from the bedroom.
When he entered the room, he saw Juliet sitting on the floor beside the bed, her face buried in her hands.
Her shoulders shook as she cried.
For a moment, Robbinson simply stared at her.
A husband with compassion might have walked over and asked what was wrong.
But Robbinson felt nothing.
Instead, irritation slowly spread across his face.
"Why are you crying again?" he snapped.
Juliet looked up at him, her eyes swollen with tears.
"I'm not feeling well," she whispered weakly. "The doctor said my blood pressure is high…"
Robbinson rolled his eyes.
"You're always complaining."
Juliet lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
But her apology only seemed to annoy him more.
Without another word, Robbinson removed his belt.
Juliet's eyes widened in fear.
"No… please…" she whispered.
But it was already too late.
The first strike landed across her back.
The pain shot through her body like lightning.
"Robbinson please!" she cried desperately.
Another strike followed.
Then another.
Juliet screamed in agony as the belt continued to lash against her body.
She was heavily pregnant now.
Every blow sent terrifying waves of pain through her stomach.
"Help! Help! Help!" she cried with all the strength she had left.
But the house was isolated.
The neighbors were too far away to hear her cries.
Robbinson continued beating her without mercy.
Suddenly—
The front door opened.
Footsteps rushed inside.
"Juliet!" a voice called.
It was Zara.
Juliet's older sister had decided to visit her that afternoon, worried because she hadn't heard from her in several days.
But the moment Zara entered the house, she froze.
The sight before her made her blood run cold.
Robbinson stood in the middle of the room, his belt raised high.
And Juliet lay on the floor, screaming and struggling to protect her pregnant stomach.
"ROBINSON!" Zara shouted furiously.
"What are you doing to your wife?!"
Robbinson turned quickly.
The moment he saw Zara standing there, shock flashed across his face.
For a second, the room fell silent.
Then fear overtook him.
Without saying a word, Robbinson dropped the belt.
And ran.
He rushed out of the house and sped away in his car.
Zara immediately rushed to Juliet's side.
"Juliet! Juliet!" she cried, shaking her gently.
But Juliet was already unconscious.
Her breathing was weak.
Panic gripped Zara's heart.
"Help!" she screamed as she grabbed her phone.
Within minutes, she had called emergency services.
The ambulance arrived quickly, and Juliet was rushed to the hospital.
Zara sat beside her the entire ride, holding her sister's hand and praying desperately.
"Please be okay… please be okay…"
Meanwhile, Robbinson had already driven across town to Lily's apartment.
But when he arrived, he found Lily in severe pain.
She was clutching her stomach, breathing heavily.
"Robbinson… the baby…" she groaned.
"It's time."
Lily had gone into labor.
Without wasting time, Robbinson rushed her into the car and drove her to the hospital.
Fate had one more cruel twist waiting for them.
When they arrived at the hospital entrance, nurses quickly placed Lily on a stretcher and rushed her inside.
Robbinson followed closely behind.
But as he entered the maternity ward corridor, he suddenly froze.
Across the hallway—
He saw a familiar face.
Zara.
She was standing outside an emergency room, pacing nervously.
Robbinson's heart skipped.
Then Zara looked up.
Their eyes met.
And the truth hung heavily in the air.
Both women—
Juliet and Lily—
were in labor.
In the same hospital.
At the same time.
And Robbinson stood at the center of the storm he had created.
For the first time in a long while…
He felt something dangerously close to fear.