He Saved Me, Then Betrayed Me

Ever since I had an abortion after being raped, I've been struggling with severe depression. Five years ago, on my wedding night with Zane Gordon, his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Bailey—who hates me with a passion—abducts me, and I vanish for three whole months. When Zane and his men finally find me in a remote mountain village, I'm locked in a cellar, my belly swollen, my eyes hollow and lifeless. Zane loses his mind right then and there. After rescuing me, he stops at nothing to take revenge on everyone who hurt me. The Bailey family is destroyed overnight, and Vanessa is sent to prison to pay for her crimes for the rest of her life. For the past five years, every time I have an episode and start hurting myself, Zane drops to his knees, holds me in his arms, and begs for forgiveness over and over again. Despite being a staunch atheist, Zane goes to the chapel on the 15th of every month and spends three days there in penance. Then comes the day I find out I'm pregnant again. Determined to move forward, I throw away everything I've used to harm myself and head to the chapel to find Zane, taking my positive pregnancy test with me. I think a new life is finally about to begin. Instead, through a half-open door, I see two figures tangled together. "Zane, you've kept me locked up here for five years and punished me every month under the guise of doing penance. Do you really hate me that much?" She smirks and asks, "Who satisfies you more? Me or that cripple, Liana? Hmm?" Vanessa's ragged, breathless moans send a shock through me, leaving my whole body numb. In that instant, it hits me that the new life I've been imagining is nothing but a cruel joke. Chapter 1 Liana's POV "Shut up! You don't get to say Lia's name!" At the sound of my name, my husband Zane Gordon's expression darkened. He reached out and clamped his hand around his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Bailey's throat as she tipped her head back. His brutal grip had her crying out again and again. But Zane offered no comfort, only letting out a cold, mocking laugh. "You can't even handle this? What Lia went through back then hurt a hell of a lot worse! Even if you paid with your life, you'd still have it coming!" When I heard my name on his lips, my fingers tightened around the pregnancy test results, trembling uncontrollably. It felt as though a crushing weight was pressing down on my chest, forcing the air from my lungs. "My life?" Vanessa laughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, then rolled over and pinned Zane beneath her. "If you really wanted me dead, why did you trick Liana into signing that letter of forgiveness five years ago? Why did you secretly transfer all the Bailey family's assets overseas and send my parents abroad to enjoy their golden years? "For five years, you've come here to punish me every month, but you've never let anyone else lay a finger on me. Everything you send me, from the food to the clothes, is exactly what I like. "Admit it, Zane. You can't bring yourself to treat me badly at all." Those words—"letter of forgiveness"—slammed into me like a sledgehammer. The blood in my veins ran cold. In all those five years, the only document I'd ever signed was the marriage agreement Zane had placed in front of me when I was barely conscious. Back then, after everything that had happened, he'd been consumed by guilt. To ease my mind, he had his lawyer draw up the marriage agreement overnight. Out of hundreds of clauses, not a single one benefited him. Every line was written to protect me. He'd even held my hand, guiding each stroke as I signed. Zane's face turned deathly pale as Vanessa spelled out the truth he refused to admit. Vanessa laughed smugly, trailing kisses along the hideous scar across his chest. "But Liana can't blame you. You've been a neat freak since you were a kid. Even if you convince yourself to accept her, your body could never accept some used-up whore who's been passed around." Her smile widened. "Besides, she lost a leg. She probably can't even get into this position with you, can she?" As Vanessa spoke, she wore the same vicious expression from five years ago. Five years ago, when Zane and his men found me in that remote mountain village, she'd worn that same smile, savoring every second as Zane lost his mind. "Didn't you say that in your eyes, she was as pure as moonlight? Let's see if you still want a whore who's been gang-raped and is carrying another man's bastard." Vanessa's words had pushed Zane over the edge. He'd nearly beaten every last one of those bastards to death. While I lay barely conscious, Zane had knelt beside me, his hands shaking as he covered me with his coat before carrying me to the hospital. Something cold dripped all over my face. I couldn't tell whether it was blood or tears. Chapter 2 Liana's POV When Zane heard Vanessa taunting me, he lost what little restraint he had left and spat out a curse. He pinned her down and went at her even harder, shutting her up completely. From where I stood, I could clearly see the scar across his chest, now smeared with lipstick. My stomach couldn't take any more, lurching and cramping violently. During all the years I was sick, I kept hurting myself, no matter how hard I tried to stop. And every time I hurt myself, Zane would hurt himself twice as badly. Over time, he ended up with even more scars than I had. More than once, he took it too far, losing so much blood that he had to be rushed to the ER. Even at his weakest, barely lucid, he'd hold my hand tight and murmur through his tears, "Lia, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I failed to protect you. If you hurt, I'll hurt along with you. Don't leave me all alone." As I remembered those heartfelt promises and apologies, my crutch slipped from my grip and clattered to the floor. I couldn't hold it back any longer. I gagged and threw up violently. The sounds from inside the room abruptly stopped. The next second, the door flew open. Zane opened his mouth to curse at whoever was outside, but the moment he saw me, every trace of lust vanished from his eyes. "Lia?!" Seeing me retching so hard that I could barely stand, he instinctively stepped toward me. But before he could reach me, Vanessa walked out behind him, pulling on a robe. He quickly pulled his hand back. Instead of steadying me, he shifted in front of Vanessa, shielding her with his body. "What are you doing out here? Get back inside!" Seeing how guarded he was, I looked up into his eyes, my own bloodshot from throwing up. A dull ache throbbed through my chest with every breath I took. "Zane, is this what you meant when you said you'd make her pay?" Back when I was rescued, my injuries were so severe that I spent two full months in the ICU. Zane had knelt by my hospital bed, his eyes bloodshot as he swore he'd make the scum who'd hurt me pay. While I lay in a coma, he'd gone after them like a madman, showing them no mercy at all. I'd always believed he was getting justice for me. But now, the truth hit me like a slap in the face. The Baileys hadn't been ruined at all. They had simply been sent overseas to enjoy their retirement. And Vanessa had never gone to prison. She'd been kept comfortable right under my nose for five whole years. It turned out that all these years, I'd been the only one trapped in that pain. Helplessness and resentment hit me all at once. I was just about to pull out my pregnancy test results and confront him with everything when Vanessa beat me to it. She shrugged as if it were nothing. "Who says I haven't paid? Ever since you got crippled, Zane's been pent up, so he comes here to let it all out. Even after I got pregnant, he couldn't get enough. A few times, he went so hard that I ended up in the hospital. I've been paying with my body. Isn't that enough?" "Pregnant?" Zane whipped his head around, staring at her in disbelief. Vanessa rubbed her belly and gave him a coy, pouty look. "Yeah. I'm just two months along. I kept telling you not to go so hard. What if you hurt the baby…" Her lips kept moving, but I couldn't take in another word. Only one thought echoed in my mind—Vanessa was pregnant. I didn't even remember passing out. When I came to, Zane was sitting by my hospital bed, holding my hand. He brought a glass of warm water to my lips and asked if anything still hurt, taking care of me just like he always had. Judging by his expression, he didn't know that I was pregnant either. Expressionless, I turned my head away from the glass. Zane paused, then sat back in his chair. After a long moment, he finally broke the silence. "Lia, it's been five years. You still can't let it go?" His voice was hoarse, weariness creasing his brow. "I kept Vanessa locked up in the chapel all these years to make her pay for what she did to you. She kept you prisoner for five months back then, and now she's been punished for five whole years. She's already paid for it many times over. Can't we just call it even?" Call it even? I stared at Zane in disbelief. Maybe he'd forgotten. Right after I was rescued, that psycho Vanessa was so furious that she sent videos of me being assaulted straight to my family. Mom couldn't take the shock. She immediately had a heart attack, followed by a stroke that left her in a vegetative state. And Dad was killed in a car crash on his way to get justice for me. His body wasn't even intact when they brought him back. I'd done nothing to deserve any of this. Yet, my entire family had been destroyed, and I'd been living in hell ever since. Zane actually believed that five years of something that barely even counted as punishment could make up for everything I'd suffered. Thinking of Mom, still lying in a hospital bed, I laughed through the tears streaming down my face. Whatever hope I had left for Zane died in that moment. "If you want to call it even, either I die or she dies." After a brief pause, I added, "Let's get a divorce. I'll get justice for myself." Chapter 3 Liana's POV For a moment, the room fell dead silent. Zane's expression darkened, his features tightening as he shot to his feet. "What are you going to do?" Even now, his first thought wasn't our divorce—it was what I might do to Vanessa. When he met my scornful gaze, he seemed to realize how out of line he was being. A conflicted look flashed across his face, and he let out a heavy sigh. "Lia, stop making a scene. Vanessa is carrying my child. I won't let anyone hurt her." His expression hardened. "If you really can't stand having her around, I'll send her overseas for the rest of her pregnancy. But a divorce? Over my dead body!" He slammed the door shut behind him. Barely two hours later, the paperwork for sending Vanessa away started coming through on my phone, one document after another. I stared at the long string of messages from Zane, but I didn't reply. Instead, I continued gathering evidence and forwarding it to my lawyer. My lawyer had just finished drafting the divorce agreement and petition and sent them over. Before I even had a chance to open them, my hospital room door burst open. Vanessa charged in, her face twisted with rage. She marched up and slapped me hard across the cheek. "You slut! You're the one who got Zane to send me away, aren't you? You think getting rid of me will make him yours? Fine. If you want to play dirty, nobody gets off easy!" The madness burning in her eyes sent a cold wave of dread through me, overwhelming the sting on my cheek. A moment later, Martha Clark, Mom's caregiver, rushed in with panic written all over her face. "Ms. Shelton, a group of people just burst into your mom's room. They took her off her life support and said they were moving her somewhere else for treatment. I couldn't stop them. They've already wheeled her out!" Before Martha could even finish speaking, Vanessa smugly held up her phone. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I still hold the hospital shares Zane gave me years ago. That old hag has been occupying a VIP suite all these years, wasting hospital resources. As a shareholder, I couldn't just stand by and watch, so I had her moved to where she truly belongs." Her grin widened with every single word. Then, she pulled up a photo and shoved it right in my face. In the photo, Mom lay alone in the morgue, looking deathly pale. Without a ventilator, her chest rose and fell so faintly that it was barely visible. "That old hag is as good as dead anyway. So, what do you think of the place I picked—Ah!" Before Vanessa could finish speaking, I ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand, grabbed the glass from the nightstand, and hurled it at her, my eyes burning with rage. By the time I came to my senses, I was already pressing a fruit knife against her throat. "If anything happens to my mom, I swear you'll pay with your life!" With that, I grabbed my crutch and turned to go find Mom. I had barely turned around when Vanessa seized my hand and shoved the knife deep into her own stomach. "Stop!" The metallic smell of blood hit me at the exact moment Zane's furious roar echoed from the doorway. Before I could process what was happening, I was violently shoved aside. Zane scooped Vanessa into his arms, his eyes bloodshot with rage and panic. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me? Why did you run off?" He was so frantic that his hands were shaking. Vanessa just laughed through her tears, stubborn and defiant. "You keep saying I owe her, right? Fine! Then I'll pay her back with my life and our baby's too!" With that, she passed out. I collapsed onto the floor, clutching my stomach where it had slammed against the foot of the bed. A sharp pain tore through my belly. "Zane, my baby—" Before I could call for help, Zane picked Vanessa up in his arms and rushed out to find a doctor, without so much as a backward glance. Martha hurried over to help me up, on the verge of tears. "Ms. Shelton, without a ventilator, I'm afraid your mom won't last long in the morgue!" I clenched my fists, forcing myself to push through the agonizing pain. Then I grabbed my crutch and stumbled out toward the morgue as fast as I could. Chapter 4 Liana's POV I had just reached the corner leading to the morgue when Zane suddenly doubled back, grabbed my arm, and dragged me toward the emergency room. "Let go of me! My mom's dying!" I screamed in desperation. Zane rounded on me, his eyes bloodshot as he barked, "Enough! You're still lying, even now? Your mom has been in a top-floor VIP suite for years, getting the best care possible! What could possibly be wrong with her? Vanessa is the one who's actually dying! I already promised I'd send her away. Why can't you just leave her alone?" He shouted right in my face, so loud that my eardrums ached. As I struggled against him, the crutch Zane had made for me himself fell to the floor. He stepped right on it, snapping it in half. The pain in my lower abdomen grew even worse. I reached down and realized blood was already running down my legs. Just then, the doctor evaluating Vanessa's injuries rushed over, panic written all over his face. "Mr. Gordon, the stab wound severely damaged Ms. Bailey's uterus. She's lost far too much blood, and we can't save the baby. If we're going to save Ms. Bailey's life, she needs an immediate uterus transplant!" Zane tightened his grip on my wrist so hard that it felt like my bone might snap. My heart lurched. The moment I caught the look in his eyes, I raised my bloodstained hand to stop him. "Zane, you can't do this! I'm pregnant!" At the word "pregnant", Zane froze for a second. A moment later, his tightly pressed lips twisted into a bitter sneer. "The doctors told me years ago that after your abortion, you'd never get pregnant again! You're covered in the blood of Vanessa and my unborn child, and you still have the nerve to lie to me like that?" Before the abortion, the doctor had tried to talk me out of it, warning me that my health was too poor and that conceiving again would be nearly impossible. But "nearly" didn't mean it was completely impossible. When the doctor urged Zane again, he stopped hesitating and signed his name on the family consent line of the organ donation form. "Since your uterus is useless to you anyway, you might as well use it to save Vanessa's life." His voice was hoarse as he turned back to me, a pleading look in his eyes I'd never seen before. "Lia, save her. Think of it as making amends." As I fought his grip, frantic screams suddenly rang out from the other end of the hallway. "What the hell? How did someone just die in the morgue?" At that moment, I stopped struggling. Nothing remained inside me except crushing despair. When I was wheeled into the operating room and the cold scalpel sliced open my belly, shocked gasps filled the room. As Zane waited outside in the hallway, a sudden, sharp pain seized his chest. Before he could catch his breath, the operating room doors swung open. His heart jumped into his throat. Only when the doctor announced that the surgery was a success did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Then he turned and saw a fully formed fetus lying on a tray, and a prickling ache spread through his chest. "Get rid of it. Don't let Vanessa see it. It would be too cruel to her." The doctor shook his head, his expression grim. "Mr. Gordon, this isn't Ms. Bailey's baby. It was… taken from Mrs. Gordon's uterus."