chapter 3

The people on the shore kept cheering and laughing.

One after another, fat, gleaming koi flew from Melanie's hook as she reeled them in with ease.

But by the second 10-minute mark, I still hadn't reached the target.

No matter how hard I tried, I managed to hook fewer than 30 fish.

Suddenly, one of the rich kids nearby shouted, "Damn! Mr. Delgado is catching fish so fast! He's about to catch up with Melanie!"

The crowd's cheers shifted instantly.

"Mr. Delgado, you're killing it out there! What, got someone hidden underwater helping you, too?"

Melanie's expression darkened instantly.

She suddenly slammed her fishing rod to the ground and screamed at Robin, "Robin! What's wrong with your wife? Is she trying to embarrass me on purpose?"

Robin's fury crackled through the walkie-talkie, burning in my ears.

"Winona! You dare throw a tantrum now? You think I don't see what's going on in that head of yours? If you're jealous, at least pick a better time.

"Don't push your luck!"

I closed my eyes, exhausted. The last trace of warmth in my womb slipped away.

I knew then—Fred was gone.

I opened my mouth, wanting to explain, wanting to tell him that our child… was gone.

But when my eyes dropped to the screen strapped to my chest, every word died in my throat.

On the screen, a bodyguard dressed in black stepped into the nursery, his face cold and blank.

He picked up Jasper, my oldest, who was still fast asleep.

Then, like tossing out a garbage bag, he hurled my child straight into the swimming pool outside the villa.

Splash!

Water burst everywhere.

Jasper was barely more than a year old, still unsteady on his feet.

He flailed helplessly in the freezing water, his little face turning red, coughing and choking, letting out weak, desperate cries.

The swimming pool was three feet deep—enough to take his life.

"Ah!"

I lost it completely, screaming into the walkie-talkie, my voice breaking beyond recognition.

"Robin! Even an animal wouldn't hurt its own young! You'll pay for this! Let my child go!"

My curses only earned his cold laugh.

"Pay for it? Winona, you brought this on yourself."

"If one child isn't enough to make you obey, then all three!"

He barked an order through the walkie-talkie. "Throw Rowan and Dexter in too!"

The bodyguard holding Rowan and Dexter froze, hesitation flickering in his eyes.

He glanced at Jasper, who was still struggling weakly in the swimming pool, and stammered, "Mr. Brown, they can't swim… they'll drown."

"You do as I say. Throw them in." Robin's voice was flat, stripped of any emotion.

"They're my blood. You don't get to worry about them."

The bodyguard didn't dare disobey.

Moments later, two more small bodies splashed into the water.

My three children were fighting for their lives in the freezing water, their little arms flailing in panic.

And their biological father stood on the shore, laughing and chatting with another woman.

It felt like my very bones were being crushed, every inch of me breaking apart until I couldn't breathe from the pain.

Melanie giggled and leaned into Robin's arms, her voice dripping with fake concern.

"Robin, what if Winona can't handle the shock and decides to divorce you? After all, those are your own kids."

Robin gently brushed his fingers through her hair, his voice light and indifferent.

"Divorce? She's an orphan with no family. Without me, where could she possibly go?

"As for the kids… if they're gone, they're gone.

"Besides, isn't she supposed to be fertile? We can always have more later."

Robin didn't know that my fertility had already been destroyed six months ago.

At the time, I'd already had the triplets and was pregnant again, so I kept it a secret from him.

Watching my three children slowly stop struggling in the water, I let out a bitter, broken laugh.

Then, I tore off my oxygen mask and let my body sink into the freezing depths.

The moment I tore off the walkie-talkie, a strange, furious voice exploded in my ear. "What the hell are you doing? Get her out of the water—now!"