The Baby Couldn’t Tie Him, The Lie Did Chapter 04

The Baby Couldn’t Tie Him, The Lie Did Chapter 04

I ran out of the hospital and took a cab straight to another clinic across town.

The moment I sat down, I asked the doctor only one question.

“Is there any medical reason I couldn’t conceive naturally?”

The doctor reviewed my test results, clearly confused.

“Ms. Sterling… your reproductive health looks perfectly normal. Why would you choose IVF?”

I stared at her blankly.

Having a baby had been Julian’s idea.

One night, he’d shown me a medical video on his phone.

“Vivienne, doctors say pregnancy after thirty becomes high-risk. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

At the time, I’d believed every word.

I took supplements. Tracked ovulation cycles. Followed every recommendation.

But month after month, nothing happened.

Then came the hospital visit.

The doctor told me my body wasn’t capable of natural conception.

I still remembered how hopeless I’d felt back then.

For two straight months, my arms had been covered in bruises from blood draws and hormone injections.

The hormones kept me awake night after night.

Whenever I broke down crying, Julian would hold me in his arms and whisper softly,

“Forget having kids. We can stay child-free. I don’t want you suffering like this.”

And yet the very next day, I’d catch him secretly watching videos of smiling babies online.

Whenever I noticed, he’d immediately comfort me.

“Don’t overthink it, Vivienne. I’m just looking.”

So he’d been planning this from the very beginning.

My hand slowly rested over my stomach.

The child I’d wanted so desperately…

wasn’t even biologically mine.

My phone buzzed again.

Another message from the same number.

[Did you know? I’ve always loved kids.]

[But I’m terrified of pregnancy pain, so I suggested using my eggs instead.]

[Julian agreed without even hesitating.]

[Vivienne Sterling, thank you for carrying my baby for ten months.]

[Don’t worry. The Vance family has plenty of money. I’ll compensate you generously.]

A second later, a banking notification appeared on my screen.

[$500,000 deposited.]

Another text arrived immediately after.

[I originally wanted to pay you more, but Julian said market rate for a surrogate like you is about this much.]

I didn’t even remember how I made it back to the hospital room.

But when I pushed the door open, Julian was already there.

“Vivienne, where did you go?”

The panic and concern in his eyes looked painfully real.

It disgusted me.

Before he could say another word, I slapped him across the face.

The crack echoed through the room.

Julian looked stunned for several seconds before calmly asking,

“Feel better now?”

The moment the words left his mouth, several bodyguards entered the room.

Julian spoke without looking away from me.

“From today onward, nobody enters this room. Not even a fly. Ms. Sterling is to remain under protection until she safely delivers the baby.”

He smiled.

But the smile chilled me to the bone.

I stared at him.

“Why?”

Julian slowly pried my fingers loose from his sleeve one by one before brushing the hair away from my face with unbearable tenderness.

“Silly girl. You already know why.” His voice was soft. “Vivienne, be good and give birth to this child. Once it’s over, I promise everything will go back to the way it was.”

After he left, I sat alone in silence for a long, long time.

I thought about Audrey’s messages.

About everything Julian and I had once shared.

About all the lies hidden inside those memories.

Late that night, two female doctors wearing masks entered the room.

I didn’t resist when they injected something into my IV.

But as my consciousness slowly blurred, alarm bells suddenly went off in my head.

Something was wrong.

Using the last bit of strength I had left, I grabbed one of the women and ripped off her mask.

The moment I saw my mother’s face underneath it, I finally let the darkness pull me under.

…

Back at the Everett mansion, Julian sat alone in his car smoking a cigarette.

In his hand was an old pocket-watch necklace.

He rubbed his thumb over it for a long moment before flicking it open.

Inside was a photograph of me from years ago.

Younger. Happier.

Then his phone lit up with a message from Audrey.

[Julian, I’m staying at my parents’ place tonight. Don’t miss me too much~]

The faint smile on his face disappeared.

He leaned back tiredly and pressed his fingers against his temple.

Just a little longer.

Six more months.

That was all he needed to eliminate every obstacle around him.

After that, he would make it up to Vivienne.

If she wanted a marriage certificate, he’d give her one.

But in the next second, his phone rang again.

The hospital.

“Mr. Everett!” the nurse screamed frantically. “Ms. Sterling is gone!”