Finn’s words were meant to provoke Aoife, but deep inside, it felt like a thousand thorns piercing his heart.
“Do you not hate me? If this child was truly mine, why would you leave? If it was truly my child, how could Ethan accept it?” For a moment, Finn’s face regained its calmness as if speaking to himself.
The medical report had already shown that this child was not his, he believed in what his eyes saw and the experiences he went through.
He was a bastard child, condemned even before birth and treated like a pariah afterwards. He knew the burden that came with being a “bastard”, how could Aoife possibly leave his child behind? And how could a man allow the child of his enemy to be born?
He did not believe in the innocence between Aoife and Ethan, nor did he have confidence in himself. It was just that he refused to admit this weakness.
Aoife suddenly raised her head, eyes filled with hatred and a hint of red, swaying as she stood up and lunged towards Finn.
The love she once had for Finn had turned into hatred, as if the overflowing affection had transformed into overwhelming animosity, seemingly wanting to shatter the rib cage protecting her heart, leaving her unable to seek life nor death.
Finn saw through Aoife’s intentions, and in the moment she lunged at him, he raised his hand and a swift blow landed on Aoife’s face.
A loud smack echoed, indicating the strength behind it, and the pain Aoife felt from that slap was unbearable. She fell to the ground, blood spewing from her mouth.
Half of her face was already swollen, but Aoife felt no pain. The pain in her heart was a thousand times worse.
Aoife curled up on the cold ground, motionless like a corpse, tears and blood pooling below her eyes and mouth, forming a small red puddle.
She coughed uncomfortably, the action pulling at the surgical scar on her abdomen. In a hoarse and strained voice, she uttered, “Finn, you asked if I was wrong… Yes, I was wrong. Not for saving a life, but for not being able to retaliate against you, for being too young to show true feelings, for being foolish and falling in love with you, for believing that honesty and sincerity would be reciprocated.”
From the moment she met Finn, he became an inescapable nightmare.
Oh, Aoife, you truly wasted your affection on a dog.
At that moment, noises could be heard outside the door, footsteps drawing closer. A male nurse approached the door, sensing the tense atmosphere inside, he paused.
He couldn’t afford to offend the people inside, and was about to leave as if nothing had happened, when Finn suddenly called out to him.
“Are you here to collect samples?”
“Ye… Yes.”
“Come in and take it.”
The male nurse reluctantly entered. The female nurses were too timid to handle the six-month-old fetus sample, so he had to do it. He didn’t expect this turn of events.
He dared not glance around and quickly went inside. As he caught a glimpse of a puddle of blood, he froze momentarily, out of professional courtesy.
After a moment of hesitation, the male nurse cautiously asked, “Mr. Snearl, it’s cold in here. Shouldn’t we take Miss Powell back to her room? She’s… she’s coughing up blood.”
As an outsider came in and witnessed Aoife coughing up blood, Finn chose to turn a blind eye.
“Mind your own business, take her away. The sight of this bastard child disgusts me.”
The male nurse trembled and quickly covered the glass container with a white cloth, then turned and left the room.
Upon seeing the male nurse holding the specimen container, Aoife summoned a weak spurt of energy. Her eyes widened with blood, her mouth stained with blood, she hoarsely cried out, “Give me my baby… where are you taking my baby…”
The male nurse felt uncomfortable hearing her plea, but he couldn’t interfere. He could only clutch the container and hurriedly leave the suffocating room.
“Where are you taking her?” Finn sneered from a distance, “Naturally, to the viewing area for specimens. I want everyone to know that this child was taken from your belly, Aoife! Such a bastard child to be fed to the snakes, I fear even the serpents’ mouths will be tainted.”
Each word spoken by Finn felt like a curse.
As the male nurse reached the door, he stole a glance back at the woman on the floor, crying and convulsing, before shaking his head and hastening away, leaving the room.
“Don’t leave… Give me my baby…” Seeing the male nurse leave, Aoife shrieked, trying to stand but her pain prevented her, her body weak and drenched in cold sweat, her hair disheveled, her clothes stained with blood.
“Give my baby back to me… Give me back my baby…” Aoife looked like a flickering candle in the wind, slowly crawling towards the door with trembling fingers pressed on the ground, leaving a bright trail of blood on the white tiled floor.