Betrayed by My Husband and My Family, I Returned to My Empire – On the day I went into labor,I called my husband ninety-nine times while I was bleeding in a broken-down car but on the hundredth,his assistant answered calmly. “Mr.Reed has taken the private jet to fly his pregnant wife to the hospital.” Pregnant wife?I was his wife. But that wasn’t the worst part. When I woke up,my baby was gone and then I heard the truth. “Erika’s baby was a perfect match,”Jacob Reed said.“We used his heart.Our son is fine now.” My knees gave out. “We didn’t have a choice,”my mother added. “She should be grateful,”my father said coldly.“After everything we’ve done for her.” My child had been killed to save theirs. I stumbled away,choking on the truth,only for Lily to smile at me. “I don’t have cancer,”she whispered.“I just wanted everything you have.” I picked up my phone,my voice steady for the first time. “Grandpa,”I said softly.“I will return to take over my inheritance and get married to Liam Reynolds” The woman who begged for love died with her child. The woman who walked away is coming back to ruin them. —— Erika’s Pov “I’m sorry, but your baby didn’t make it,” the nurse said the moment I opened my eyes. “You lost a lot of blood and were unconscious for three days.
We tried everything, but we couldn’t save the baby.” My ears rang at her words and I swallowed hard. My throat felt scraped raw. “My husband,” I whispered. “Jacob… Did he come?” The nurse’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, ma’am. No one has visited you since you were admitted.” Bitter tears slid down my cheeks as the room blurred. Three days ago, I had called Jacob until my fingers went numb. Ninety-nine missed calls. More than twenty messages. Please send the jet. I’m in labor. The bridge collapsed. I can’t get through. I’m bleeding. The pain had been tearing me apart when I finally called his office. “I’m in labor,” I cried. “Where is Jacob?” There was a pause before the assistant answered, his voice careful. “The CEO isn’t here right now, ma’am. He’s taken the jet to fly his pregnant wife to the hospital because of the collapsed bridge. May I take a message?” The world went silent. “Pregnant… wife?” I whispered. “No,” I said hoarsely, shaking my head. “You must be mistaken. I’m his wife. I’m the one in labor.” Another contraction ripped through me. I cried out, clutching my stomach as pain split me open. “Tell him it’s Erika,” I gasped. “Tell him to come now.” “I’m sorry, Ma’am, it seems you’ve got a wrong number,” the assistant said. “No, I’m not wrong. Call my husband… It hurts so much, call Jacob!” I cried but there was no response, only the dial tone showing the call had ended.
My grip loosened and the phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor. The pain surged violently through my body, my vision darkening as voices shouted around me. “Jacob,” I called, my voice breaking. But he never came and then everything went black. “Here’s your phone,” the nurse said softly, pulling me back. “We picked it up when the ambulance arrived.” I took it with shaking hands. “If you need anything, press the call button,” she added before leaving. The room fell silent. I unlocked my phone, my heart pounding, half-expecting to see missed calls flooding the screen. There were none. No messages, no calls. It didn’t make sense. When Jacob and I were newly married, he couldn’t go an hour without checking on me. Once, my car battery died and I was unreachable for three hours. He searched the entire city. Now he ignored me for three days. I checked my messages again. Still nothing. Not from Jacob. Not from my parents. Not even from Lily. Then a notification appeared. Lily posted a new update. I tapped it and a photo of Jacob, my parents, and Lily cradling a newborn filled the screen. She was lying in a hospital bed and I recognized the room as one of the wards in this hospital.
The caption read: Family. My fingers went numb as I scrolled. I saw another post from three days ago, the exact time I was in labor and calling Jacob. Lily was sitting inside a private jet, her head tilted toward Jacob as she kissed his cheek. The bridge collapsed, so he didn’t want me stuck in traffic, she’d written. He flew me here himself. He takes such good care of me. Comments poured in. Such a caring husband. You’re so lucky. So while I was bleeding out in the car, Lily was the ‘pregnant wife’ he had flown to the hospital. The screen blurred as my grip tightened. Two years ago, I had pulled Lily out of a mangled car. That was how my parents found their daughter who’d been missing for twenty years. I took her in. Held her hand when she woke screaming from nightmares. Sat beside her hospital bed when she gave her kidney to save Jacob. When he woke and learned it was Lily who saved him, he was grateful. But when the doctors said she had cancer, his gratitude turned into devotion with him doing whatever she wanted. I complained about his devotion and affection toward Lily but Jacob always said the same thing. “I love you, Erika. Not her.” “I’m just returning the favor.” “She saved my life.” I believed him and stopped overthinking things. When Lily disappeared for weeks and returned pregnant, she refused to say who the father was. My parents scolded her and called her careless.
They told her to be more like me but I cautioned them and stood up for her. I took care of her pregnancy and mine. Now she dared to post my husband as hers? Even though Jacob had married me secretly he promised he’d announce our marriage to the world on our next anniversary which was in a few days’ time so how dare Lily try to pull this stunt? My hands trembled as I locked my phone and pushed myself out of bed. Pain shot through my legs, but I barely felt it as I made my way to the hallway. That was when I heard the familiar voices of my parents and Jacob in a room at the end of the corridor. I charged toward the room, anger coursing through me ready to confront them but Lily’s teary voice stopped me in front of the door. “I feel so guilty,” she whispered. “Erika’s baby… I never wanted it to be like this.” Jacob’s reply came immediately, “Stop blaming yourself. We didn’t have a choice.” My breath caught. What were they talking about? “Erika’s son was the only heart-compatible donor,” he continued. “The doctors confirmed it. If we didn’t use his heart, our son wouldn’t survive.” My knees nearly buckled as the world went silent around me. “You… you really took her baby’s heart?” Lily asked, her voice trembling. “Yes,” Jacob said without hesitation. “He was born healthy. That’s why the transplant worked.” I stopped breathing. “But what about Erika?” Lily whispered. “When she wakes up…” My mother answered instead. “She should be grateful she was given an opportunity to be useful to this family.
She owes us a lot after we adopted and raised her for twenty-two years. Saving your child is the least she can do.” My father nodded and added, “Besides, you don’t have long. When you’re gone, the baby will need someone. Erika can raise him as her own.” My stomach twisted violently as the room spun. “You saved my life, Lily. There was no way I’d let our son die. Especially now that you’re dying and I can’t save you,” Jacob said firmly. Lily’s fingers tightened around the blanket. She reached out and touched Jacob’s hand. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For saving our son. For giving me my wish… to have a child with you before I die.” Jacob leaned down and kissed her forehead. “It’s worth everything,” he said softly. “I’d do anything for you.” The hallway tilted and I stepped backward, my chest burning as the truth finally settled. It wasn’t just Lily. My parents had known all along. They had known who the father of her baby was. They had watched me stand by her, defend her, take care of her and said nothing. Jacob hadn’t just abandoned me in traffic, he had lied to my face every single day. They hadn’t just chosen Lily, they had agreed together as a family to sacrifice my son to save hers. I stumbled into the bathroom and gripped the sink as my body convulsed, bile burning my throat, tears blinding my eyes. The door opened and I heard a familiar voice. “Dearest sister, I saw you lurking outside my room door, why didn’t you come inside?” I turned around to see Lily staring at me, a wicked smile gleaming in her eyes. “You!” I choked out, angry tears rolling down my cheeks. Lily giggled, “I’ve waited for this day for so long. Carefully playing my part of a sweet daughter and sister but I longed for the day I would see you in this state looking broken and weak.” “Why, Lily? What did I ever do to you?” I asked confused. “You were adopted and enjoyed every bit of luxury I should have enjoyed while I went missing and suffered for twenty years!” Lily snapped. “How is it my fault that you went missing? Since you returned you’ve gotten everything back, why are you now doing this?!” I shot at her, fury burning in my chest. “Because dearest sister, you should have never been in this family! If they didn’t adopt you then they would have looked for me but now I’m back I’m going to take everything from you including your precious husband because they should have been mine!” “You could have taken everything,” I sobbed, my knees threatening to give way.
“Why didn’t you just leave my son for me? Why did you have to touch him?” Lily laughed like a maniac, “Because I don’t want you or your blood to breathe the same air as me and what better way to get everyone to do my bidding than to play the dying cancer card but guess what, I don’t have cancer and I’m not dying.” Blood drained from my face as I stared at her. “You monster! How could you lie to everyone for years?” My voice trembled. “I’ll tell them. I’ll tell everyone.” Lily giggled wickedly, “No one is going to believe you dear sister, not after I’m done with you.” And before I could move an inch, she deliberately banged her head on the wall before letting out a scream. “Jacob help me, she’s going to kill me!” Just as Lily fell dramatically to the ground, the door burst open, and my husband stood in the doorway. “What have you done?!” he yelled at me in fury. Chapter 2 Erika’s Pov I stared at Jacob as he stormed toward me and grabbed my wrist, his face twisted in anger. “How dare you hurt her when you know she’s sick! Do you want to kill her?!” he snarled at me. “If I could, I wouldn’t hesitate,” I shot back, my voice shaking but firm. Jacob looked taken aback by my response. He wasn’t used to me ever talking back at him. All the years we spent together we’d quarrel and I would cower and apologize but not anymore. His grip tightened. “When did you become this vicious, Erika? Your jealousy has turned you into something ugly.” “It’s not her fault, Jacob. Please don’t fight because of me. Erika didn’t do anything, I just lost my balance,” Lily’s innocent voice sounded. Jacob rushed toward her, carrying her up like a fragile doll, “You’re too kind, Lily.
I’m sorry she keeps hurting you.” I let out a hollow laugh. “Kind? You call this kind? I heard everything, Jacob. My son’s heart and the transplant. I know what you all did.” For a split second, guilt flickered in his eyes then it disappeared immediately. “If I had told you, you wouldn’t have agreed,” he said flatly. The bathroom suddenly felt smaller and harder to breathe in as I stared at him with wide eyes. “So you admit it,” I whispered. “You got her pregnant then killed our child to save hers.” “He was my son too,” Jacob snapped. “I had the right to decide. Lily is dying. You can have another child. She can’t.” “People die every day,” I said, my voice turning cold. “Her death won’t be special.” Lily whimpered dramatically against his chest. “Please don’t fight over me. I never wanted this…” Jacob glared at me like I was filth beneath his shoe. “You disgust me, Erika. Your own sister is dying and all you care about is yourself. I’m sure your dead son is grateful he doesn’t have to call you mother.” The words slammed into me as my knees buckled and I hit the floor. For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything except the ringing in my ears. Then slow clapping echoed down the corridor and my father’s voice sounded, “Yes, Jacob, you’re right.” I turned to see my parents standing at the end of the hallway. My mother rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Lily. “Oh my poor baby, did she hurt you again?” My father’s eyes were cold as they settled on me. “Erika, what is wrong with you?” I stared at them from the floor. “You knew,” I whispered. “You knew they were taking my son’s heart. You all knew the truth and kept lying to me for months!” My mother didn’t even blink. “Lower your voice. This is a hospital.” My father sighed heavily. “You should be ashamed of yourself. Lily doesn’t have long. Instead of supporting her, you’re attacking her.” “She lied about having cancer!” I cried. A nurse passing by slowed down, staring at me like I was hysterical. Jacob’s expression hardened. “That’s enough,” he said. “You’ve clearly lost your mind.” He turned to my parents. “I think she needs a psychiatric evaluation. She’s unstable, hallucinating, and making wild accusations about Lily’s condition.” My mother nodded immediately. “Yes, that might be best. Her jealousy has finally driven her mad.” I felt something inside me crack.
“You’re going to label me insane?” I asked hoarsely. “If that’s what it takes to protect Lily from you,” Jacob replied coldly. “I won’t hesitate.” A few nurses were now whispering nearby. I could feel their eyes on me. It was filled with judgment and disgust. Lily peeked at me from Jacob’s chest and flashed me a smug grin. That was the moment my tears stopped. It was strange how quickly grief could turn into clarity. They had taken my child from me and probably thought I was too helpless and alone to fight them but they’re wrong. I slowly pushed myself up from the floor and stared at them with cold eyes. “You all deserve each other and I’ll make you regret it,” I vowed then I turned and walked away. I limped back to my hospital room and closed the door behind me. For several seconds, I just stood there staring at my reflection in the mirror, then I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t called in six months. The line connected almost instantly. “Grandpa,” I said softly. “I’m ready to come home.” Six months ago, I saved a stranger who turned out to be my grandfather. He told me my parents had died in a car accident when I was just three years old. Someone rescued me and took me to an orphanage, he did everything he could but he was unable to locate me. He told me to come back home with him and that everything he owned was mine. The only issue was that my parents had betrothed me to the son of their business partner before they died so before I could claim my inheritance, I had to get married to him. I should have left Jacob that same day but I was still in love so I thanked my grandfather and told him I couldn’t accept his offer or marry someone else. How wrong had I been. “Are you sure, Erika?” My grandfather’s worried voice pulled me out of my thoughts, “Last time we spoke you said you were married and you refused my offer.” “I was wrong.
I will return to take over my inheritance and get married to Liam Reynolds just as my late parents wanted,” I stated. “Oh my dear child, that’s wonderful news. I can’t tell you how happy I am,” my grandfather said, “When should I come get you?” “Just give me a few days to tidy things up here quickly but I’d like it if the wedding is arranged quickly,” I answered. “What wedding Erika?” a voice asked. I looked up and saw Jacob standing in front of the doorway, his eyes filled with suspicion.