Chapter 1 Delivery In The Wild

It was a dark night.

Clutching her swollen belly with gritted teeth, Novalee Webb scuttled for refuge. Her once-white cotton dress was smeared with blood.

Blood was still trickling down her legs!

Damn it! She was about to give birth!

Her strength was failing. She could no longer flee! She'd been on the run for what felt like eternity, and she was sure that despicable couple couldn't reach her now.

Novalee's eyes darted about. She saw nothing but fields of grass.

Tenderly feeling the uneasy child within her, she whispered, "My little one, should your mom bring you into this world in the wild?"

A sudden contraction seized her, causing her to wail in agony!

Half an hour later, the cry of a newborn baby shattered the serenity of the wilderness.

With sweat, Novalee's hair clung to her cheeks, and her lips were marked by rawness and blood. Yet, she took no notice of it. Disregarding the discomfort, she reached out with pure joy to hold her precious newborn child.

"Ah, the bastard was born!"

Suddenly, a pair of arms coming from behind her lifted the infant from the grass.

"Pattie! Rowley! You-" Novalee's teeth were clenched in anger, pain robbing her of words.

Two merciless figures loomed before her, her half-sister and her husband, both conspirators in her ruin!

Pattie Webb's gentle facade remained, but the way she gazed at the baby in her arms was monstrous.

"This bastard is unfortunate to be so hideous. As a girl, she may have trouble finding a husband when she is older. Rowley, why didn't you find a good-looking man to sleep with Novalee back then? It pains me that my beautiful sister had to sleep with such an ugly man."

Desperation and rage battled within Novalee, but the child was in Pattie's grip. She dared not provoke her and held her breath, bottling the anger and pain.

"My baby! Return my baby to me! You have my shares in Shaw Group, and I'll even give up Rowley to you. Just give me back my baby!"

Her baby was all she wanted. She was her flesh and blood. No one could take her child away!

Rowley Mitchell's face twisted into a brief scowl as he listened.

"Novalee, have you been contacting that man in secret? You claimed to love me, yet you'd divorce me for this bastard? You were even willing to give up the company's shares which you had held onto for a long time. How shameless you are! You just can't forget him after you slept with him, right?"

Novalee's response was a mixture of laughter and seething rage.

With tear-filled eyes, she looked at the man she had loved for nearly two years.

Never had she imagined such shamelessness from him.

The other night, she accidentally overheard the conversation between her husband and her half-sister, discovering that they had been involved for three years.

Rowley approached Novalee with the intention of gaining shares in the Shaw Group. He gradually deceived her, leading to their eventual marriage. Later, during a difficult period of pregnancy that affected her mental well-being, only Pattie and Rowley remained by her side.

To her, they were everything. But who would have suspected they were plotting her downfall?

As Novalee stared at him, guilt and a strange arousal simultaneously stirred in Rowley.

Novalee, ever alluring, was flushed and perspiring, her dress clinging to every curve. Her full bosom quivered with fury.

Notably, her eyes held a mix of anger and a faint smile. The strands of hair clinging to her cheeks didn't diminish her poise. In fact, they added to her charm, making her appear even more captivating than usual.

Rowley's fists tightened in silence. How had he abandoned such a beauty, allowing her to bear another man's child?

His emotions did not elude Pattie. Her expression grew stern as she held onto the baby, a spark of resentment igniting within her. If it weren't for the fact that this bastard was of use to her, she would have strangled the baby right now.

"Rowley, let's go! What are you waiting for?"

After some hesitation, Rowley gestured at Novalee. "And what about her?"

Pattie's smile was chilling. "Simple. Burn her alive!"

With that, she departed, child in arms, leaving Rowley to light the fire.

The flames rapidly consumed Novalee, who tried desperately to escape, only to be halted by a sharp pain in her abdomen.

There was actually another baby within her!

Panic set in. Was she to die here?

Shortly after, Pattie and Rowley sped off in an off-road vehicle.

Simultaneously, a Hummer roared by, brushing past them, halting just down the road.