Chapter 4

The doctor learned that Nicola was six weeks pregnant and paid much attention to her. After bandaging her wounds, he immediately arranged for a thorough check-up for her.

"Ms. Ways, don't worry. Your baby is fine. You are slightly bleeding, so I'll give you some medication to help with your pregnancy. Take good care of yourself during this period."

Nicola breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

After completing the examination and collecting the medication, Nicola left the hospital. It was already late at night.

As she reached the parking lot and was about to get into her car, someone suddenly appeared from behind her and pressed a damp cloth over her mouth and nose.

Nicola only struggled a little before she became weak. Then she collapsed to the ground.

As her consciousness began to fade, she vaguely saw Lachlan in the distance.

He stood expressionless and watched her coldly.

When Nicola regained consciousness, she found herself seated in a chair. Her hands and feet were bound, and she could not move.

Her eyes were covered by something, so she was blind to her surroundings.

Was she kidnapped?

It was silent, and she forced herself to suppress the panic rising within her. "Who are you? Why have you kidnapped me? If you want money, I can pay you twice what you're asking for. Just let me go. Help... Help..."

She called out for a long while, but no one responded.

Nicola was extremely nervous, and her fingers instinctively touched the watch around her wrist.

Years ago, when the Begum Group expanded, they offended some competitors, and Nicola had been kidnapped by those who attempted to force her to give up the business cooperation.

Lachlan was terrified back then. After he rescued her, he had that watch made for her on their first anniversary.

That day at the hospital, he got down on one knee before her and put the watch around her wrist. "Nicola, if you ever find yourself in danger, discreetly press this button on the watch. It will automatically send your location to me. Don't be afraid. As soon as I receive the alert, I'll know you're in trouble and go to save you."

Nicola quietly pressed the button.

Even though Lachlan cheated on Nicola, she still thought about him at such a critical moment. After all, they had been married for years.

Time ticked by, and Nicola waited anxiously. Suddenly, she faintly heard footsteps approaching.

She immediately recognized it was Lachlan.

Her heart leaped with joy. He indeed came to save her.

However, before she could call out, she noticed that it wasn't just him coming. She had a woman's high heels clicking on the floor at the same time.

Was she mistaken?

Her heart sank, and she swallowed the words at her lips.

The footsteps grew clearer, and she could feel someone approaching her and observing her.

Nicola tensed up. She said in a trembling voice, "Who are you... What do you want... You..."

Before she could finish, a palm suddenly landed on her face.

Crack!

The sharp sound echoed in the room and cut off Nicola's words.

She was slapped so hard that her head turned to the side. She tasted blood in her mouth.

"Ha!" The woman standing before Nicola seemed not to hold back her laughter and let out a chuckle.

Someone quickly stopped that woman. "Shh!"

That woman's laughter abruptly stopped. Then Nicola was slapped again.

Nine...

Eight...

Seven...

That woman didn't stop slapping Nicola until she slapped her more than twenty times.

Nicola's face was numb, swollen, and bruised. She felt burning with pain after a while.

She kept hanging her head and remained silent throughout.

Her fingernails were digging into her palms as she suffered the pain.

Each vicious slap shattered her hope.

It turned out she hadn't had an illusion when she saw the figure before she lost consciousness.

She had already guessed who stood before her now.

It was ridiculous that she had sought help from the one who had kidnapped her.