Chapter 7

Eleanor POV:

The world swam into focus, a blurry kaleidoscope of white walls and hushed voices. The air smelled of antiseptic and regret. I was in a hospital bed, again. A familiar, unwelcome reality.

A kind-faced nurse, her eyes filled with pity, looked down at me. "Eleanor? Can you hear me? You're awake."

I tried to speak, but my throat was parched, my voice a raw croak. I nodded, a silent acknowledgment.

"You've been through a lot," she said gently, her touch light as she adjusted my IV drip. "A severe fall, and... well, your recent surgery site reopened. You lost a lot of blood."

My mind flashed back to Harlow, tumbling down the steps, my hand raised in anger. Joshua's furious roar. The searing pain in my abdomen. It was all a messy, brutal blur.

"The doctor will be in to talk to you shortly," she continued, her voice softening with an air of profound sadness. "He needs to explain a few things."

Dread coiled in my stomach. The way she looked at me, the hushed tone, the unspoken sorrow. I already knew. I always knew when bad news was coming.

Dr. Evans, the same doctor who had delivered the last devastating news, entered the room a few minutes later. His face was etched with concern, his eyes refusing to meet mine directly.

"Eleanor," he began, his voice solemn. "I'm so sorry. After this last incident, considering the trauma to your body and your history of repeated miscarriages... we had to perform an emergency hysterectomy to save your life."

The words hung in the air, heavy and inescapable. Hysterectomy. Save your life. No more children for Eleanor Wheeler. The stark reality of it was a physical blow, worse than any fall, any incision.

My mind went blank. A cold, deafening silence descended. My body was empty. My dreams, utterly shattered. Not just a temporary loss, but a permanent, irreversible void.

"No," I whispered, the sound barely audible. I shook my head, tears springing to my eyes. "No, you don't understand. I... I need to have children. I need to be a mother."

He sighed, his gaze finally meeting mine, full of a deep, sorrowful pity. "Eleanor, there's no other way. Your uterus was too damaged. Another pregnancy would have killed you. We did everything we could, but..." He trailed off, his shoulders slumping.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and anguished, mirroring the gaping wound in my soul. My face contorted, tears streaming down my face, an endless torrent of grief and despair. This was my punishment. For loving the wrong man. For trusting the wrong sister. For being so incredibly, stupidly blind. I had given everything, and they had taken it all. My children. My future. My very essence as a woman.

The door burst open, and Joshua stormed in, his face a thundercloud of fury. "Eleanor! What is this nonsense I hear about you needing a blood transfusion? Do you know what you are doing?" He glared at the doctor, then at me. "Why aren't you giving her a transfusion?"

"Mr. Hunt, your wife is in a very delicate state," Dr. Evans said, stepping between us. "She's just received some devastating news. And she needs rest, not more stress."

Joshua ignored him, advancing on my bed. "Devastating news? What's devastating is that you're holding back on the blood! Harlow needs it now! Her baby's life depends on it!" His eyes were wild, desperate.

I stared at him, his words a fresh stab to my already bleeding heart. He was still only thinking of her. Only of their child. My grief, my devastation, meant nothing to him.

"She's not just holding back on the blood, Joshua," I said, my voice eerily calm, though my body trembled uncontrollably. "She's telling me I can never have children again. Ever."

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, a flicker of something that could have been shock. But it was quickly replaced by irritation. "Oh, for God's sake, Eleanor! You're being dramatic! You've had seven miscarriages before. What's one more? We'll adopt! We'll find a way! But Harlow needs this blood now!"

"I'm not being dramatic, Joshua. My uterus is gone. Severed. Removed. I am barren." My voice was a flat, emotionless dirge. "And the blood... it's mine. It's the last thing I have to give. And I won't give it to you. Not for her. Not for your bastard child."

His face hardened, pure venom in his eyes. He lunged forward, grabbing my arm, his grip like iron. "You will give it to me, Eleanor! You have no choice! That blood belongs to me! It belongs to my son!"

"Joshua! Let go of her! You're hurting her!" Dr. Evans tried to intervene, but Joshua shoved him aside.

"You're faking this, aren't you?" he snarled, his face inches from mine. "Just to spite me! Just to make things difficult! You always were selfish, Eleanor!" He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small, velvet bag. He opened it, spilling its contents onto the pristine white sheets. Tiny, preserved fetuses. Eight of them, encased in what looked like amber. My babies. My lost children.

My breath hitched. A guttural scream tore from my throat. "You monster! You kept them? How could you?!"

"They were valuable, Eleanor! Valuable genetic material!" he hissed, his eyes gleaming with a sick triumph. "And if you don't give me that blood, your little specimens here... they might just disappear. Forever."

My body shook uncontrollably. My babies. Held hostage. Even in death, they were not safe from his cruelty.

"Fine," I choked out, tears streaming down my face. "Fine. Take it. Take whatever you want. But I swear on the souls of my children, I will make you pay for this."

He smirked, a cruel, victorious twist of his lips. "Good girl. You always were so pliable." He signaled to the nurses, who, under his intimidating gaze, reluctantly prepared the transfusion.

The needle plunged into my arm, drawing my lifeblood, my last remaining connection to motherhood, to nourish the child of my betrayers. Each drop felt like a part of my soul being ripped away, leaving me hollow and empty. My body weakened, the world spinning around me.

"Stop! She's too weak! She's going into shock!" Dr. Evans cried, rushing forward, trying to pull the IV line.

But Joshua pushed him back, his voice cold and unfeeling. "She'll be fine. She's strong. Just finish it." He watched, his eyes fixed on the bag of my blood, a look of grim determination on his face. "She won't die. She can't. Benjamin would never forgive me."

The nurses, caught between their professional ethics and Joshua's menacing presence, continued the transfusion. My vision blurred, the sounds of the room fading into a distant hum. My body gave out. The last thing I registered was Joshua leaving the room, the bag of my blood clutched in his hand, a triumphant glint in his eyes.

I was empty. Physically, emotionally. Nothing left. Nothing but the burning embers of a hatred so profound, it threatened to consume me whole.

I had to get out. Out of this hospital. Out of this life. I closed my eyes, a single, resolute thought echoing in my mind. This isn't over. Not by a long shot.