Chapter 2

“Eleanor Blackwood, you promised that if my life were ever threatened, you would let me go.”

My face was a ghostly white, my body desperately weak after the miscarriage. My voice was barely a whisper, a fragile thread of sound.

Eleanor, still unaware of the full truth, couldn’t hide her dismay at Caleb’s increasingly deranged behavior.

Her tone was filled with a mix of helplessness and an attempt to soothe me:

“Seraphina, deep down, Caleb isn’t a bad boy. It’s just losing his parents so young, and now his legs… it’s made him bitter and volatile. We’ve been so fortunate to have you by his side all these years.”

As she spoke, she rose and walked to a strongbox, retrieving a metallic case.

Inside, a single energy core glowed with a pure, high-purity blue luminescence.

“Seraphina, this miscarriage has taken a heavy toll on your body. I’ve cultivated this core for ten years. Consider it compensation.”

I stood my ground, silent, then simply held out my phone to her, playing a secretly recorded video.

Caleb’s chilling conversation with Captain Rex echoed clearly from the device.

“Warlord, all your orders have been carried out. As you saw from the surveillance, the armored vehicle’s brutal impact and jostling in the wasteland caused the lady to bleed uncontrollably. The baby inside her certainly couldn’t have survived.”

Caleb’s icy voice responded:

“Well done. Her terrified, near-death expression was incredibly satisfying to watch. And the child inside her was never meant to be. This outcome is nothing less than she deserves!”

Isabelle nestled against Caleb, her voice barely concealing a triumphant laugh:

“Does that mean you didn’t want this baby, Caleb dearest?”

Caleb sneered:

“I only want *our* child. No other woman is worthy of bearing my offspring.”

Immediately after, the two embraced, entangled in a frantic, sickening kiss. Their sounds were utterly unbearable.

Eleanor Blackwood’s face flushed with fury. The hand gripping her cane trembled as she took several deep breaths, trying to compose herself.

“Caleb… how could he become like this? This is simply outrageous!”

Her voice was laced with an incredulous, heartbreaking pain.

“Even the most savage beast doesn’t turn on its own offspring! How could he do something so monstrous?”

I closed my eyes, my heart aching so fiercely I could barely breathe.

That nightmare was etched deep into my mind, refusing to fade.

After Caleb’s injury, with hordes of zombies amassed outside the city, panic had gripped everyone.

That day, Captain Rex had unveiled his new, heavily modified armored vehicle, a true engineering marvel.

Caleb pulled me into his arms, whispering in my ear:

“With danger looming, the Warlord’s wife must stand united with her husband, and selflessly serve the people in their time of need.”

I had no time to react, a potent wave of unease washing over me.

A cruel smile twisted his lips, and then he announced to the gathered crowd:

“My leg injury hasn’t healed, so my wife has bravely volunteered to personally accompany the armored vehicle out of the city to scout the dangers ahead.”

Panic seized me. I frantically tried to refuse:

“I can’t. I’m pregnant. This mission is too dangerous, I can’t risk it.”

Hearing my refusal, his face instantly turned cold. His hands clamped down on me, pinning me, making it impossible to move.

I struggled with all my might, but he still dragged me towards the armored vehicle.

His men held me down in the passenger seat, my hands tied behind my back. Caleb then cinched my seatbelt impossibly tight.

I shook my head violently, pleading with Caleb, desperately hoping he wouldn't completely disregard the child in my womb.

“Caleb, please, let me down. The baby… something terrible will happen.”