Beyond Retrieval

"I'm a living, breathing person, not your breeding machine!"

Gary's face completely darkened, and he put down the fork heavily.

"You're about to become a mother. Can you stop being so willful and unreasonable?"

He sat down beside me and forcefully turned my shoulders toward him.

"Be good, and stop making a fuss. Just hold on for four more months. Once the baby is born, everything will be fine.

"After this baby is born, we won't have any more."

He picked up the bowl again, scooped up a forkful of food, and brought it to my lips. His eyes were stubborn, as if he would not give up until I finished eating.

I could not fight him, so I could only open my mouth and mechanically swallow the tasteless food. He force-fed me bite by bite until I finished the meal.

"Good girl."

He was finally satisfied and raised his hand to pat my head, but I instinctively dodged. His hand froze in mid-air, his eyes darkening.

A cautious knock came from outside the door. The secretary from earlier pushed the door open and leaned in. She was holding a plate of bright red hawthorns in her hands.

"Mrs. Mitchell, these are hawthorns that were just flown in. They're fresh and tart, totally great for your appetite. Would you like to try some?"

Gary stood up and took the plate of hawthorns. "Thank you for your trouble."

He paused, glanced at the secretary, and instructed. "I have a media interview in a bit. Stay here and take care of my wife."

The secretary's smile froze, but she did not dare object. Pouting, she replied, "Yes, Mr. Mitchell."

Gary strode out of the room.

The secretary was clearly impatient, pacing back and forth in the room. She kept glancing toward the door, looking like her heart had already flown to the interview site.

"You don't need to stay here. Go do what you need to do."

I spoke up, wanting to send her away.

"I can't." She immediately refused. "Mr. Mitchell instructed me to stay with you every step of the way. I have to listen to Mr. Mitchell."

I felt suffocated. Rather than being alone with her in this suffocating room, I might as well go out.

"Let's go, then." I stood up. "Let's go watch the interview together."

The secretary's eyes immediately lit up, and she eagerly followed.

The interview was being held in the hotel's largest ballroom. By the time we arrived, it was already packed with media reporters, cameras all trained on the dazzling man on stage.

Gary sat on stage, composed and at ease, answering reporters' questions with wit and humor. His answers drew laughter from the audience from time to time.

A female reporter stood up to ask a question.

"Mr. Mitchell, congratulations on being named Most Popular Entrepreneur again this year. We've noticed that many of your fans are young women, and everyone is very interested in your relationship status.

"May I ask if you're married?"

I instinctively clenched my fists. On stage, Gary faced the camera with a decisive tone. "No."

The secretary beside me let out an extremely soft snicker. "Tsk, so he's not even married. Then what's with the ‘Mrs. Mitchell’ act?"

Right. I was not Mrs. Mitchell, since Gary and I never registered our marriage. We never even had a wedding.

Back then, he told me that as the CEO of a publicly traded company, his marital status had to be disclosed. For my 'safety', to avoid being targeted by his 'competitors', we could not get married for the time being.

I believed him.

The reporter pressed on, "Then may I ask, Mr. Mitchell, are you currently single?"

On stage, Gary's smile remained unchanged. He spoke clearly into the microphone, "Yes."

My head started buzzing.

The secretary beside me could barely hide the wild joy and mockery on her face. All the blood in my body seemed to freeze instantly.

My vision went black. Everything around me started spinning and twisting, becoming blurred. Terrified screams erupted around me.

"Someone's fainted!"

"There's so much blood!"

Before my consciousness sank completely into darkness, I seemed to hear Gary's torn, terrified shout from far away.

"Honey!"