The Father of my Child is Getting Married

Just as we reached an impasse, a flash of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Asher turned to the window, worry etched on his face.

"I left Dorothy behind to find you," he said, frustration lacing his voice. "She’s terrified of thunder. Don’t be so ungrateful."

His patience was wearing thin as he yanked me toward the door.

As we moved through the hotel lobby, curious onlookers pointed and recorded us, eager to share the spectacle online.

Breaking news: The president of Reed Enterprises is about to get married—and he’s caught entangled with his mistress in a hotel!

The rumors spread like wildfire. I gritted my teeth against the sharp pain in my lower abdomen, beads of sweat forming on my forehead, but Asher remained oblivious to my distress.

After he shoved me into the car and started the engine, a chilling drop of rain splattered against the window.

Midway through our drive, Asher’s phone rang—it was Dorothy. The sound of her sobs filled the car as he answered.

“Asher, I’m in the hospital. I cut my finger.”

“I wanted to make you a midnight snack, but I wasn’t careful… Am I really that useless?”

“Asher, I’m scared of the thunder. Where are you?”

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be there soon!”

As Asher heard about her injury, panic surged through him, and he slammed on the brakes, his heart racing. Suddenly, the car jolted forward, and the violent impact knocked him dizzy.

The force tore her wound open further, blood seeping from her lower body and soaking through her white dress, turning it crimson. Yet, in his frantic concern for Dorothy, Asher remained oblivious to her distress.

With an expressionless face, he yanked her out of the car. “Get out. Walk back by yourself. I need to get to the hospital.”

I glanced around, taking in the deserted mountain road that loomed around us, cloaked in darkness and filled with an unsettling quiet.

“Asher, it’s late at night, and it’s about to rain. Can you please—”

“No, you figure it out yourself.”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond, throwing his words at me like daggers before slamming the accelerator and speeding away.

As the taillights vanished into the night, my eyes brimmed with mist, uncertain if it was rain or tears that blurred my vision. I stumbled along the dark mountain road, each step dragging my bleeding body forward. My heart ached like a knife twisting deeper, pain radiating through my exhausted limbs.

Physically and mentally drained, the night felt as dark as my thoughts. Just as I forced myself to move again, heavy rain began to pour down, drenching me in cold despair. With every passing moment, I felt the warmth of my blood seeping out, panic tightening its grip around my chest. I had no choice but to call Asher for help.

Before I could utter a word, his voice exploded through the phone, impatient and cutting. “Ingrid, are you done yet? I took you in because I felt sorry for you. Do you really think you’re a nobody?”

“I’m busy going to the hospital to take care of Dorothy! I don’t have time to talk to you. Don’t contact me again!”

After he hung up, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. My vision dimmed, and I stumbled, unable to hold on any longer. Darkness engulfed me, and I collapsed in the relentless rain.

When I finally regained consciousness, all I saw was a cold, sterile white. I lay in a hospital bed, dressed in a thin gown, while a nurse adjusted my IV.

From her, I learned that a man had brought me to the hospital. For a fleeting moment, warmth flooded my heart at the thought that it might be Asher, but as the nurse began to describe the man’s appearance, I realized how naïve I had been.

Physically and mentally drained, I spent a few days in the hospital, recovering in the dull monotony of white walls and soft beeping machines. But when I finally approached the front desk to settle my medical bills, a wave of dread washed over me. My bank card was suspended.

I scrolled through my call logs, my heart sinking as bitterness coursed through me. Not only had he cut off contact, but he had also suspended my card. It was clear he was genuinely furious with me.

Yet, I was too stubborn to grovel for his help again. Instead, I reached out to my best friend for a loan to cover my hospital expenses. With borrowed money in hand, I grabbed my luggage and stepped out of the hospital, ready to face whatever came next.

The nurses behind me whispered about my desolation, their voices dripping with judgment.

“I heard she was a mistress who got pregnant by someone else’s child and was cruelly abandoned.”

“How pitiful. First, she had a miscarriage, then she nearly died from heavy bleeding. When they brought her in, she was completely soaked and vulnerable.”

“That’s right. Even the card from her lover was suspended. She has no money for her hospital bills. She deserves it.”

I tuned out their harsh words, my heart heavy, and quickened my pace to catch a taxi to the airport. Just as I reached the intersection, a van screeched to a halt in front of me.

A man covered in tattoos climbed out, his demeanor menacing. “Is this Miss Ingrid?”

I instinctively shook my head, alert and frightened. But before I could back away, he grabbed me roughly, pulling me into the van.

Panic surged as I felt ropes tighten around my wrists and ankles, and a mask obscured my vision. Terror washed over me, but amidst the fear, a single thought persisted: Asher would come to save me.

When the van finally stopped, I was dragged out and taken to an abandoned hospital. The tattooed man suddenly threw a phone at me, his voice low and threatening. “Call Asher and tell him to prepare 5 million to redeem you, or I’ll kill him!”

Looking at the phone in my trembling hands, dread coiled in my stomach. I felt utterly trapped, uncertain of what to do next.

My hands trembled as I pressed the shortcut number, but to my horror, the call disconnected as soon as it connected. I dialed repeatedly, each attempt ending in the same cruel fate—Asher hung up on me without a second thought.

As I faced the leering, predatory gazes of the men surrounding me, despair washed over me like a wave. In a moment of hopelessness, I pressed the last number on my list—my ninth attempt, and the final one.

To my surprise, it rang through.

“Asher, please save me! I’ve been kidnapped by bad guys!” I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation.

But his response shattered my hope and plunged me deeper into despair.

“Ingrid, that’s enough!” Asher’s voice crackled with fury. “You keep challenging my limits—are you done?”

“Sleeping pills, heavy bleeding, and now kidnapping? Can you please just stop!”

His angry words echoed in the gloomy room, each syllable cutting into my heart like a sharp knife, leaving me feeling more isolated than ever.

The phone beeped with a busy tone, and the tattooed man shot me a mocking glance before snatching it away with a grin. “Tsk tsk tsk. I didn’t expect you to be such a pathetic pawn, treated like a toy by Asher, coming and going as he pleases. Now you’re in danger, and he doesn’t lift a finger to save you. Looks like your place in his heart is pretty dispensable.”

His words pierced through me, leaving me utterly disheartened. Just when I thought I was beyond saving, I heard the sharp sound of high heels clicking on the floor.

Without a word, the newcomer slapped me hard across the face. “How does it feel to be abandoned, huh?” she sneered.

“You think you hold a high status in Asher's heart, but you’re living in a fantasy.”

It was Dorothy, her chin lifted in a smug display of triumph. But her expression twisted into one of fury as she continued, “I didn’t expect you to be so cunning. You tried to claim Asher for yourself and even threw dirt on him.”