Devilish secretary
Chapter 356 The Taste of Betrayal (3)

Chapter 356: Chapter 356 The Taste of Betrayal (3)

Her mind spun in panic. She bit her lip hard enough to bleed. Her hand unconsciously touched her belly.

This baby... it isn’t even his.

She looked down.

Tears filled her eyes.

She clenched her fists.

Before he finds out... before he questions me... I’ll make the decision myself.

Mama will remember your sacrifice forever.

Forgive me, baby.

A twisted smile curled on her lips as her heel slipped.

And she fell.

Her body tumbled down the stairs like a ragdoll—her scream filled the silence.

THUMP. THUMP. THUD.

"LIA!"

Rayan’s voice cracked as he saw it—just as he pulled out of the garage. His eyes widened. He jumped out of the car without even closing the door.

"LIA!!"

He sprinted toward her body, heart pounding like thunder in his chest. His hands trembled as he knelt beside her.

"Lia... LIA! Can you hear me?!"

Her eyes fluttered open.

She coughed weakly, blood touching the corner of her lips. "Ra... yan..."

"You idiot!" he shouted, lifting her gently in his arms. "Why the hell did you run?! Why would you—?!"

"I... I was scared..." she whispered. "I didn’t want you to leave me..."

His eyes darkened. "You think this is the way to stop me?!"

"I... I didn’t mean to fall... I just... wanted to stop you..."

Her hand touched his cheek. "Ray... don’t hate me... please..."

He looked around. No one was there. He had no time to call an ambulance.

Without another word, he slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her back, lifting her into his arms. She felt so small, so weightless, yet every step he took with her in his arms felt heavy.

He carried her toward the car. As he opened the passenger side door, he carefully leaned her against the seat and gently buckled her in, his fingers trembling.

Her eyes blinked halfway open and she smiled faintly. "I knew... you’d still care..."

"Shut up. Don’t talk," he said sharply, getting into the driver’s seat. His voice didn’t sound like his. It sounded like someone else—someone scared.

She reached for his arm with her weak hand and said, "Ray... if something happens to me... promise me, you’ll remember our baby..."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. That one sentence hit his soul like a stone.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. That one sentence hit his soul like a stone.

He didn’t answer.

He just drove.

Fast.

Tires screeching, lights flashing past. She kept mumbling softly beside him, crying, whispering his name like a broken record.

When he reached the hospital, he jumped out and opened her door. Without waiting, he unbuckled her and carried her out again.

"HELP! Please! She’s pregnant and hurt!" he yelled as he rushed through the hospital doors.

Nurses came running with a stretcher. They took her gently from his arms. His arms dropped like they were made of stone. He just stood there, breathing hard, eyes wide, as they wheeled her away.

He stared down at his hands covered in her blood. His suit was stained. His heart was shattered.

But worst of all—he couldn’t understand why the pain in his chest was so real.

Why does it hurt so much when she was the one who betrayed me?

He stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, breathing heavily, hands stained with her blood. His shirt was wrinkled, soaked in sweat. His heart refused to calm down.

He didn’t realize how long he’d been standing there until a soft voice called out.

"Mister?"

He turned immediately.

"She’s stable... for now. But she’s unconscious. There’s some minor head trauma, and... we’re still running tests to check for internal injuries. We’ll update you soon."

He slowly nodded. "And the baby?"

The nurse hesitated.

"We’re doing an ultrasound. We’ll inform you as soon as we can."

Rayan closed his eyes and dragged a hand over his face.

Baby.

His mind spun again.

He hadn’t told her yet. About the new company, the money, the villa he secretly bought... about how he planned to propose properly once things got better.

But what did it matter now?

She had cheated on him.

She was pregnant.

And she was crying for another man while lying in his car, bleeding.

He sat down heavily on the nearest bench, elbows on knees, head in hands.

Why did it still hurt so much?

He wanted to hate her. He tried. God knows he tried. But every time he saw her in pain, something in him refused to let go.

The hospital hallway was quiet now. The beeping of machines echoed faintly through the walls.

And then—

"Are you her family member?" A different voice this time—a doctor.

Rayan shot to his feet. "Yes. How is she?"

"She’s awake. And... we’ve finished the scans."

Rayan’s chest tightened.

"...The baby is no more."

Those words came like thunder on a clear sky.

The doctor’s voice was calm, but it echoed in Rayan’s head like a hammer. He stood frozen, staring blankly at the white hospital walls as if they could give him answers.

He blinked slowly. Once. Twice.

"...What?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

The doctor sighed. "We’re sorry. We tried our best."

Rayan didn’t move. His lips parted, but no words came. His jaw clenched tightly.

He lowered his head and stared at the floor. And then—

A tear fell.

And then another.

He didn’t even realize he was crying. His throat tightened. His chest was burning.

He slowly sat down on the nearest bench and dragged a hand through his hair, pressing it against the back of his head as if trying to stop everything from spinning.

The baby... is gone...

It was as if a storm had passed through him, ripping everything apart inside.

He had questions... hundreds of them. But none of them mattered anymore.

All that pain. All that betrayal. And still, he cried.

Because whether or not the baby was his, whether or not she lied... a life was lost.

And somewhere, deep in his soul, something broke quietly.

Just then, the nurse came and said softly, "She’s awake now. Do you want to meet her?"

Rayan didn’t answer immediately. He just wiped his tears roughly with the back of his hand and stood up.

His voice was hoarse when he said, "Yeah... I’ll see her."