The Second Life of a Doomed Heiress

Chapter 5

Justin Cooper and Emily Cooper stood frozen, their faces drained of color.

"Impossible!" Justin stumbled back a few steps, voice cracking. "Sophia's my wife! How could this— And Uncle Vincent was supposed to be—"

"How dare you even bring that up?" William Cooper slammed his hand on the table, his fury exploding like a thunderclap. "On your wedding day, you ran off with this shameless woman! Sophia married Vincent right then and there—the whole damn Capital City knows it! The only fools left in the dark were you two!"

Justin trembled.

For three years, he and Emily had lived it up overseas, cutting all ties to the Cooper family—new phones, new lives.

It wasn't until their credit cards were frozen that reality hit them hard—scrubbing dishes for three miserable months just to scrounge up enough for plane tickets home.

"Vincent was born infertile," William said hoarsely, his voice cracking with bitterness. "But over the years, he sought out every specialist he could find... and finally..." The old man's voice broke, the words catching in his throat.

Justin's knees buckled at the thought of Vincent's brutal reputation, cold sweat dripping down his back.

"Grandfather, help us!" Emily shrieked, desperation twisting her features.

Before William could respond, black-suited bodyguards stormed in and grabbed them like rag dolls.

Meanwhile, I clutched at Vincent's collar, the searing pain in my abdomen blurring my vision.

Without a word, Vincent scooped me into his arms and sprinted outside.

The driver ignored every red light, flooring it to the hospital.

In the delivery room, I pushed with everything I had left.

When the faint cry of our baby abruptly cut off, my world stopped.

"Mrs. Cooper..." The doctor hesitated, her face pale.

"Give him to me," I whispered, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

They placed the tiny body in my arms, wrapped in a soft blue blanket. He was impossibly light—almost weightless.

I carefully peeled back the blanket.

His tiny, wrinkled face was still stained with blood, his eyelids stubbornly shut—never to open.

"My baby..." Tears streamed down my cheeks, landing on his cold little face. "Mommy's here..."

Vincent sank down behind me, wrapping his arms around us, his chest heaving with silent sobs.

Three years ago, on a rainy night, he had walked across the red carpet in front of the whole world and slid a ring onto my finger.

Back then, I thought it was just a transaction.

Until the night he tore up the divorce papers and whispered, "For the first time in thirty-four years, my heart finally moved."

After we married, he spoiled me shamelessly.

Mention a limited-edition bag once, and it would show up on my vanity the next morning.

But the biggest surprise was in the bedroom.

So much for being "asexual"—this older man was relentless. Every time, he left me begging for mercy... only to tease me even harder.

"You want a child?" he had said when he saw the longing in my eyes. He immediately contacted the world's top fertility specialists.

The day we confirmed the pregnancy, he spun me around the living room three times and handed out red envelopes to the entire company.

Now, all that sweetness twisted into knives stabbing straight into my heart.

"It was Justin," I hissed, gripping the blood-soaked sheets, my nails digging into my palms. "And Emily. They killed our baby."

Vincent's eyes darkened to a terrifying black as he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my sweat-soaked forehead.

"They won't get away with this," he promised, voice low and deadly.