The Price of Wrong Love
The memory of that day still feels like shards of glass soaked in icy water—any slight touch pierces with unbearable pain.
The operating room lights stayed on for a full four hours. When the doctor finally removed his mask, the weight in his eyes felt like a heavy stone pressing down on my heart.
"Ms. Shaw, the abdominal injury damaged your uterus. The chances of conceiving naturally in the future are less than 5%, making it very difficult for you to have children again."
The smell of disinfectant in the hospital ward mixed with the sound of rain outside. Caleb Lewis knelt by the bedside, tightly clasping the hand without an IV, his knuckles white and his eyes so red they seemed ready to bleed.
"Stacy, in this life, I will love only you. Even if we never have children, I will stand by you forever."
His voice trembled with tears, and the guilt and tenderness in his eyes felt sincere.
I looked at him, swallowed the words "It's okay," and gently patted the back of his hand.
Back then, I believed that this promise forged through pain could carry us through a lifetime.
Six months later, we registered our marriage at the Marriage Registration Office.
The red marriage certificate was carefully placed by Caleb Lewis into a velvet box. He said he wanted to display it in the study's most prominent spot so everyone would know I was his wife.
But less than a year after they married, he came home with a woman dressed in plain monk's robes.
The woman was just in her early twenties, with slender eyebrows and eyes, skin as pale as rice paper, clutching a string of wooden Buddhist prayer beads. Her voice was as soft as a feather when she spoke.
"Hello, Stacy. My name is Linda. I'm a lay practitioner who has been cultivating at an ancient temple on the city's outskirts."
Caleb Lewis stood beside her, his tone filled with unwavering certainty.
"Stacy, Linda just came down from the mountain and doesn't have anywhere to stay for now. There are many empty rooms at home. Letting her stay would also help us pray for blessings and children."
I looked at him—the man who once promised to stay by my side for life—and now, the way he looked at Linda was filled with a cautiousness I had never seen before, as if afraid that even a loud noise would startle her.
It felt like tiny needles pricked my chest, a sharp, persistent ache, yet I still nodded.
I told myself maybe I was just overthinking, that Linda was truly only a temporary guest.
But from that day on, Caleb's affection for Linda became increasingly apparent.
He deliberately had the renovation crew build a small shrine in the backyard, and the incense burner and meditation cushions inside were all brought back from the Ancient Temple.
He even hand-polished a string of rosewood Buddhist prayer beads; the beads were smooth and glossy, with delicate lotus patterns engraved on them.
That day, I passed by the monastery and heard Linda's voice from inside—soft, with a hint of a smile.
"Caleb, wearing these Buddhist prayer beads on my wrist makes my heart feel especially calm; even my worries seem lighter."
Caleb Lewis's voice came next, carrying a tenderness I hadn't heard in a long time.
"I'm glad you like them. After some time, I'll go to M Country to find better materials and make you an even more exquisite set."
I stood outside the door, my fingers clenched so tightly they went white.
Their conversation was like a dull blade slowly cutting into my heart, each word stained with the scent of blood.
I turned and went back to the room, locking myself inside the wardrobe where our wedding dress still hung; now, just smelling it, I felt nothing but bitter irony.
The accident came without warning.
That day, during the company physical, the doctor held the ultrasound sheet and smiled.
"Ms. Shaw, congratulations, you are six weeks pregnant."
I stared at the tiny gestational sac on the sheet, my hands trembling as tears fell unexpectedly.
It's a miracle—it's the child of Caleb Lewis and me!
Holding the ultrasound report, I nearly ran all the way home, eager to share the good news with him immediately.
But just as I reached the living room doorway, I heard Linda's voice, soft and gentle, again.
"Caleb, Stacy is pregnant, and the 'impurities' around her are strong. If she stays in the master bedroom too often, it might disturb the Buddha and unsettle the baby."
"Then what should we do? We can't just ask Stacy to move out, can we?"
"Why not have Stacy kneel in the yard to chant sutras? The summer sun is warm; it can dispel those impurities and purify the aura, while praying for the baby's blessing—two birds with one stone."
I pushed the door open and rushed in, unable to believe what I was hearing.
"Caleb Lewis, don't listen to her nonsense! The early stages of pregnancy are the most fragile—how can you kneel out in the sun like that?"
Caleb frowned at me, his eyes heavy with impatience.
"Linda is doing this for your sake and the baby's. How can you be so unreasonable? She's a spiritual practitioner—she knows more than we do."
"Unreasonable? This is your child! Aren't you worried something might happen to him?"
"If I tell you to kneel, then kneel! Don't make things difficult for Linda, and don't let the child be affected by your 'impure energy.'"
His words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over me from head to toe, dousing all my hopes and joy.
I watched Linda standing to the side, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corner of her lips—a smile like a poison sting that made my eyes ache.
I said nothing further, slowly walked into the courtyard, and knelt on the burning Bluestone Slab.
The July sun blazed like a fireball, heating the stone slab until it burned. Through the thin fabric of my skirt, I could vividly feel the scorching pain searing my knees.
Sweat dripped down my forehead and into my eyes, stinging so painfully I couldn't keep them open.
A dull ache throbbed in my lower abdomen, as if a gentle hand was tugging inside.
I gritted my teeth, calling Caleb Lewis's name again and again, my voice shifting from choked sobs to hoarseness, but he never came out of the house.
The scene before me slowly blurred; the pomegranate tree in the yard and the wooden door of the temple hall turned into double images.
I tried to steady myself against the stone slab to stand, but my body felt so weak it was as if I had no bones.
Then everything went black, and I completely lost consciousness.
When I woke again, I was still in the familiar hospital ward, still surrounded by that familiar scent of disinfectant.
The doctor stood by the bedside, his tone as cold as ice.
"Ms. Shaw, I'm sorry, the baby couldn't be saved."
"Your body was already weak. Combined with prolonged sun exposure and physical trauma, it caused the miscarriage."
"The baby is gone..."
I repeated the words, my voice barely more than a whisper, like sleep-talking.
The sunlight outside the window was bright, but inside, my heart was pitch black, as if someone had hollowed it out with a shovel, leaving only endless emptiness and pain.
My world utterly shattered in that moment.
The curtains in the hospital ward were drawn tightly, leaving only a narrow slit through which faint, pale sunlight filtered in.
I lay on the bed, eyes fixed on the IV stand above the ceiling, watching the medicine drip, drop by drop, as if marking the days I had left.
Linda entered carrying a bowl of millet porridge; the bowl was pale green porcelain, still steaming hot.
She placed the porridge on the bedside cabinet, pulled up a chair beside the bed, her face adorned with a feigned expression of concern.
"Stacy, don't be too upset; it's all fate."
"Buddha said that everything is arranged for the best. Maybe this child simply wasn't meant to be yours."
"Fate?"
I suddenly sat up, the IV needle slipping from the back of my hand, and blood immediately started to seep out.
I grabbed Linda's wrist desperately, my nails almost digging into her flesh.
"It's you! You're the one who killed my child! Call the doctor quickly! My stomach still hurts. Could there be something wrong?"
Linda shook my hand off forcefully; the warmth on her face vanished without a trace, and her eyes held a flicker of disgust.
"Stacy Shaw, don't accuse me unfairly! I was only trying to help by praying for you. It's your own weak body that couldn't keep the baby—what does that have to do with me?"
Just then, the hospital ward door was suddenly pushed open, and Caleb Lewis walked in.
He saw me holding Linda's hand, his expression instantly darkened, and he rushed over, pushing me down onto the bed.
"Stacy Shaw! What are you trying to do to Linda? She came here out of kindness to see you, and yet you actually hurt her!"
I fell onto the bed, a sharp, tearing pain erupted in my lower abdomen, forcing me to curl up in agony.
I clung to Caleb Lewis's pant leg, my voice trembling with sobs.
"Caleb, my stomach hurts so much—please call the doctor quickly. Could there still be some residual tissue inside? I'm so scared..."
"Stop pretending!"
Caleb Lewis harshly shook my hand off, his tone dripping with cold sarcasm.
"You just can't stand seeing Linda do well, so you're making up excuses to throw a tantrum! I really misjudged you—if I'd known you were this malicious, I never would have married you!"
Linda stood quietly to the side, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket to gently wipe the corner of her eye, wearing the expression of someone deeply wronged.
"Caleb, don't blame Stacy. She just lost her child and is heartbroken—that's why she snapped at me."
"If you blame her, I'll feel uneasy."
The more considerate she tried to be, the angrier Caleb became.
He turned his head toward the door and shouted out.
"Bring someone!"
Two tall bodyguards in black suits immediately walked in, their gazes severe.
"Tie her up. Don't let her hurt Linda again, and don't let her run away."
A bodyguard approached with a rope; the coarse hemp rope cut into my wrist, stinging sharply.
I struggled desperately, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"Caleb Lewis! You can't treat me like this! I lost our child for you! Have you forgotten who saved you three years ago? Have you forgotten you promised to love me forever?"
But he didn't listen to me at all, not even glancing my way. He turned, supporting Linda, his voice so gentle it could drip with sweetness.
"Linda, let's go. Don't let her spoil your mood."
The hospital ward door shut with a soft 'click,' like a lock sealing me inside this darkness.
The hemp rope tightened relentlessly, the skin on my wrists beginning to redden, while the pain in my lower abdomen grew sharper, as if countless needles were piercing me.
I stared at the ceiling, tears streaming endlessly down my face, flowing into my ears, cold and bitter.
The man who once swore by my bedside to love me for a lifetime, the man who cherished our marriage certificate like a treasure, now treated me with such coldness—binding me to the hospital bed for another woman.
My last flicker of hope in him was like a candle snuffed out by the wind, completely extinguished.
In that moment, my heart died.
The day I was discharged, the sky hung heavy and gray, as if on the verge of rain.
Caleb Lewis didn't come to pick me up; it was the family driver who drove me back to the place I once called "home."
After I returned, Caleb locked me in the bedroom on the second floor.
Nothing in the room had changed; our wedding photo still hung on the wall, but seeing us smiling so sweetly in it, all I felt was bitter irony.
He rarely came to see me, and when he did, it was only to coldly give orders to the servants.
"Watch her carefully. Don't let her go downstairs."
Every day, I hear their laughter and chatter downstairs—Caleb and Linda.
Sometimes, Linda recites sutras while Caleb listens quietly beside her.
Sometimes they walk in the yard. Linda says she loves pomegranate blossoms, and Caleb says he'll cut down all the other trees to plant only pomegranates.
Those sounds pierce my heart like needles, one by one, making it so painful that even breathing feels hard.
That afternoon, I was staring blankly out the window when suddenly I heard shouting downstairs, followed by a child's crying.
My heart clenched as I peered through the door crack — in the yard stood five children, the oldest no more than ten, the youngest just six, all brothers and sisters I had taken in from the orphanage.
Their clothes were faded to near-white from endless washing. They stood there with their heads bowed, faces etched with fear.
Caleb Lewis stood before them, his face dark and stormy.
"Who told you to come here? This isn't a place for you!"
"Caleb," Linda's voice called out. She stepped beside him and gently tugged his arm.
"These children carry too much violent energy. Staying here frequently will affect our blessings and might even offend the Buddha."
Caleb frowned, seemingly deep in thought over Linda's words.
Linda continued.
"Why not have them kneel under the sun to pray for blessings, letting the sunlight purge their violent energy and cleanse their aura? This would benefit both them and us."
Caleb nodded without hesitation, then spoke coldly to the children.
"Did you hear me? Kneel down, and don't get up until you finish praying!"
The children trembled in fear; the youngest girl even broke into tears, yet they slowly knelt down.
I watched their small, frail bodies kneeling on the scorching stone floor, and my heart ached as if it were being sliced by a knife.
These children are already pitiful enough in the orphanage. I took them in as my brothers and sisters, hoping they could feel a little warmth. But now, because of me, Caleb Lewis is treating them like this.
I couldn't hold back any longer; I pushed open the door and rushed out.
"Caleb Lewis! Don't hurt them! They're all children—how can you make them kneel under the blazing sun like this?"
Caleb turned to look at me, his gaze cold as ice.
"Stacy Shaw, this has nothing to do with you. Go back to your room! Don't make me say it again!"
"I'm not going back!"
I stood in front of the children, arms spread wide like a mother beast protecting her cubs.
"If anyone's going to kneel, it's me. Don't put them through this! They have nothing to do with it. Direct all your anger at me!"
Linda approached, a gentle smile on her face.
"Stacy, don't get so upset. Caleb only wants what's best for the children. Praying can help them avoid misfortune."
"But since you're willing, why not go to the temple to kowtow and pray? The Buddha there is more powerful, and it would show greater sincerity."
Caleb Lewis looked at me, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Fine. Since you're so 'sincere,' you'll go to the eighteen temples. At each temple, you must prostrate yourself step by step. Once you've finished all eighteen, I'll release them."
I met the children's fearful eyes; the youngest girl was quietly wiping away tears.
I clenched my teeth, silently telling myself I could endure anything for their sake.
"Alright, I'll go."
I looked at Caleb with firm resolve.
"But you must keep your word. If I finish kowtowing at all eighteen temples, you have to let them go—and never trouble them again."
Caleb Lewis nodded with satisfaction and waved the bodyguards to take the children away.
I watched Linda standing off to the side, that smug smile curling at her lips, and a fire flared up inside me.
This debt, I will make sure it's paid back.
Linda, Caleb Lewis, just wait and see.
For the next month, I rushed back and forth between temples every single day.
Caleb Lewis didn't provide a car; I had to take buses or taxis on my own, sometimes even walking several kilometers.
At every temple, I would kneel and begin prostrating, starting from the mountain gate, bowing step by step.
The bluestone slab path at the temple was hard and cold; after only a few steps, my forehead began to redden, and my knees ached from scraping.
Once, at an ancient temple on the city outskirts, the stairs were steep and numerous. Halfway up, I accidentally struck my forehead against a step, and blood immediately began to flow.
The blood ran down my cheek, dripping onto the bluestone slab like little red flowers.
An old monk in the temple saw this, handed me a clean cloth, sighed, and said,
"Lady devotee, why do you make things so hard on yourself?"
I took the cloth, wiped the blood from my forehead, and smiled.
"For those I care about, this isn't hardship."
In truth, my heart had long since numbed to the pain, but whenever I thought of the younger siblings still in Caleb Lewis's hands, this pain felt insignificant.
During the day, I knelt and prayed at the temple; at night, I stayed in a cramped, cheap inn.
The inn was awful—swarming with mosquitoes and the bedding reeking of damp mold.
Yet I didn't feel bitter at all, because I knew this was the first step in my fight for revenge.
I want Caleb Lewis to think that I have completely surrendered; I want him to lower his guard.
At last, on a rainy afternoon, I finished the final bow at the eighteenth temple.
The rain soaked my clothes, and my whole body shivered with cold, yet inside, I felt strangely calm.
I took a taxi home and laid a divorce agreement—prepared long ago—in front of Caleb Lewis.
Caleb Lewis grabbed the divorce agreement and tore it to shreds without so much as a glance. The pieces fell to the floor like white snowflakes.
"Stacy Shaw, don't think you can leave me."
He looked at me, his eyes brimming with possessiveness.
"You are my wife, and in this life, you can only ever be mine."
"Why?"
I looked at him, my heart flooded with confusion.
"You don't love me anymore, do you? You prefer Linda, right? So why won't you agree to a divorce?"
Caleb Lewis stepped in front of me, reached out, and gripped my chin, pressing so hard it made me wince.
"Because you're still useful."
His voice was calm, as if he were stating something utterly insignificant.
"Linda's health is poor—the doctor said she can't have children. I want you to be a surrogate for her, to carry her child for her."
"Surrogacy?"
Hearing those words, I trembled with anger, tears threatening to fall.
"Caleb Lewis! What do you take me for? A childbearing tool? Have you forgotten that you caused the death of our child? And now you expect me to be a surrogate for another woman?"
"What else?"
He released my chin, his voice dripping with cold indifference.
"Don't forget, the orphans from your orphanage are still under my control. If you refuse, I won't guarantee what'll happen to them."
His words cut like a knife pressed against my throat.
I clenched my fist, my nails digging deep into my palm as I forced down the anger swelling inside me.
I know this isn't the time to go head-to-head with him.
I need time. I need help.
At night, once Caleb Lewis and Linda were both fast asleep, I quietly retrieved the phone I had hidden beneath my pillow.
It was the one I had secretly stashed in a compartment inside my suitcase. Caleb had confiscated all my communication devices but hadn't found this one.
With trembling fingers, I dialed that all-too-familiar number.
The phone rang three times before being answered, a low, steady voice greeting me through the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Bruce Jones, this is Stacy Shaw."
I lowered my voice, afraid the servants outside might overhear.
"I need your help."
Bruce Jones is Caleb Lewis's rival; they've been at odds in business for years, neither willing to back down.
When I worked at Lewis Group, I crossed paths with Bruce Jones several times. He's sharp and ruthless—the only one who can match Caleb Lewis.
"Ms. Shaw, I've been waiting a long time to hear you say that."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile crept into Bruce Jones's voice.
"I know you've suffered a lot at Caleb Lewis's hands. Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"I want to destroy Caleb Lewis's reputation completely."
I clenched my teeth, my voice steady.
"I want him and Linda to pay for everything they've done. They killed my child and still want to use me as a surrogate. I will never let them get away with it."
"Alright, I'll help you."
Bruce Jones agreed promptly.
"But you have to follow my plan. Caleb is cunning and cautious; we can't let him suspect anything."
"Pretend to agree to be his surrogate to keep him calm. I'll gather evidence of his crimes in secret and then find the right moment to expose Linda's true nature."
I nodded, and the stone that had been weighing on my heart finally fell away.
"Thank you, Bruce Jones. As long as they pay the price, I'm willing to do anything."
"You don't need to thank me."
Bruce Jones's voice paused.
"Helping you serves my own purposes as well. "Caleb Lewis has monopolized the logistics lines in the city's west for far too long; he's been a thorn in my side. Now, I'll take this chance to crush him completely."
After hanging up, I slipped my phone back under the pillow and looked out at the moonlight, feeling the fire of revenge ignite inside me.
Caleb Lewis, Linda, just wait. I will make you regret this.
In the days that followed, I began pretending to be obedient to Caleb Lewis.
When he came to see me, I no longer argued with him; I even took the initiative to bring him tea and water.
When Linda came to "care" for me, I smiled and spoke with her as if our previous conflicts had never happened.
Caleb truly let down his guard, believing I had completely surrendered, and his attitude toward me softened somewhat.
He no longer locked me in the room and even had the kitchen prepare my favorite dishes.
"Stacy, I was wrong before. Please don't be angry anymore."
That night, Caleb sat across from me, offering me a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, his tone carrying a hint of flattery.
"Let's live well together. Once your surrogacy succeeds, I will make it up to you properly."
I looked at his hypocritical face, feeling a wave of nausea inside, yet I still pretended to be touched, my eyes reddening.
"Caleb, I know you're doing this for the family. I'm willing to be a surrogate for Linda. As long as we can have a good life afterward, I don't care about anything else."
Caleb Lewis, hearing this, showed an excited expression on his face. He reached out and took my hand.
"Stacy, you're truly kind! I knew you would understand me."
What he didn't know was that I had already planned everything in my heart.
I agreed to be a surrogate, but only to get close to Linda, gather her secrets, and also to buy time for Bruce Jones so he could collect evidence against Caleb Lewis.
A few days later, Caleb took me to the hospital to prepare for the tests before the IVF procedure.
He stayed with me the whole time, his face full of hope, as if he could already see the child being born.
"Stacy, once the child is born, we will legally adopt him to Linda."
Caleb held my hand gently, his tone soft.
"Linda's health is poor; she can't take care of herself. Having a child by her side will keep her company. Later, we can have another, a child that's truly ours."
I smiled and nodded, but inside, I was sneering coldly.
Caleb Lewis, do you really think you'll get your way? You'll soon find out that everything you've done is for else's purpose.
After the test results came back, the doctor told me my body was very suitable for the test tube procedure.
Caleb was as happy as a child and immediately arranged the surgery.
On the day of the surgery, the doctor Bruce Jones had arranged was already waiting at the hospital.
He quietly gave me a look, signaling me to relax.
The surgery went smoothly; the doctor announced the test tube procedure was successful—I was pregnant.
When Caleb Lewis got the news, he was so excited that he immediately called Linda, his voice brimming with joy.
"Linda, I have great news—Stacy is pregnant! We're going to have a child soon!"
Linda arrived at the hospital quickly. She held a string of Buddhist prayer beads and approached my bedside with a gentle smile.
"Stacy, congratulations. Wearing these Buddhist prayer beads will protect the child and keep it safe."
I took the beads, feeling their cool touch in my hand, which sharpened my senses even more.
"Thank you, Linda. Knowing you care so deeply about the child eases my mind."
Linda looked at my belly, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes, but she quickly softened back into a gentle expression.
She sat beside the bed, offering many blessings before reluctantly taking her leave.
Watching Linda's retreating figure, I gripped the Buddhist prayer beads tightly in my hand.
Linda, your days of happiness won't last much longer.
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