Chapter 1
1228words
I lay on the million-dollar medical bed like livestock awaiting slaughter.
"Mrs. Grant, the fetus is perfectly healthy, with flawless genetic sequencing—truly the Grant family's most perfect heir."
The doctor reported respectfully to the elegant, imposing woman standing by the bedside.
The woman Victoria Miller, matriarch of the Grant family and my mother-in-law, didn't spare me a glance. Her greedy eyes remained fixed on the tiny image on the screen, a satisfied smile curling her lips.
"Excellent. Continue monitoring and ensure the absolute health of my precious grandchild."
Her voice cut like ice, completely devoid of warmth.
My husband, Ethan Shaw—the man who once vowed to love me forever—now attentively draped a shawl over her shoulders, his handsome face wearing a subservient smile.
"Mom, don't worry. Liv has a strong constitution. This child will surely be the Grant family's once-in-a-century prodigy."
Liv.
He said my name so tenderly, as if we were truly a loving couple.
But only I knew the truth—this marriage was nothing but an elaborately orchestrated scam from start to finish.
I, Olivia Lane, am not Ethan Shaw's wife, nor the young mistress of the Grant family.
I am merely a… surrogate vessel.
A "Golden Womb" sold to the Grant family by my own mother and brother for ten million dollars, used to breed their heir.
"Sis, just relax! Do you know who the Grants are? We've delivered you to a life of luxury!"
My gambling-addicted brother, Ryan Lane, bowed and scraped before Victoria Miller, his face plastered with a sickening smile.
"Yes, Liv," said my biological mother—the person I once trusted most—as she clung warmly to Victoria Miller's arm with a smile so wide her eyes nearly disappeared. "Our Liv bearing an heir for the Grant family is a blessing earned from eight lifetimes of good karma! We hope you'll look after our family in the future, Mrs. Grant."
I watched their grotesque expressions as waves of nausea churned in my stomach.
A year ago, they told me Ethan Shaw was a wealthy heir from a respectable family who had fallen for me at first sight.
Lost in romantic fantasy, I was nudged into marrying Ethan before I could fully process what was happening.
On our wedding night, Ethan never touched me. Instead, he gently explained that he wanted our first child to be conceived under perfect circumstances.
I believed every word.
Reality only hit when I was brought to this isolated luxury medical villa and saw the "Premium Surrogate Contract" with my own eyes.
Next to my name on the contract were the flamboyant signatures of my mother and brother.
And Ethan Shaw? Just an insignificant adopted son of the Grant family, serving as this transaction's executor.
My only purpose was to use my healthy womb to bear a pure-blooded child for the true Grant heir—their eldest son whom I'd never even seen.
I fought back—smashing everything in sight and refusing to eat in protest.
My reward? Cold restraints on my limbs and a feeding tube forced down my throat into my stomach.
My mother knelt before me, tears streaming down her face.
"Liv, please! Ryan owes eight million in gambling debts and the loan sharks will chop off his hands! Could you live with yourself if your only brother becomes a cripple? It's just having a baby—do it for me, do it for your brother!"
I stared at her, feeling an invisible hand squeezing my heart until I could barely breathe through the pain.
My only brother?
What about me? Am I not her daughter too?
To them, my resistance was nothing but unreasonable drama and pretentious fuss.
Eventually, Ethan Shaw came to me. For the first time, the gentleness in his eyes vanished, revealing exhaustion and despair that mirrored my own.
"Liv, accept your fate," he said quietly. "We're all pawns here with no real choices."
In that moment, something inside me died completely.
I started cooperating with all their examinations, dutifully swallowing their strange-tasting supplements like a soulless puppet.
I told myself that once the child was born and I received the rest of the money, I'd cut all ties with this family forever.
I had no family anymore, no lover.
I had only myself.
But I never imagined their greed and cruelty would reach such depths.
"Ethan," Victoria suddenly turned to my husband, her tone brooking no argument. "Is the divorce agreement with Olivia ready? The moment the child is delivered, I want those papers signed. No mistakes."
Ethan bowed his head respectfully. "Mother, everything's prepared."
"And," Victoria's gaze finally fell on me, her eyes appraising me like merchandise—cold, critical, with sickening calculation, "contact Director Wang at the transplant center. Once the baby is delivered, prepare for the hysterectomy."
My mind went blank with a deafening buzz.
What?
Hysterectomy?
I jerked upright, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through my abdomen.
"What… what did you just say?" My voice trembled with terror.
Victoria seemed pleased by my reaction. She gracefully lifted her bowl of bird's nest soup, stirring it leisurely with a small spoon.
"The Grant bloodline must remain pure. Your task will be complete, and that uterus of yours will have served its purpose."
Her tone was as casual as if discussing the day's weather forecast.
My mother and brother looked momentarily stunned.
But their shock lasted barely three seconds.
My mother quickly plastered on a fawning smile: "Mrs. Grant is absolutely right. It's Liv's honor to serve the Grant family this way. However… since the surgery is quite damaging to her body, perhaps we could revisit the price we initially discussed…"
"Silence!" Victoria cut her off coldly. "You greedy creature. Don't worry, you'll get every penny promised. But if Olivia doesn't cooperate, you won't see a single cent!"
My mother instantly shut up, turning to me with eyes full of warning and desperate pleading.
I felt like I'd plunged into an icy abyss.
They didn't just want my child—they wanted my womb, to completely destroy any chance of my future!
I looked at Ethan Shaw—the man I once loved—desperate to find even a flicker of reluctance or struggle in his eyes.
But he simply avoided my gaze, lowering his eyes in silent acceptance of it all.
So this was their endgame all along.
My womb wasn't just being removed—it was being… harvested.
Transplanted into the body of the real Grant family bride—a woman I'd never even met.
They planned to use my body parts to pave someone else's path to motherhood.
To them, I, Olivia Lane, wasn't even human.
I was nothing but a walking, breathing organ container—to be dismantled whenever convenient.
A metallic taste surged up my throat as I bit my lip hard, refusing to make a sound.
Tears would be wasted here—the cheapest currency in this room.
Crying would only feed their satisfaction.
I looked at the people who controlled my fate—my mother-in-law, my husband, my mother, my brother.
Their faces twisted with greed, cruelty, and cold indifference.
Suddenly, I laughed.
I laughed until tears streamed down my cheeks.
Fine.
You want my womb so badly?
Then come and take it.
But remember this: every drop of blood and every tear I shed today will someday become burning lava that reduces all of you to ashes!
