Five Times Too Many

For eight years in a marriage devoid of light, I had abortions five times. Every time, Sam would grip my hand when I woke up, his eyes red, and promise to find the best doctors to help me recover. After the third miscarriage, he finally hired a team of top-tier nutritionists, ensuring that every single meal was planned perfectly. He always comforted me, "Don't worry, Penny. We're still young, so we can have another baby!" When I found out I was pregnant again, snowflakes were dancing outside my window. I wrapped my fur coat tightly around my body and rushed to the company, only to hear Wren's furious voice outside the VIP suite, "Are you insane? Those five babies were your own flesh and blood!" Sam replied coldly, "Nicole needs specimen for her experiments. All I'm doing is providing her with the materials she needs." His words dug into my heart like icy spikes, and I could even hear my own bones cracking. "As for Penelope…" He chuckled. "Do you think that our marriage certificate is the real deal?" Snowflakes stung my face like needles, and I finally found out the truth about our marriage. From the very beginning, I was nothing more than a living test subject for the woman he truly loved. Sam was right. Those unborn children never even had legal identities, and were worth less than a piece of paper, just like my so-called marriage. Glass shattered from inside the room, and I could hear Wren cursing, but I turned and walked towards the elevator. Since Sam's priority was Nicole and nothing else, I was hell-bent on making him pay the price. Chapter 1 Wren's expression was complicated as he voiced his confusion, "If Nicole is the only one you care about, why did you propose to Penelope, and even try and have children with her?" Sam replied with mockery in his voice, "Well, Nicole needs to go study overseas, see? I have to deal with my physical needs somehow, don't I? Penelope was very innocent and naive back then, so it was easy enough to trick her into a secret marriage. I didn't want her to cause me any trouble, after all. "As for the kids… I don't like using protection, and that woman's real intent on being a mother, so I just let it happen. I didn't plan on keeping them, anyway." Wren's expression was sympathetic. "So you led her on for eight years without name or status, killed five of her unborn children, and now you're marrying someone else? Penelope loves you so much! Knowing this would…" Impatiently, Sam cut him off, "Bah, enough of that. She's just a poor college student from the boonies, so she had her fill of the luxurious life. I'll get married to Nicole in three days, so make sure you're there, yeah?" Seeing how insistent Sam was, Wren sighed. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. I can't see anything good coming from this… Penelope's a good girl, so I hope you don't regret it." "Hmph, as long as I can marry Nicole, I won't regret a thing! Save your nonsense for someone who cares." Wren only shook his head helplessly, not saying more. Meanwhile, I was drained of all the happiness in my heart, standing there dumbly as tears streamed down my face. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam caught sight of me standing outside the door, face streaked with tears, and he was scared out of his mind. Immediately, he rushed outside. "Penny, when did you get here? W-Why are you crying?" His voice was tinged with a trace of panic. I wiped the tears off my face and smiled. "It's… It's nothing, I just got a fake eyelash in my eyes. I'm terrible at makeup, haha…" Sam let out a breath of relief and pulled me tightly into his arms. "It breaks my heart to see you cry! There's no need for makeup, alright? You're the most beautiful girl out there just as you are! "Come on, let's go home." Chapter 2 His words were still as sweet as ever, but I could no longer feel their warmth. Back when I had just graduated and became an employee at his family business, I was bullied and harassed by my superiors. Sam stepped in, back then, and protected my dignity. He told me that he'd support and protect me for the rest of my life, and I believed him, devoting my heart and soul to him. When he requested that I keep our marriage a secret, I agreed without any hesitation. I was afraid that if the news that the CEO's wife was from the countryside went out, the stocks of Wilson Group would plummet. Every time I got pregnant, Sam was as happy as a kid, overjoyed at the prospect of being a father. Every time, he worried about my pain, insisting that the doctors use general anesthesia and staying by my side the entire time. I thought that he sincerely cared about me and our children. In reality, he only wanted to kill them in cold blood, and all for Nicole's sake. All this time, I'd assumed that the stillbirths and miscarriages were because of my own body, and I had even felt guilty about the fact. Thinking back, it was all just laughable. When I got home, I made an appointment for an abortion and bought plane tickets for three days later while Sam was taking a shower. After his shower, Sam casually dried his hair and said, "Penny, I'll go overseas on a business trip in three days. It'll probably take a month or so." A month, just enough time for a wedding and a honeymoon. "Sam, I haven't been feeling well lately… Can't you keep me company at home instead?" Sam frowned, and his tone turned cold, "Penny, I thought you knew that I don't like it when women interfere with my work. Be obedient and wait for me at home, and I'll bring you a gift." My last shred of hope shattered, and my heart turned cold as I nodded. "You're right. I was being unreasonable. Go ahead." Only then did Sam smile and press me onto the bed, his breaths smelling of alcohol as he leaned in, speaking with a drawl, "Penny, the nutritionists said that you're recovering well, so why don't we try making a baby tonight? I want to raise a child with you…" Hearing those words, I felt nothing but irony and disdain in my heart. Without a trace of emotion, I gently pushed him away. "Let's do this another time, okay? You've been drinking. It won't be good for the baby." I had always been the type to worry about this sort of thing, so Sam didn't suspect anything, pressing a kiss on my forehead and falling asleep. While he was fast asleep, I reached for his jacket, and that's how I found out that he actually had another phone. And the lock screen wallpaper was a photo of him kissing Nicole. As I expected, the password was Nicole's birthday. Opening up their chat history, I instantly found the photos of my five unborn children. "Nicole, I got you a new specimen. I'll have it sent over by helicopter by afternoon. It's fresh, so it'll be good for research!" "You finished using the last one? Don't worry, Penelope got pregnant again, so I'll make sure she delivers early. You'll have another specimen soon, okay? You're so hardworking, you'll definitely be a great doctor someday." "When are you coming back from overseas, Nicole? You're the one who's going to be my wife. I only used that woman to fulfill my physical needs." My hands trembled as I reached to caress my stomach, bitter tears flowing down my cheeks. This child shouldn't be brought into this cruel world. I scrolled through their chats, seeing the tens of thousands of photos they took together. With each photo sent, Sam left Nicole a heartfelt note, never once repeated. So this was where he had been for the past eight years when he told me he was on business trips. He was together with Nicole. He even sent her more than a hundred wedding layouts and banquet designs, all personally planned by himself. Each set was luxurious, and Nicole had the choice to pick whatever she wanted. For every holiday, no matter how busy he was, he always prepared an extravagant gift for Nicole and personally delivered it to her. Meanwhile, I was nothing more than an afterthought. I never even got a bouquet of flowers on the day we registered for marriage. That evening, he saw how much I wanted them as we walked past a florist's, but he only said, "Only immature little girls like this sort of thing. You're not someone like that, right?" Chapter 3 The very same man who said those cold words to me bought an entire estate for Nicole overseas, filled with precious flowers. Watching them embrace and kiss in the sea of flowers, I suddenly laughed so hard I cried. After I took photos as evidence, I dug out the fake marriage registration certificate. That day, we had our wedding registration at home because Sam didn't want me to go through tiring procedures. Thinking back, those were probably actors he hired, huh? I ripped the wedding certificate to shreds and threw it into the trash. Going back to the bed, I found that seeing his face didn't make my heart flutter anymore. I couldn't fall asleep the entire night, my heart filled with sorrow. The next day, Sam still had the nutritionist prepare me a lavish breakfast. In the past, I would have been touched by how much he cared, but I knew that all of this paled in comparison to what he did for Nicole after last night. Every nutritious meal I had, Nicole tried it first. Not only that, but her meals were personally prepared by Sam too. Thinking of this, I suddenly felt so disgusted that I hunched down, dry heaving, and Sam immediately tried to hold me steady. "What's wrong, Penny?" He asked, before a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Wait, are you…?" Irony was the only thing I felt as I looked at his expression. What was he happy about? That he had another convenient gift that he could use to curry favor with the one he truly loved? "I'm not… You know my health has never been good, and getting pregnant has become even harder after all those miscarriages…" Sam comforted me, his voice gentle, "Don't say that, Penny. That's not your fault, so I won't blame you, okay? Take care of yourself, and I'm sure we'll have a healthy baby in the future! "Cheer up, okay? Today's Mom's sixtieth birthday, and a lot of people are going to celebrate, so we can't miss out. Come with me and have some fun, yeah?" Then, as if remembering something, his tone shifted. "Oh, but we're secretly married, and Mom doesn't know either, so if anyone asks about your identity…" I knew what he was going to say, so I cut him off calmly, "I know. I'll say that I'm your assistant." "You're the best, Penny." At the hotel, I immediately came across Nicole affectionately clinging to Sam's mother, Greta. In her custom-made gown, she made a show of taking Greta's pulse, and said that she'd live until she was two hundred years old. Greta was so pleased that she immediately took off the bracelet on her hand, wanting to gift it to Nicole. That bracelet was an heirloom passed down in the Wilson family, only to daughters-in-law. Nicole simpered when she caught sight of me, but she said, "This is too precious, Ma'am. I can't take this. "Sam brought his girlfriend here, see? That's your future daughter-in-law who might even give you five grandchildren, so give it to her instead." Greta glanced at me, her gaze filled with unfiltered disdain as she saw me in my plain one-piece dress. "Girlfriend? That's nothing more than a little assistant in Sam's company. Gosh, so young yet so shameless… Did you know that she had babies before marriage, and they ended up being five stillbirths? Honestly, I'd say she deserved it. "Back in my day, a woman like her would have been stoned for being so shameless! She's a far cry from a self-loving girl like yourself, Nicole. "Sam's at the age where he should get married, so I'll tell him to marry you today." This wasn't the first time I attended a function held by the Wilsons as an assistant. Years ago, Sam said that his mother looked down on my upbringing, and didn't want me to become part of their family. He told me that he didn't care, however, and that I was the one he loved, so he said that we'd get registered for marriage while he worked on changing Greta's mind. I was touched by how strongly he wanted to be with me, so I didn't refuse. To be fair, I didn't expect to wait eight whole years. Once his mother caught wind that I'd given birth to five stillbirths, she was convinced that I was a promiscuous woman who slept around with men everywhere, calling me cheap and demanding Sam to throw me out. In the past, Sam would at least try to act like he was protective of me, but now? All he had in his heart was Nicole, so I was the last thing he thought about. Hearing his mother's words, he pretended to hesitate, but ended up saying, "Well, if you say so… I'll be heading on a business trip the day after tomorrow, so Nicole can go with me. We'll have our wedding there." When he spoke, there was no hesitation in his words whatsoever. Chapter 4 Nicole blushed. "But I haven't had the chance to pick out a wedding dress yet… Oh, and the ring…" Before she could finish speaking, twenty sets of exquisite and lavish wedding gowns were brought into the room. Each set was a custom creation by a world-famous designer, and they had to be ordered years ahead. All the wedding dresses had different styles and matching diamond rings, each diamond as big as a pigeon's egg. One of the pink diamonds, I recalled, was auctioned at the price of two hundred million dollars just last month. Clearly, Sam came prepared. Nicole's heart was filled with joy, and she pressed a kiss on Sam's cheek. "Wow, these all fit me perfectly! And did you think that I wouldn't notice that twenty was the number of years we've known each other? You're so thoughtful! "Hey, don't tell me you've been plotting to marry me ever since we were kids!" She acted coy, feigning anger, and Sam just smiled and didn't say a word, but his gaze said it all. I looked down at my simple wedding band, the one Sam had given me when he asked me to marry him. It was a bit too small for my finger, and had always been painful to wear, but I never took it off. Right then, I noticed how the size was the same as the ones he picked out for Nicole. Ah, so that was the truth. It wasn't that he was careless or that he forgot, but that he reserved all the good things in life for Nicole. Standing there, I felt like nothing more than a court jester. I silently retreated to the restroom, splashing my face with cold water from the faucet to make it seem like I wasn't crying. The moment I stepped out of the restroom, I was greeted with a warm hug. Sam handed me a lovely bottle of perfume, his tone gentle, as if trying to coax a pet, "Are you jealous? Today's Mom's birthday, so I just went along with it. This is all just temporary, and those dresses are all just for show! "Once Nicole and I go overseas, I'll tell her that we are lawfully wedded. I promise that after I finish my work this month, I'll tell her about our relationship and give you the wedding you deserve, alright? Can't you be a good girl and understand me? "I know you like perfumes, so I went through a lot of trouble to get my hands on this one! This is the latest creation of a world-class perfumer. Can't you see how much I love you?" I felt a bitter taste in my mouth, knowing where exactly that perfume came from. That perfume was actually one of the wedding favors for Nicole and his wedding ceremony. He had invited over a thousand guests, and each and every one of them would receive a bottle. This perfume was nothing more than a weak attempt at placating me. A notification popped up on my phone, reminding me the time I scheduled for the surgery, and Sam caught sight of it. "Penny, are you having a surgery?" I stuffed my phone back into my bag and squeezed out a weak smile. "It's nothing, just a spam message. Anyway, don't worry. I understand." Sam pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "I knew my Penny's the most sensible girl there is. I'll go welcome the guests and come home to keep you company later, alright?" I nodded, but quietly tailed him after he left. However, it wasn't to the main hall, but upstairs instead. One of the doors to a guest room was left slightly ajar, and inside, Nicole gently whined, wearing a sexy piece of lingerie, "What took you so long, Sam? I've been waiting for ages…" "Oh, Penny was just feeling under the weather. How about we cancel it for now? We have lots of time to do it after we get married, after all, so…" Nicole wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her voluptuous figure pressing tightly against him. "Aw, do you want to leave me all by myself? We haven't been together for so long… Don't you miss me? "We're going to get married soon, so won't you let me give you a baby? You don't have to wear protection tonight, and you can do it as many times as you want… I'll be good, please?" Sam's gaze darkened instantly, his restraint completely shattering. He pressed Nicole down onto the bed, losing himself in a frenzy of passion. Chapter 5 The scene grew increasingly unbearable, their ragged breathing stabbing at my heart like a blade. Not able to watch any longer, I immediately turned and fled. I had just left the hotel before I suddenly felt nauseous again, and I crouched on the ground, dry heaving. Suddenly, a chilling stream of wine was poured onto my head. After the deed was done, Nicole casually threw away the bottle of wine and smirked mockingly. "Are you a sow, Penelope? How in the world are you able to still get pregnant after five miscarriages? I study medicine, so you can't trick me—I know signs of pregnancy when I see them. "I'm going to become Sam's real wife soon, and you're nothing more than just a useless substitute for me. You're the outsider in this relationship, and he's just using you to satisfy his physical needs, got it? That child inside your womb will never be anything more than a bastard. "Right, do you want to know what happened to your past five stillborns?" Then, she took out her phone and shook it in front of my eyes, as if she was showing off, and my entire body shuddered in anguish. "Amazing, isn't it? You can try and give birth as many times as you want, but those mongrels will only end up just like this!" Not able to hold in my rage, I raised my hand to attack her, but I hadn't yet had the chance to do a thing before Nicole quickly took a few shards of glass from the ground and swiped it toward her palm. Blood immediately flowed down her arm, and she screamed. Sam, hearing the commotion, rushed over and shoved me away immediately. Holding Nicole tight, he turned and shouted, "What are you doing, Penelope?!" Before I could even say anything to defend myself, Nicole started sniffling. "Sam, today's the day we announce our wedding, so I just wanted to invite Penelope for a drink! But then, she accused me of stealing you from her, and even attacked my hand! I wonder if she's become mentally unstable after losing all those children…" Sam shot me a dark glare, like a venomous snake. "I decided on marrying Nicole, so you could have taken up your frustrations with me, not her! She's a doctor, so her hands are used to save lives in the hospital! How could you hurt her? How could you be so cruel? "No wonder those babies ended up becoming stillborn, they didn't want to live with a vicious mother like you! This is what you deserve!" I stared at him incredulously, as if the man in front of me was a stranger. Then, I pointed at Nicole, and shouted, "What I deserve? Then what about you two? "Why don't you tell me why my babies were healthy when they were in my womb, but ended up dying after they were born? Tell me what you did with their bodies!" Sam frowned. "The doctors just didn't manage to find their defects while they were in your womb, which might I add, was caused by your terrible health! I've already buried them, so why are you bringing them up now? Apologize to Nicole, now!" My hands weakly fell to the sides of my body, and I scoffed at myself. I already knew that was what he was going to say, but why did my heart still ache so much? I picked up a glass shard from the ground and immediately cut off my pinky finger, blood spurting out immediately. "Penny!" Sam was shocked, his eyes going wide. "You're right, Sam. I'm sure Nicole needs her hands to carry out her precious job, so now that it's hurt, I'll pay her back with my finger. Is that enough for you?" After that, I turned and left. Seeing my receding figure and the blood on the ground, Sam felt a sudden wave of unease, trying to call out to me, but Nicole clung to his arm. "Sam, my hand hurts so much…" Sam hesitated for a long moment, and in the end, he didn't come after me. Before I entered the operating room, he called. Chapter 6 "How is your hand, Penny? Don't worry, Nicole's fine. It was my fault today. I knew that you felt guilty about the children's deaths, so I shouldn't have said that to you. "I promised Mom that I'd get married to Nicole. Even if it's just for show, my mom would be angry if we postponed it. She's up on her years now, and her heart's not doing well, so I'm worried…" I cut him off. "I'm fine, so take care of Nicole. Don't make your mother worry." Sam smiled. "Hey, why are you still calling her that? She's our mom, silly! Don't worry. I'll make sure she acknowledges you! "I'll be going overseas the day after tomorrow, so I'll go home and keep you company with good food, alright?" After I hung up, I turned to look at the hospital room door, which was slightly ajar. Inside, the television was playing the news. "Wilson Group's CEO, Sam Wilson, dotes on his fiancee, summoning top specialists from across the country overnight to treat a tiny cut on her palm!" I looked at the doctor beside me. "I'm ready. Let's begin." Even with anesthesia, I could still feel the cold instruments stirring inside me. And so, I lost another child. As I stumbled out of the hospital, I clutched my empty abdomen, tears flowing down my face. 'I'm sorry, baby. In your next life, don't choose me as your mother again.' The next day, Sam didn't return, only giving me a call, "Sorry, Penny. I wanted to keep you company today, but Mom was feeling sick, so I wanted to check in on her." However, just a minute prior, Nicole had just posted on her social media. She was wearing a bathrobe, while Sam was half-naked, kneeling on one knee and rubbing her foot lovingly, his gaze filled with tenderness and face still flushed with lingering desire. Clothes were scattered all over the floor, a clear sign of what had just transpired. I promptly gathered all my things and burnt them to a crisp. On the morning of the third day, I got a message from Sam as soon as I got to the airport. "Penny, are you awake? Don't forget to eat breakfast, alright? I really don't want to leave you. I miss you so much!" "Be a good girl and wait for me to come home, okay? I'll bring you a gift. Gosh, I miss your lips… If only I could kiss you right now…" I lifted my gaze and saw him holding Nicole in his arms, kissing her while using a free hand to text me. Honestly, I was impressed. I didn't bother to reply, only tapping on the pictures I had saved on my phone and scheduling it to be sent to Sam's business email at a later time. After that, I turned and walked towards a different boarding gate. Meanwhile, Sam had just arrived at the wedding ceremony overseas. Greta and the other guests had already been waiting, and the venue was bustling and lively. Looking at his phone, Sam realized I hadn't replied to him, and his heart grew uneasy. After a few moments, he called his assistant, "Order the madam a flight ticket to where I am, yeah? She's probably lonely since I'm not home. "We're going to be married by tomorrow anyway, so she won't be able to do anything even if she knew." Later, Sam had just walked onto the stage hand in hand with Nicole, when the assistant rushed to him, waving his phone. "Sir, this isn't good! Mrs. Wilson has found out that you gave her babies to Miss Porter as specimens! "Just a few hours ago, she got on a plane headed to another country, and I just got word that the plane crashed!"