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Chapter 38/Racing Against Fate

Chapter 38: 38/Racing Against Fate

Chapter 38

Stephanie’s Point of View

My eyes widened with a terror I had never experienced before, and I felt the ground shifting beneath me. I slid down the wall until I collapsed onto the floor, my hands clutching my stomach frantically as if I were trying to hide my children inside my ribs, far away from his cruelty. I screamed in a voice shattered by weeping, "No, Father! Please... kill me, but don’t touch them! They are souls... two innocent babies!"

But my father’s features had turned into a mask of stone; there wasn’t a shred of mercy in his eyes as he watched my breakdown. "Their existence is my death and the death of my honor every single day," he hissed in a way that made my skin crawl. "I won’t allow a whore like you to bring me more shame with bastards that remind me of your fall with a man who didn’t give a damn about you."

I tried to crawl toward his feet, grabbing the hem of his pants, my body convulsing with terror. "I’ll leave... I’ll disappear completely and you’ll never see my face again. No one will ever know I’m your daughter, just leave them alone!"

My father kicked my hand away violently, making me recoil, gasping through my tears. "If he agrees to marry you, Stephanie, your children will live," he said in a dry tone.

I raised my pleading eyes to him. "Father... please."

He fixed his harsh eyes on me and commanded, "Tell me... what is that bastard’s name?"

I swallowed hard, my voice trembling. "Cedric Volkov."

His expression changed suddenly, his brows knitting together. "Volkov? Do you mean the family that owns the construction firms?"

My head was spinning, and I only had the energy to whisper, "I don’t know."

He exhaled in frustration. "Fine... we’ll see."

He walked out and slammed the door behind him, leaving me in a desolate silence. In that moment, I surrendered to bitter weeping, feeling my body completely collapse on the cold floor. God, help me!

With shaking hands, I held my stomach, encircling it as if trying to create a human shield. I whispered to myself and to them through my sobs, "Don’t worry... I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you."

I wondered bitterly while shivering: Would Cedric agree to marry me? Even though I don’t want to marry him... that jerk deceived me and broke my heart. But I knew deep down that I would agree to marry him I’d agree to anything just to protect my children from my father’s madness.

The long night passed without me tasting a moment of sleep. I sat in the corner of the room, hugging my legs to my chest, trembling every time I heard a sound in the hallway. In the morning, the door burst open and Celine, my stepmother, entered with her daughter Valentina, my half-sister, who was looking at me with clear spite.

"Oh, little whore... didn’t you sleep today?" Celine said, leaning in to scrutinize my pale face. "Look at your pathetic state!"

Valentina laughed mockingly. "I don’t know how that man even agreed to fuck you! He’s way out of your league."

Celine put her hand on her hip. "He certainly wasn’t in his right mind... look at how he threw her at the doorstep like trash."

A lump choked me. I tried to stand up with my exhausted body and said in a hoarse voice, "Get out of here!"

Celine ignored my request, taking another step forward. "Do you know that your father went to the Volkov company to fix the disaster you’ve caused?"

Valentina turned to her mother, her tone filled with jealousy. "Mom... do you think people with that kind of wealth would take Stephanie as a wife for their son?"

I screamed at them, covering my ears, "Stop it... just leave me alone!"

My stepmother shot me a cold look as she headed for the door. "No food for you today... I’ll teach you how to scream in my face!"

She walked out and locked the door with the key, leaving me in a deadly silence.

I threw myself on the bed, my body twitching with stress. I began to think hysterically... Did my father really go? Who will he talk to? Will he meet Cedric’s father? Cedric is still on the island, and Alexander... where is Alexander in all of this? A cold shiver ran through me as I wondered: Would Cedric truly agree to marry me under this threat, or will my father’s actions make me lose my babies forever?

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Cedric’s Point of View

Stress was gnawing at my nerves. All I knew was that I had to get to New York as quickly as possible. As the early morning light broke, I dressed quickly and left the house, which felt completely silent since Isabella had left yesterday.

I got into my car and drove fast toward the helipad, my hand gripping the steering wheel so hard my veins bulged. All the way, my mind spun in a loop: How will I make Stephanie forgive me? My chest tightened at the mere thought. I can never give her up, and I can’t let my children be lost to me.

I made up my mind; I would talk to my grandfather today and tell him plainly that I cannot continue this cursed engagement, no matter the consequences.

When I arrived in New York, I went straight to the company. I stepped out of the car with long, determined strides and went directly up to my grandfather’s office. The secretary rose from behind her desk. "Hello, Mr. Cedric."

"Is my grandfather here?" I asked curtly, my eyes never leaving the office door.

"Mr. Victor has a guest..." she stammered, noticing my stiff features.

I ignored her completely and continued toward the door with non-negotiable steps. I didn’t care about any guests; what I carried in my chest was more important than anyone sitting inside.