The Tenth Abortion

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Because I accidentally stained the dress of my husband's childhood friend, Nina, he forced me to have ten abortions.

To appease Nina, he made me get pregnant and abort, again and again. On the tenth time, I begged him, my voice cracking.

Luke, please, I'm begging you. It's been nine times. This is your child, too!

Luke looked down at me, his tone as charitable as if he were tossing a coin to a beggar. "I promised Nina I'd punish you ten times. This is the last one. Just bear with it. I'll let you keep the next one."

I closed my eyes in despair, surrendering to the cold, sterile instruments as they stole the life from my womb once more.

Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind: [Rebound System activated for host. All damage received will be reflected back upon the perpetrator.]

I opened my eyes to a world of blinding white, the familiar, sharp scent of antiseptic filling my senses.

Surprisingly, Luke was sitting by my bed, his expression a blank mask.

"Scarlett, ten punishments. You should have learned your lesson by now. Be more careful next time. Don't upset Nina over something so trivial."

"Nina's coming to see you later," he continued, his voice casual, as if the ten punishments were as simple as a child being told to write lines. "Don't you dare give her a sour face. Apologize properly, and we can put this behind us."

But I was the one who had felt the searing pain of my flesh being torn apart ten times.

Three years of suppressed grief and indignation surged through me, and my eyes instantly reddened.

"I've told you a hundred times, she walked into my wine glass. She framed me on purpose! I did nothing wrong. What gives you the right to take away my chance to be a mother, again and again?"

Luke's face darkened, his voice turning to ice. "That's enough, Scarlett! I've seen the security footage. You deliberately tried to embarrass her. And now you're trying to slander her? You will apologize to Nina today."

Before I could argue, the door opened and Nina walked in.

She looked at Luke with a wounded expression. "Luke, maybe we should just forget it. Scarlett seems so unwilling. It's okay if I'm a little upset, I don't want to cause trouble between you two."

Lukes gaze softened as he looked at her, his voice sickeningly sweet. "How could I do that? It breaks my heart to see you upset. Don't worry, I'll make sure she apologizes to you today."

He turned back to me, his eyes cold. "You should learn from Nina. She's so much more understanding. If you don't want another punishment, you'll apologize to her right now."

It was always like this. Forcing me to apologize to Nina right after an abortion.

Even when the security footage had obvious gaps, even when I saw a flicker of doubt in his own eyes, he always chose to believe Nina.

When I refused to apologize, he would ignore my fragile state and force himself on me in that very hospital bed.

And I, like a fool, believed each time would be the last. I would feel a flicker of joy with each new pregnancy, only to have it crushed into despair.

This time, I didn't scream or fight like before. I turned my head away, my silence a wall of defiance.

I could hear the anger in Luke's breathing. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"Scarlett, don't test my patience. Apologize to Nina now, or you won't like the consequences."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "And if I don't?"

His grip tightened, his voice merciless. "It seems the punishments haven't been enough. If you insist on being stubborn, I don't mind making you lose the chance to be a mother one more time."

My body tensed instinctively. My eyes blazed with fury as I stared him down. "Luke Anderson, you wouldn't dare."

He smiled, a chilling, predatory grin. "Dare? I've dared many times before. And you seem to enjoy it, don't you?"

His hand moved to the waistband of my hospital pants, pulling them down.

A wave of goosebumps erupted over my skin.

I pressed my hands against him, my voice a raw scream. "Luke, what do you think you're doing? I'm still bleeding! You can't do this to me, I'll get an infection!"

The violent movement tore the IV needle from my vein. Blood streamed down the back of my hand, pooling on the floor.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Nina tugged on his sleeve, her voice a pathetic whimper. "Luke, don't force her. She's a lady of high society, she can't be treated this way. Unlike me, I'm just a nobody. I can't say a word even when I'm publicly humiliated..."

Luke's face grew even darker. "High society? Can't be treated this way? I'll show her what real humiliation is today!"

With a savage tug, he ripped my pants down.

The cold air hit my exposed skin. I trembled violently, a tidal wave of shame crashing over me.

I fought back, gathering all my strength and slapping him hard across the face.

"You animal!"

The blow stunned him. His face contorted with rage, and he grabbed my collar, shoving me back.

My body fell like a leaf, my head smashing against the corner of the bedside cabinet. A sticky, red liquid instantly blinded me.

Luke froze, reaching out to help me, but Nina let out a piercing shriek.

"Luke, I'm getting dizzy... the blood..."

Luke paused for only a moment before sweeping Nina into his arms. He opened his mouth to say something to me, but the door swung open.

"What is going on in here?"

A nurse rushed in. Seeing my blood-covered face, she immediately started to staunch the bleeding.

She shot a disapproving glare at Luke, who was still holding Nina.

"The patient just had a termination procedure. She needs to rest. How could you, her husband, let her get hurt? If you're not here to care for her, then please leave immediately and don't disturb her recovery!"

Luke looked embarrassed, his eyes flickering towards me with a complex expression.

But I refused to meet his gaze, sitting silently as the nurse cleaned and bandaged my wound.

Lukes expression hardened. He turned and left, his arm still around Nina.

The nurse scowled at their retreating backs before turning to me. "If you don't want kids, use protection. Even a body made of iron couldn't withstand this many abortions. The doctor said you're at high risk for habitual miscarriages now."

I said nothing. The dream of motherhood was already dead to me.

Seeing my silence, the nurse sighed. "I know this might sound harsh, but with a husband that irresponsible, why don't you just divorce him?"

Her question was a needle piercing my heart, sending out a thousand tiny splinters of pain.

Luke and I met in college. When we started our business, we lived in a basement apartment, eating discarded vegetables we picked up from the market. To secure one deal, I debased myself by walking a client's dog, cleaning his toilet like a janitor. We couldn't afford staff, so we were our own delivery drivers. I, weighing less than a hundred pounds, would haul hundred-pound crates, the weight digging bloody welts into my shoulders. I was once forced to drink so much with a client that I fell into a coma from alcohol poisoning for three days and nights.

Ten years. We built a company from a few hundred thousand to a publicly traded corporation worth over a hundred million. We had been through so much together.

I had tried to divorce him. But our lives were too deeply entangled. Every time, he would cry and beg like a guilty child. He even used his connections to sideline me from the company while I was recovering. If I insisted on a divorce, I would leave with nothing.

Time and again, my heart would soften. I would compromise, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.

I told myself I didn't leave because of the assets. But a voice deep inside screamed the truth: I couldn't let go of the love I still had for him.

Ten times, Luke. You've finally exhausted every last drop of my love.

My thoughts were interrupted as another nurse pushed the door open.

"Scarlett, was that your husband who just left this room? A chandelier just fell and smashed a huge hole in his head. You should go check on him."

The nurse who had bandaged me smirked. "Serves him right. That's karma for you!"

I was stunned. The system's cheerful voice rang in my ear: [Congratulations, Host. Damage rebound successful. Please proceed to the next unlock.]

I shot up from the bed, a laugh bubbling up from my chest. "Go? Of course, I'm going."

When I reached the emergency room, a doctor was cleaning Luke's wound. His face and body were covered in blood. Nina sat beside him, her own face splattered with blood, looking pale and terrified.

Our eyes met through the glass doors of the ER.

The panic in his eyes vanished, replaced by an unreadable emotion.

I stared at him, not moving, not speaking.

I simply mouthed two words: "Karma."

Then, ignoring the fury blooming on his face, I turned and walked away.

I discharged myself that afternoon and went home alone.

As I was about to get into the elevator from the underground garage, a hand clamped over my mouth and nose. A sharp, chemical smell filled my lungs, and I blacked out.

When I woke up, I was in a sauna.

Through the transparent glass wall, a group of spoiled trust-fund kids were watching me with amusement.

Luke, his head wrapped in thick gauze, had his arm around Nina's waist. He was smiling at me.

"You said it was karma? Today, I'll show you what real karma is."

My heart sank. I grabbed my phone to call the police, but the line was dead.

The men outside burst into laughter.

"Scarlett, are you an idiot? Did you really think we'd let you call for help? We jammed the signal."

"That's right. How dare you talk back to Luke? Didn't expect karma to come for you so quickly, did you?"

"This is the best-insulated sauna in the city. It can be 100 degrees inside, and you won't feel a thing out here. Luke said if you don't behave today, we get to control the temperature!"

My blood ran cold. I saw the thermostat: a glaring red 70 degrees Celsius. I stumbled to my feet and pounded on the glass.

"Luke, let me out! I just had surgery! I'm weak, I can't take this heat!"

A smug smile played on Luke's lips. He pulled a blushing Nina closer. He walked to the window, tracing the outline of my pale face on the glass with his fingertip.

"Scarlett, it's been three years. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

My thin blouse was already soaked with sweat. The suffocating heat made it hard to breathe. "Luke, it's been three years. Haven't you tortured me enough? Have you forgotten what you promised me?"

Luke's expression froze, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

A long time ago, we'd had a child. But due to long-term malnutrition and overwork, I miscarried. Luke had held me then, crying with a helplessness I'd never seen before.

"Scarlett, I'm so sorry. You've suffered so much with me. We won't have kids for now. I promise, when we're better off, I'll make you the happiest mother in the world."

Because I was allergic to latex, he'd even gotten a vasectomy. He said he never wanted my body to suffer any harm.

And yet, for Nina's baseless accusation, he had used the one thing I wanted most in the world to destroy me completely.

Luke glanced at the locked door, about to take a step.

Nina's eyes welled up with tears. "Luke, just let her out. It all happened three years ago. It was humiliating, but I got over it..."

Humiliating?

It was just a splash of red wine. And that night, Nina had been wearing a burgundy dress. You couldn't even see the stain unless you were looking for it. No one even mentioned it. What humiliation?

I was about to repeat the explanation I'd given for three years, but Luke's face contorted with rage. His voice seemed to burn right through the glass.

"Strip her! Let's show her what real humiliation is!"

He cupped Nina's face, gently kissing away her tears. The look he gave me was hard as stone.

"Turn the temperature up to 80. Add more water. If she doesn't admit she's wrong, turn it up to 90. Don't let her use being weak as an excuse. I asked the doctor. It won't kill her."

He held Nina in his arms, watching as if it were a movie as several men entered the sauna to tear off my clothes.

I fought desperately, clutching my shirt.

"Luke!" I screamed at the window. "Make them stop! This is illegal!"

RIIIP.

My shirt was torn to shreds. A wave of intense heat and shame washed over me.

The men laughingly poured water over the hot stones. Billows of steam filled the small room, clogging my nose and mouth.

Sweat poured off me, soaking the floor. I gasped for air, each breath drawing the scorching heat deep into my lungs. The metal necklace I wore felt like a branding iron against my skin.

My strength gave out. I collapsed to the floor, on the verge of passing out.

One of the trust-fund kids looked worriedly at Luke. "Hey, Luke, I think she's had enough. We don't want to actually kill her."

Nina peered through the steam. "Scarlett, just apologize. Otherwise, Luke will lose face."

With my last ounce of strength, I forced a single word from my lips: "Never."

Luke sneered and tossed a card on the table. "One million. Turn it up to 100 degrees. She can come out when she apologizes."

The sudden spike in temperature felt like being thrown into a furnace. My entire body was on fire. I couldn't breathe.

System! I screamed in my head. Where the hell are you?

The system's voice trembled slightly. [I'm here. Right on time.]