Chapter 1: Liberated
"Ma'am, push harder a bit more. Your child will be born soon–" the doctor's voice sounded not only worried, but also nervous and frightened.
A young woman was seen lying on an operating bed covered in sweat. Her bangs were drenched in sweat, sticking to her face in a mess. Her face was pale and her lips were dry. The woman bit her lower lip as her hands gripped whatever she could reach.
She gathered all the remaining strength in her body.
"Ah–"
The scream was so loud as if it could split the sky, followed by a cry no less loud. After everything was over, the young woman took a deep breath, trying to catch her breath. She looked very exhausted as she slowly closed her eyes, unable to even look at the face of the child she had just given birth to.
His presence made her feel mixed, happy and sad at the same time.
"It's a boy…"
Hearing the doctor's voice, the young woman lying on the bed had a faint smile on her face. After that, her consciousness completely left her.
She was really tired…
At the same time, there was a black sedan stopping on the side of the road, right in front of the hospital. The car stopped right under a tree. A leaf fell and slid past its shiny body before getting into the car through the open window.
"Boss, the child has been born."
In the back passenger seat, there was a man looking out the window. His face was stern and he gave off a cold aura. From his clothes, it was obvious that he was not just anybody.
The person next to the car window immediately opened the door and handed the baby into the man's arms.
The baby immediately burst into tears when it landed in the cold man's arms and his cry was so loud that it made the man frown. His dark brown eyes were full of impatience and confusion when he saw the baby in his arms crying so loudly.
He hugged the baby in a strange way and patted him on the back awkwardly. It was obvious that he had never had a child before…
Maybe he had never even held a baby in his life.
However, those big hands seemed to give warmth to the baby so that it stopped crying in an instant. The tiny baby looked at the man who was holding him with his dark black eyes, and his gaze looked curious…
The man's heart melted at the sight of his adorable face. His normally suspicious eyes warmed and then he said quietly, "Let's go."
After receiving the order, the car started to move, leaving the hospital in silence.
Dust drifted from the tires and crushed leaves on the road— he left without leaving any trace behind.
…
—Five years later, in the middle of summer.
The trees looked barren as if thirsty for raindrops. They all looked dry as they fell one by one because of time.
The road looked dry and hot. Maybe if water dripped on it, it would instantly turn into steam.
In front of the door of a mental hospital, a tall woman walked out of the place with slow steps. Her hair was jet black, flowing down to her waist, as if trying to cover her fragile body.
Isabella, or better known as Ella, had been said to be mad for the past five years.
And today, she finally got a breath of fresh air. She could feel the sun shining brightly, sending warmth all over her body.
She was not bothered even though the sun was scorching hot, as if it wanted to burn her.
Instead, she arched her back and faced the sky, stretched her body that felt very stiff and closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh air that she had not breathed in a long time.
The air behind the hospital doors and outside was the same, but for some reason, Ella felt stuffy when she was inside.
She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't get away.
She felt very depressed.
But now, she was finally free!
"Ella, congratulations on being released from the hospital."
A middle-aged woman with ordinary clothes immediately greeted her when she saw Ella's figure who walked out of the hospital door. Lina had been waiting long enough at the door to welcome her arrival.
Her smile looked so wide and sincere as she greeted Ella with joy.
Lina was not Ella's biological mother, but a nanny who had taken care of her since childhood. However, regardless of what she was called, Ella already considered Lina as her own mother.
It didn't matter even if they didn't share the same blood…
Seeing Lina's presence in that place, Ella's initially dim-looking eyes immediately lit up. Her face looked haggard and thin, but that didn't hide her beauty. She ran to Lina and immediately grabbed the middle-aged woman's hand. Her eyes blinked repeatedly as she asked hastily, "Auntie, did you find my son?"
Five years ago, Isabella Maheswara, the daughter of the Maheswara Family, experienced a mental breakdown after giving birth to a baby. Unfortunately, the baby could not be saved.
At that time Ella was not married and no one knew who the father of the child she was carrying was.
After losing their child, the Maheswara family immediately sent her to a mental hospital.
"Ella, that child…" Lina lowered her head to hide the sadness in her eyes and peered at Ella anxiously.
"My child… is gone?" Ella was silent for a moment and then laughed.
Had she really gone mad?
Everyone said the baby died at birth, but she heard the sound of the child's cry. She heard the baby's loud cry, so loud that she kept dreaming of his voice every night in her sleep.
How could everyone say that her child was dead?
"They don't want to let go of me and they don't want to let go of my son either?" Ella asked in a sarcastic voice.
Her lips formed a sinister smile. The hatred in her heart seemed to burst out of her chest. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"Ella, you must tell your father who the father of the child is. Maybe your father will forgive you."
Seeing Ella's face, Lina felt that the woman in front of her was not the daughter she had taken care of since childhood. Ella was no longer the plain and loving Isabella she had been five years ago.
The current Ella… looked like a stranger to Lina's eyes…
If only Ella had not been so harsh on her father five years ago, perhaps this problem would not have happened. Ella, who was trying hard to protect the child she carried, did not want to tell who the father of the child was.
This made his father so angry that he kicked her out and didn't think of her anymore.
Ella thought at the question as if it were the funniest joke she had heard in the last five years.
Should she apologize? For what?
Who cares about what really happened five years ago!
Ella's life was nothing more than a joke in the eyes of her family.
None of this would've happened if it weren't for the work of her stepmother and stepsister.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone