He Buried Me Alive, So I Made Sure He Never Saw Tomorrow

I was thirty-seven weeks pregnant when my body stopped giving me the luxury of time.

The contractions crashed into me one after another, brutal enough to steal the air from my lungs. I clutched the sleeve of my husbands coat so tightly my fingers cramped.

Dan I choked out, fighting another wave of pain. Please take me to the hospital. Somethings wrong.

Dante Valcourtthe perfect heir to the Valcourt empire. Cold-blooded. Untouchable. The man I had foolishly believed I could love into becoming gentle.

He didnt even raise his head. His attention stayed fixed on the screen in his hand.

Auroras in labor, he said casually. Shes already being transferred to the private clinic.

A sharp pain twisted through my stomach so violently I nearly collapsed.

Im having contractions too, I whispered, trembling. Please Im bleeding

That finally got his attention.

His eyes lifted to mine before a humorless laugh escaped him. Unbelievable. You really cant stand not being the center of attention, can you?

Before I could explain, he seized my wrist and dragged me through the back corridors of the warehouse. The deeper we went, the colder the concrete walls became. This was one of the Valcourts hidden propertiesthe kind used for things better left unseen.

Weapons. Interrogations. Corpses.

He stopped in front of a thick steel door and shoved it open.

Heat slammed into me instantly.

Nowait

The boiler room felt like walking straight into an oven. The air was suffocating, dry enough to burn my throat with every breath. Sweat immediately coated my skin while another contraction nearly tore a scream from my chest.

Dante My voice cracked. Please dont leave me here. Youre going to kill our baby.

He forced me farther inside, expression hard as stone.

Do you honestly think Im stupid? he said quietly. You timed this on purpose. You want your child to become the first grandchild of the Valcourt family so you can secure your place before Aurora does.

My knees buckled beneath me.

Thats not true, I sobbed desperately. I dont care about the inheritance. I dont want the money. Ill leave if thats what you wantjust please, please save my baby.

I wrapped both arms around his leg, shaking uncontrollably.

Geo Im begging you. Please. Dont do this to us.

He looked down at me with disgust before jerking himself free.

You keep pretending youre innocent, he muttered. Its pathetic.

His gaze darkened.

If Aurora delivers first, then maybe Ill believe you werent trying to manipulate me.

Then he walked out.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Panic exploded inside me.

I stumbled toward the exit and clawed at the handle with slippery hands, but it wouldnt move. Another contraction ripped through my body, stronger this time, and warm fluid ran down my legs.

The baby was coming.

The pain became unbearable, hot and blinding, each wave stronger than the last. My vision swam as I pounded desperately against the metal door.

Dante! I screamed. Please! I cant do this in here!

My voice echoed uselessly around the room.

Then footsteps approached from outside.

Hope surged through me so suddenly it hurt.

Geo I cried weakly. Please if theres any kindness left in you

I screamed for help until my throat felt torn raw.

Someone help me! Please! Im locked inside!

The machinery drowned out half my voice, the constant roar vibrating through the walls and floor alike.

Then another voice answered.

Well, she said lightly, isnt this pathetic?

Helena Valcourt.

Dantes mother.

The same woman who smiled sweetly at family dinners while treating me like something temporary.

Mrs. Valcourt, I pleaded, barely able to breathe through the contractions. Please open the door. The babys coming.

A sharp bang rattled the metal as she kicked the door from the other side.

Oh, stop the dramatics, she snapped. Do you really think Id ruin Auroras moment because of one of your little performances?

Another contraction struck, forcing a scream out of me as I crumpled onto the scorching floor.

Our family fortune belongs to blood, she continued coldly. Not to some woman who married into the name and thought a baby would make her important.

Tears blurred my vision.

I dont want any of it, I cried. I swear Ill disappear. Just please dont let my child die here.

Silence answered me for a moment.

Then she sighed irritably.

Youre exhausting.

Her voice turned colder.

And if you keep screaming like that, Ill make sure nobody hears you again.

I heard her dialing someone.

The heat kept building around me, relentless and merciless. My clothes clung to my skin, soaked through with sweat. Every breath burned. Every contraction felt like my body was being ripped apart from the inside.

Then I heard him.

Shes staying there, Dante said through the door. Dont let her out.

Something inside me shattered hearing his voice again.

I slammed my fist weakly against the metal.

Dante! I sobbed. This isnt fake! Pleasetell her to help me!

Pain cut off the rest of my words.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

Then Helenas voice came again, quieter this time.

Geo she sounds serious, she admitted uneasily. What if something really happens? Thats still your child.

My heart pounded painfully.

I pressed myself against the burning door, waiting.

When Dante finally answered, his voice had softened slightly, hesitant for the first time all night.

Fine, he said slowly. Take her to the

Another woman interrupted him immediately.

Geo, she whined softly with a laugh in her voice, Im starving. The doctor said I should eat before delivery.

Aurora.

She kept talking, bright and amused, completely untouched by what was happening to me.

Is she still crying over there? Aurora laughed lightly. Childbirth doesnt even hurt that much. Honestly, I feel perfectly fine. I could probably walk around the room if I wanted to. Aria is just trying to get attention again.

Something inside my chest caved in.

Of course Aurora wasnt suffering.

She was resting in a luxurious private suite, wrapped in soft blankets while armed guards stood outside her door. Doctors catered to her every need. Nurses hovered nearby, smiling politely, treating her like she belonged on a throne.

Meanwhile, I was sprawled across a filthy concrete floor, bleeding in a heater room like broken machinery nobody cared enough to fix.

Dante let out a quiet breath, the familiar one he always gave whenever Aurora spoke, like hearing her voice settled something inside him.

You hear that? he said dismissively to his mother. Auroras completely fine. Aria just loves making everything dramatic.

The moment Aurora interrupted, his choice was already made. It had always been her.

Any trace of hesitation disappeared from his voice.

Seriously, Mom, use your head, he snapped impatiently. Nothings going to happen to Aria. Shed never actually put herself in danger. This whole thing is just another stunt because she wants sympathy.

The words hit harder than the contractions.

Shes pretending so youll let her out, he continued coldly. Dont let her manipulate you.

Then the call ended.

Just like that, I was discarded.

Helena remained outside for a moment. I could hear her breathing through the door, sharp and irritated.

Then she laughed.

Gentle. Elegant. Cruel.

Well, she murmured, look what youve done. My son raised his voice at me because of you.

The heat in the room kept climbing, thick enough to suffocate. Sweat blurred my vision while the roar of the machines vibrated through the walls around me.

Then she stepped closer.

My stomach dropped the moment I saw what she was holding.

Curled lazily in her arms was her monitor lizard, pale-scaled and unnervingly beautiful beneath the orange glow of the heaters. She stroked it affectionately like it was something precious.

You enjoy causing scenes so much, she said softly. Maybe this will finally give you a real reason to scream.

Before I could move away, she tossed it at me.

I shrieked as the creature landed heavily against my chest, claws digging into my skin while its body wrapped around my arm with horrifying ease. Its scales felt icy against my overheated flesh.

Panic exploded inside me.

I tried to throw it off, but my body was too weak, my movements clumsy from the contractions tearing through me. My hands instinctively shielded my stomach instead.

The lizard snapped suddenly.

Agony burst through my arm.

I cried out, recoiling violently as blood welled from the bite. Terror rooted me in place after that. I couldnt even force myself to touch it again.

I curled around my stomach on the floor, protecting my baby the only way I still could.

Tears streamed into my hairline and down my neck, mixing with sweat. I was trembling so hard my teeth rattled.

The pain kept spreadingthrough my abdomen, my back, my ribsuntil it felt like my entire body was splitting apart from the inside.

Then the lizard bit me again.

And again.

Sharp. Intentional.

The room blurred around me.

Heat. Fear. Pain. Everything melted together until I couldnt separate one from the other anymore.

For a brief second, I thought I saw light somewhere far away. Soft and warm. Peaceful.

Then a whistle sliced through the haze.

The monitor lizard immediately released me and slithered away obediently.

Helena crouched beside me, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and slammed my face against the scorching metal floor hard enough to make my vision flash white.

You disgusting little liar, she hissed. What happened to all that screaming earlier?

I couldnt answer her. My body barely responded anymore.

She clicked her tongue in disgust.

What is it now? she mocked. Finally realized Dante isnt coming to save you?

She straightened with a dramatic sigh, as if my suffering was inconveniencing her.

Youve always been selfish, she muttered. Youd never willingly endure real pain.

Then her eyes shifted toward the lizard.

Blood stained parts of its pale scales.

Her expression twisted instantly.

Without warning, she drove her foot into my stomach.

Pain detonated through me.

My entire body arched off the floor as a scream tore from my throat.

You idiot! she shrieked furiously. You hurt my baby!

She pointed at the lizard with shaking hands.

If anything happens to her because of you, Ill personally make sure Dante throws you out for good. Aurora is the woman he actually wants. You were never anything but an obstacle.

Then she leaned down close enough for me to feel her breath against my ear.

And dont get any ideas about keeping that child, she whispered viciously. A woman like you doesnt deserve to be a mother.

She stood, turned the heater dial higher, and the machines roared louder instantly.

The room became unbearable.

The air thickened until every breath felt like inhaling fire.

Then she walked out and slammed the door shut behind her.

Not long after, my body started shaking uncontrollably.

Violent tremors wracked through me as consciousness slipped in and out like a tide.

Somewhere through the haze, I heard crying.

A baby crying.

Mommy

The sound came again, faint and distant.

Mommy

I broke apart completely.

Sobbing against the burning floor, I apologized over and over to the child I hadnt even gotten the chance to hold.

I had been so close.

Today should have been the day I met my baby.

Why did it end like this?

What kind of family destroyed its own blood so easily?

I screamed until no sound was left in my throat.

Not loud screams anymore. Just broken noises dragged out by despair. The kind someone makes after realizing nobody is coming.

The contractions became unbearable, worsened by the scorching heat beneath my body. My skin felt burned raw against the metal floor. Sweat stung my eyes while pain twisted through my stomach relentlessly.

With trembling fingers, I cradled my belly gently.

Im sorry, I whispered weakly. I tried so hard.

If another life existed after this one, I prayed my child would never choose me as a mother again.

I hoped theyd find parents who truly loved each other.

A father who wouldnt abandon the mother of his child in a room built to suffocate her.

My breathing turned shallow.

Each inhale felt heavier than the last, the heat slowing my blood until it felt thick inside my veins.

Then

A sharp click echoed.

Light poured into the room.

The heater room door swung open.

A man stood frozen at the entrance, staring at me lying there in blood, sweat, and exhaustion like something already half dead.

Using the last bit of strength left in me, I dragged myself forward across the floor, nails scraping weakly against the metal.

H-help I rasped.

The man recoiled the second he saw me properly, horror draining the color from his face.

Holy shit His voice cracked. Who are you? What the hell did you do for Mr. Valcourt to punish you like this?

Even half-dead on the floor, I could still hear the judgment in his voice.

My lips shook as I forced the words out.

Im I swallowed painfully. Dantes wife.

I lifted a trembling hand toward him. Blood streaked across the metal beneath my fingers.

The diamond ring on my hand caught the light weakly.

Dante had designed it himself once upon a time. Rare. Expensive. Supposedly irreplaceable.

Now it looked lifeless.

Just like me.

H-he gave me this, I whispered faintly. It was custom made

The mans expression changed instantly.

His face lost all color.

Stay here, he muttered quickly.

He helped me lean against the wall before pulling out his phone with visibly shaking hands.

Boss, he said cautiously after the line connected. I was checking the storage area and found your wife locked in the heater room. Shes in pretty bad shape. Shes bleeding heavily. Should I get an ambulance?

Silence answered first.

Then Dante spoke.

Cold. Detached.

Bleeding from what? he said flatly. Did she do something to Helenas lizard? That reptile means more to Helena than most people.

My chest tightened so painfully I thought I might stop breathing altogether.

Then his tone hardened further.

Leave her there, he ordered. Shes putting on a performance. Ill handle her myself later.

The line disconnected immediately afterward.

The man stared at his phone for several seconds before looking back at me.

I already knew what he was thinking.

Nobody crossed the Valcourts.

Fear always won in the end.

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

I closed my eyes slowly.

So this was how it ended.

But a few minutes later, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway again.

The same man returned, tension carved deep into his face.

My wifes pregnant too, he said quietly, almost like he was confessing something to himself. If I abandoned you here I wouldnt be able to live with myself afterward.

Before I could respond, he bent down and carefully lifted me into his arms.

He wrapped his jacket around my shoulders and called emergency services while trying unsuccessfully to steady his trembling hands.

When the sound of sirens finally reached me, I nearly cried from relief.

I was still alive.

Barely, but alive.

That feeling didnt last long.

The second we reached the hospital, reality hit me all over again.

No delivery room was available.

No surgical suite.

No emergency equipment.

Nothing.

The entire hospital had already been claimed by the Valcourt family.

Because Aurora was giving birth.

Terrified that something might go wrong during her delivery, Dante had used the familys influence to quietly reserve every important unit in the hospital. Every operating room. Every specialist. Every emergency machine.

There was nothing left for anyone else.

One glance at my condition was enough for the doctor to understand.

If I stayed there much longer, both my baby and I would die.

The doctor grabbed my phone from beside me, scrolling quickly through my contacts before stopping at the name labeled My Hubby.

She called him immediately while nurses rushed around trying to stabilize me.

This is the attending physician, she said urgently the moment Dante answered. Your wife is in critical condition. She needs immediate intervention or we may lose both mother and child. You need to come here now.

Dante sounded more annoyed than concerned.

So you actually made it out? he said coldly. Now youre bribing doctors to lie for you too?

He didnt even let the doctor finish speaking.

Im not wasting my time coming over, he continued. I know Aria better than anyone. Shes fine. Tell her to stop humiliating herself.

Then he hung up.

The doctor slowly lowered the phone.

For a moment, she simply looked at me with helpless eyes before turning away to instruct another nurse to arrange a transfer.

There was nothing else she could do there.

When I realized where they intended to send me, a weak laugh almost escaped my throat.

Auroras hospital.

Even after everything, my life still revolved around her.

The doctor attempted one final conversation with Dante outside the room. I could hear every word through the thin walls.

I dont care who needs treatment, Dante said flatly. Aurora comes before anyone else. Im not risking her safety.

Something inside me finally went numb.

My legs gave out and I slid weakly against the wall.

That was when I noticed someone standing farther down the hallway.

Dantes secretary.

He stared at me in shock, like he couldnt believe what he was seeing.

After hesitating briefly, he hurried toward Dantes office.

Sir, he said carefully, theres a woman outside covered in blood. She looks pregnant. I think I think it might be Mrs. Valcourt.

Dante never even looked up.

Thats impossible, he replied immediately. She wouldnt make it here in that condition.

The secretary lowered his voice uneasily.

Maybe you should still check, sir. Just in case it really is her

Dantes expression turned icy.

If Aria were here, he said coldly, shed already be screaming for attention or money. Shed never let herself look pathetic.

The doctor continued arguing with him until Dante finally threatened to ruin her career entirely.

A few minutes later, she returned to me with apology written all over her face.

Theres nothing more I can do, she said softly.

But for the first time that night, I wasnt trapped behind a locked steel door.

As long as I still had breath left in me, I refused to die there.

One hand cradled my stomach protectively while the other reached for the doctors phone.

My fingers shook violently as I dialed a number I had promised myself never to call again.

The line rang once.

Twice.

Then someone answered.

Dad My voice broke instantly. Please help me. Ill listen to you this time. I swear.

He didnt question me. Not once. He didnt ask for explanations or details.

All he said was, Where are you?

And the moment I heard his voice, something inside me finally broke.

I lost it right there.

Fifteen minutes later, the sky above the building split with the roar of helicopter blades. A private chopper descended onto the rooftop, its doors already sliding open before it fully settled. A team of doctors rushed out, calm-faced and precise, moving like every second had already been accounted for.

They got to me quickly and lifted me aboard.

Inside, it wasnt just a helicopterit was a full medical unit. Bright lights, monitors, equipment already running, everything prepared like a moving operating room.

For the first time since I became part of the Valcourt family, I allowed myself to believe I might actually make it out alive.

The doctors worked without hesitation, their hands steady as they operated, cutting through the tensionand through my bodywhile pain still lanced through me despite the anesthesia.

Everything around me started to blur.

Minutes or hours, I couldnt tell anymore.

Then I heard it.

A doctor let out a breath. Shes out.

I waited.

I waited for crying. For movement. For anything.

But there was nothing.

Silence.

My heart dropped so violently it felt like Id been struck. My voice barely came out through my tears.

Is my baby alive?

One of the doctors gently pressed me back down. We cant say shes stable. We need immediate transfer to the island facility. Thats the only chance.

I nodded faintly, too exhausted, too empty to argue. My body trembled from everything it had endured, like it no longer knew how to stop shaking.

As the helicopter lifted higher into the sky, I reached weakly for my fathers aide beside me.

Dante I whispered. Hell come after us, wont he?

His grip on my hand was steady, reassuring. Relax. Your father has already handled everything.

I wanted to believe that.

I really did.

That was when I saw him.

Dante Valcourt stood outside the operating area like a shadow carved into the hallway, eyes sharp and scanning everything like nothing could escape him. He didnt even flinch when the doors opened.

His first words were already waiting, cold and mocking.

So Auroras fine, right? Cant have anything happening to my little princess.

He walked in without hesitation, lifted her into his arms, and held her close like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. A satisfied smile crossed his face.

There you are, sweetheart, he murmured. Perfect as always. Just like your mother. Not like the rest.

His gaze darkened slightly as he looked away, his voice turning amused and sharp.

Too bad the other one couldnt keep up.

He chuckled under his breath. I wonder what Arias child wouldve even looked like. Probably fragile like her. A shameborn to someone who couldnt even survive a heater room.

After a moment, he gently settled the baby back and straightened his coat, already shifting his attention elsewhere. His mind had moved on as if nothing else mattered.

Tomorrow, he would deal with the rest.

That was when his secretary appeared at the edge of the corridor, frozen stiff, as if afraid to breathe. Dante tossed him the car keys without even looking.

Go, he ordered flatly. Bring my wife and the child. I dont want delays.

The secretary didnt move.

Fear had locked him in place.

Dantes expression sharpened. What now? Youre scared to take a step? Dont tell me youre going to disappoint me too.

The secretary finally forced the words out, his voice breaking under the weight of it. Sir Mrs. Valcourt and the baby they didnt make it.

A pause.

Then Dante laughed.

Low. Cold. Disbelieving.

Thats your report? he said with a faint smirk. What is this, some kind of joke? Even she cant manage to do something properly?

But the secretarys face crumpled.

Boss he choked out, holding out the file with shaking hands. Its confirmed. Theyre dead.