Dying To Escape The CEO's Frozen Heart

Tags: Bought Stand-In, Stand-In Awakens, Rebirth and Revenge, Father-Son Estrangement I always knew what I was. A bought substitute, brought in to replace my husband’s true love. I never expected to die so young. Pushed down the stairs by his precious first love, I bled out from losing our second child. The day I ran out, Scott stood in my way with a dark face. "Apologize to Chloe, and I’ll let you come home." I had done nothing wrong. Why should I apologize? I silently shook my head and pulled my hand away from his grip. Later, I was kidnapped. The captors called Scott for ransom. His icy voice came through the speaker. "Maybe giving her a lesson isn't such a bad idea." In the end, my blood pooled into a river. I died in an abandoned stairwell corner of Scott’s private hospital. My four-year-old son, Leo, dropped to his knees, begging his father's true love to save me. Instead, Scott ordered every doctor not to treat me and forbade anyone from transferring me to another hospital. "Your mother is getting clever. Now she's using a child to play the victim." "If you dare disturb Chloe's rest again, I’ll kick your mother out for good. She will never see you again!" I laughed. If you didn't love me, you could have just let me go. Why put me through this torment? You got your wish. Two lives were gone in one stroke. My son’s body turned cold too. We will never see you again, not in this life, not ever... They found me in a dumpster. The kidnappers thought I was already dead. In my haze, I caught fragments of their conversation. "She’s bleeding too much. She won't last long." "Let's go report back." My mind spun. I fought to open my eyes, but I could only feel flies and mosquitoes crawling over my skin. In the blistering June heat, the stench inside the dumpster made it impossible to breathe. When a sliver of daylight pierced through and voices drifted near, I summoned my last ounce of strength to kick the side of the bin. The moment I saw an elderly sanitation worker, the world went black. When I woke up, I was already in a hospital room. "You're awake?" Unfamiliar faces in white coats surrounded me. Finally, I felt a wave of relief. My seven-month-old baby was gone. Both of my wrists were broken, seven ribs were fractured, and my legs were shredded with open gashes. Those would heal, but the severe burns across my back were another story. The doctor asked, "Do you remember any family contact numbers? Someone needs to sign off on your upcoming surgeries." Family? I had none. My parents died when I was in middle school. The Sterling home? Scott had kicked me out. That place had stopped being my home a long time ago. I shook my head. "I'm an orphan." The doctor sighed and reached out— "Ahhh!" My body reacted before my brain could process it. As his hand drew near, I instinctively curled into a ball. Weeks of beatings had taught me that this was the only position that dulled the pain. "Don't be afraid. It’s okay. I'm just checking to see if your fever broke." Agony tore through me, making me tremble violently. I knew he didn't mean any harm. He wasn't one of the kidnappers. But the terror was instinctual. "Don't be scared. You're safe now. I'll protect you. No one is going to hurt you here." I looked into his gentle eyes, completely numb to the promise. Once upon a time, Scott had said the exact same words. He swore he would protect me forever. He swore he would never leave me alone. Yet, he threw me away. Under the kidnappers' blades, I had placed my very last shred of hope on him. And what did he say? "What kind of game are you playing now? Go die, then!" He told me to die. He told us to die—me and our unborn baby! He got what he wanted. The child died. On the twentieth day of my captivity, after he hung up on them yet again, the kidnappers lost all restraint. They used every sick method imaginable to torture me. The baby had only been inside me for a few months. So tiny, so fragile. And then, gone. My body was covered in trauma, and the late-term miscarriage tore my insides apart, leaving me bleeding uncontrollably. I just lay in that hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking of the years I wasted on Scott, and thinking of my little boy, Leo... Dr. Miller came by often to keep me company, reading stories to me. He was probably afraid I might take my own life. At noon one day, the door swung open again. "Dr. Miller, look, I..." The words froze in my throat. Standing right behind Dr. Miller was the last person on earth I ever wanted to see. Scott. My fiancé, the father of my children, the man who threw me out and told me to drop dead."Why haven't you come home?" Scott's face was carved from ice. Ever since Chloe came back, he always looked at me like this. I couldn't remember the last time I saw him smile. "Excuse me, sir. Please lower your voice. The patient cannot handle stress right now," Dr. Miller intervened. Scott frowned, his lips curling into a cold, mocking smirk. "Summer, you really haven't changed at all, have you?" I didn't understand what he meant, but he turned directly to Dr. Miller. "This is between my wife and me. It's none of your business." Dr. Miller’s fists clenched, completely ignoring Scott’s dismissal. "Summer is my patient. It's my job to protect her. Besides, even if you are married, that is no way to treat your wife." Scott’s eyes narrowed. I knew that look. He was furious. "I’ll go back with you. Stop fighting. My head hurts," I whispered. Dr. Miller stepped forward quickly, his face full of concern. "Look at the shape you're in. You can't be discharged!" "Don't worry yourself. My family owns a private hospital. She'll be taken care of." Scott pulled me against him, an act of sheer possessiveness, gripping my bruised shoulder so hard it made me wince. "Dr. Miller, thank you for everything these past few days. I have to go." Dr. Miller said nothing more. He quietly packed my things while Scott stood by the door, watching us like a hawk. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to hear his voice. Everything about him dragged me back into that cellar. That living hell was something I never wanted to relive. Yet, I had to go back. "Do you know Chloe is still in the hospital?" The moment we got into the car, Scott spoke. A bitter laugh choked in my throat. She was the one who pushed me down the stairs, yet she was the one lying in a luxury bed. Chloe was Scott’s pure, untouchable first love. She had rolled down the stairs, and at the time, only she and I were standing there. Such a cliché trap. But Scott bought it completely. Everyone believed her. They demanded that I reflect on my actions. They demanded that I apologize to Chloe. None of them knew what Chloe had put me through in the past. When my parents died, she made sick jokes about their deaths and locked me in the school bathroom. My arms, the back of my neck—I still bore the scars from her cigarette burns. Just because she cried a few crocodile tears, everyone forgave her on my behalf. And I had to smile and wipe her tears, or else I would be labeled the bitter, unreasonable one. Nobody likes an unreasonable orphan. I didn't want to be thrown out on the street. So back then, I had to smile and say, "It's fine." "You want me to apologize, don't you?" "Don't you think you should?" Scott looked disgusted. "I should," I answered quietly. Scott froze, glancing at me in disbelief, as if shocked I gave in so easily. I couldn't even count how many times we had fought over Chloe. What was the point anymore? He used to love her so deeply he would give up everything—his family, his company, his pride. I could never compete with that. I should have realized it years ago. If I had understood sooner, maybe I wouldn't have suffered all this misery. "I've offended Miss Hayes plenty of times. Today, I'll give her a proper apology." Scott stared at me intently. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so quiet today? Are you actually sick?" I shook my head and went silent. He sighed softly and reached over to take my hand. Instinctively, I jerked my arm away, pressing my body tight against the car door, shivering uncontrollably.I tried my best to control it. I thought I wasn't afraid anymore. At the very least, I thought I wouldn't fear Scott. We had been together for eight years. "What is wrong with you?" Scott let out a sneer. "I knew that sweet act was fake. No matter what, you're apologizing to Chloe today." I didn't speak. I cowered against the door, struggling to draw a single breath. Every word he said, every move he made, overlapped with the sickening sneers of those kidnappers. Their cruel laughter, the sound of iron pipes scraping across concrete, the sharp, blinding agony that shattered every bone—it rushed back like an avalanche. I had never truly escaped that cellar. I would never be free of it. "I'm fine. Just tired." "Summer, you're back! Please don't be mad. I already scolded Scott; he won't yell at you again." I looked at Chloe sitting comfortably in the VIP hospital suite, dressed impeccably, her makeup completely flawless. She carried herself like the mistress of the house, smiling with victorious condescension. After speaking, she tossed Scott a playful glare. Scott gave a low chuckle, walked over to her bedside, picked up her pill bottle, and scolded gently, "You skipped your meds just because I wasn't here?" "Just a little longer! It tastes so bitter," Chloe whined, tugging on his sleeve. I stood there, watching the picture-perfect couple. They really were made for each other. Why hadn't I seen it before? Scott, you should have rejected me back then. You shouldn't have said yes when I confessed to you. You shouldn't have promised me forever. Did it never cross your mind that I would actually believe you? And you shouldn't have given me a child. Bringing him into this toxic mess was pure cruelty. Noticing me, Chloe quickly pushed Scott away. "Look at you. Summer finally forgave you and came back. Instead of staying by her side, you ran to see me. You're so thoughtless." She playfully swatted his arm. "Summer, don't be mad. I'll hit him for you." Scott looked at me, a silent reminder of why I was brought here. I stepped slowly in front of Chloe. "Miss Hayes, I crossed the line before. I'm sorry." My voice was calm, completely flat. I caught the subtle smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Fine. I won't fight you for him anymore. You can have him. "I'm exhausted. I'm going home." Scott still held my hand, refusing to let go. I looked at him blankly, motioning for him to release me. Scott glanced at Chloe, then said, "I'll drive you back." "No need. Stay here with Miss Hayes." I pulled my hand from his grip. I didn't look back. For the first time in eight years, I walked away without looking back at Scott. "Mommy! I missed you so much!" Before I could clear the doorway, a small figure squeezed through the crack. Leo threw himself into my arms, sobbing hysterically. My tears spilled over instantly. My poor baby. He was only four years old, yet he had to endure all of this. "You bad woman! You hurt my mommy! I hate you!" Before I could even wrap my arms around him, Leo charged toward Chloe's bed, shoving her off the mattress with all his tiny might."Ah! Scott!" "Chloe!" "Leo!" Chaos instantly erupted in the room. I held Leo tightly to my chest, watching the two of them scramble into each other's arms. The hold a first love has really is unbreakable. But my poor son was just a little boy. "How the hell do you watch him? You did this on purpose!" Scott roared, terrifying Leo into another fit of wailing. "You don't need to go home. You can stay right here in this hospital and wait on Chloe until she's discharged!" Scott spat with absolute venom. He coddled Chloe over a tiny scratch on her hand, completely indifferent to what Leo and I were going through. Even though it was the Sterling Group's private hospital, he deliberately ordered the staff to set up a rickety cot in the corner of the stairwell for me to sleep on. The cold seeped into my bones, and my son, sitting beside me, couldn't stop shivering. Even so, he refused to leave. He clutched my frozen fingers, blowing warm air onto them with his tiny mouth. "Leo will blow on them, Mommy! It'll be warm soon!" Worn down to nothing, I forced a weak smile onto my lips, trying to comfort him. "Mommy isn't cold." But seeing his little hands red, swollen, and cracked from the frost, I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Just a flight of stairs above us was Chloe's luxury suite. She had round-the-clock nurses, private doctors, and a squad of bodyguards and maids hired by Scott. Leo bit his lip, seemingly making a decision. "Mommy, I'll go beg Auntie Chloe. I'll ask Daddy to come save you, okay?" Looking at my sweet, innocent boy, my heart tore into pieces. As mature as he tried to be, he was only four. He couldn't understand that Chloe—the woman who threw me down the stairs and threw herself down right after to frame me—wanted nothing more than to see me dead. Suddenly, a warm gush poured from between my legs. The hemorrhaging had returned. My broken body, starved and freezing on the concrete floor, was finally giving out. My son screamed, "So much blood! Mommy, there's so much blood!" I knew he was running up to Chloe's room. Panic gripped my chest, and I tried desperately to crawl after him, but I didn't have a single ounce of strength left. Between the exhaustion and the blood loss, my vision faded, and I slipped into total darkness. Yet strangely, my consciousness hovered right behind my son. I watched Leo run to Chloe's door. Before he could even knock, a bodyguard kicked him viciously in the chest. "Miss Hayes said no one is allowed to disturb her except Mr. Sterling!" Leo slammed hard onto the floor. Before he could even stand, he scrambled on all fours back to the door. Clenching his tiny fists, he pounded frantically. "Auntie Chloe! Auntie Chloe! Mommy is bleeding so much! Please call the doctor to save Mommy!" To stay by my side, my son, who had grown up in absolute luxury, had starved and frozen for days. His skin was delicate, and his knuckles were already raw. Pounding on the hard wood split them wide open, smearing bloody streaks across the door. I screamed in agony, begging him to stop, desperate to keep him from begging that monster. Leo kept hammering until the door suddenly swung open.