The Devil Who Claimed Me

A few peaceful months passed, and Mila’s due date drew closer. She spent most of her time resting at home.

That afternoon, while she was lying in bed, someone knocked on her bedroom door.

"Miss, Mr. Vega wants to see you."

The maid’s anxious voice came from the other side.

"What?" Mila slowly sat up, frowning.

Ever since she had returned home, she hadn’t heard anything about Leonard. She had assumed those troublemakers had finally left her alone. But now he had suddenly appeared.

Why? Why now?

After a moment’s hesitation, Mila climbed out of bed and opened the door.

The maid looked worried. "I tried to stop him, but he insisted on seeing you."

She bit her lip before adding softly, "Miss... he doesn’t look well. I think you should speak with him."

Mila frowned deeper and walked downstairs.

As she entered the living room, she found Leonard standing silently in the middle of the hall.

He looked far older than his actual age. His once neatly combed hair had turned almost completely gray. His shoulders sagged, and his back was slightly hunched.

He looked utterly disheveled.

Mila stared at him in a daze. She had always remembered him as a dignified man who dressed impeccably and took pride in his appearance. But the man standing before her now barely resembled the one in her memories.

His clothes were torn in several places. Dirt stained his shirt. The arrogant, prideful man she once knew had been reduced to someone pitiful.

"Mila..." Leonard’s weary eyes brightened. "I knew you’d see me. I knew you wouldn’t leave me to suffer."

He stepped toward her.

Instinctively, Mila took a step back.

Leonard froze. The smile on his face disappeared.

"We are in trouble," he said hoarsely. "Camilla is seriously ill. She has been diagnosed with kidney failure. She needs a transplant. If she doesn’t get one," his voice trembled, "she won’t survive."

He looked at her pleadingly. "Please help us."

"What?" Mila scoffed. "You need money?"

A mocking smile spread across her face.

"Years ago, you stole my mother’s shares and embezzled company funds. I thought you had more than enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

She folded her arms. "And now you are standing here, begging me?"

She tilted her head. "You never cared whether I lived or died. You wanted everything that belonged to me. Now that you have run out of options, you suddenly remember I exist?"

Her eyes turned icy. "What makes you think I’d help you?"

"We really have no choice," Leonard said desperately. "If we did, I would never have come here. Camilla’s condition is getting worse. I can’t afford her treatment anymore."

For a fleeting moment, Mila felt a trace of sympathy. But it disappeared just as quickly.

She hadn’t forgotten how Camilla and Bianca had treated her. She hadn’t forgiven them for the years of abuse they had inflicted upon her, nor could she ever forget the suffering her own mother endured after discovering Leonard’s affair with Camilla.

Every bit of sympathy vanished. Coldness settled over her face.

"Why should I care about her?" she asked quietly. "She destroyed my family. She stole my mother’s husband."

Her voice gradually hardened. "My mother lost everything because of her. She became so devastated that she fell seriously ill."

Her glare turned razor-sharp. "And what did you do? You divorced her. When she was suffering, when she needed you the most, you weren’t there."

Her voice cracked with anger. "You didn’t even visit her before she died."

She stared straight into his eyes. "And now you expect me to help you? Why should I?"

A flicker of irritation crossed Leonard’s face. "Camilla raised you for years," he snapped. "Don’t you feel anything for her?"

"She is not my mother," Mila shot back without hesitation. "She never was. She never tried to be. All she ever did was make my life miserable."

"The past is over," Leonard argued desperately. "Camilla is dying. Are you really going to keep holding on to your hatred?"

Mila sighed, already exhausted by the conversation. "I’ve already let go of the past."

She turned away. "You and your family have nothing to do with me anymore. You should leave."

She had barely taken a step when Leonard shouted behind her.

"How can you be so heartless? I am your father. I’ve been suffering every single day. Don’t you have any sympathy?"

Mila turned slowly. "Father?"

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Now you remember you are my father?"

Her eyes filled with bitterness. "Where were you when Bianca bullied me? Where were you when Camilla punished me for things I never did? I begged you to believe me. I told you everything. But you never listened. You never believed me."

Every word struck Leonard like a hammer. For the first time in years, genuine guilt twisted painfully inside his chest.

He had always known Camilla and Bianca mistreated Mila. He had simply chosen to ignore it.

Time and time again, he chose Camilla over his own daughter. He convinced himself Mila would be fine.

Eventually, it became second nature. He stopped listening to Mila altogether.

Whatever Camilla or Bianca said became the truth in his eyes. He never realized he was pushing his daughter farther away with every passing day.

Ashamed, Leonard lowered his head. He had failed her for years. Yet now he shamelessly expected her to save the woman who had ruined her childhood.

His regret deepened as Mila continued, "Even now, you haven’t asked how I’m doing. You don’t care whether I’m happy. You don’t care whether I’m healthy. All you care about is getting money from me."

Leonard slowly lifted his head. His lips parted. But no words came out.

"It’s not surprising anymore," Mila continued. "I stopped expecting anything from you a long time ago."

She looked at him with complete indifference.

"You stopped being my father the day you abandoned my mother and chose Camilla."

Leonard closed his eyes. The humiliation burned. But desperation outweighed his pride. He still needed the money.

"I know I hurt you," he said quietly. "I know you hate me. But I’m begging you... I really need the money."

He looked at her hopefully. "You are a doctor. Saving lives is your responsibility. How can you stand by and watch someone die without getting treatment?"

Mila let out a slow breath. "People die."

Her expression remained cold. "Not everyone can be saved."

"Mila," Leonard exploded. "You are not only ungrateful, but you are heartless, too. You were just a child when your mother died. It was Camilla who raised you. I admit she was strict. But she was still your mother. How dare you curse her?"

"Why shouldn’t I?" Mila shouted. "My mother fell into depression because of her."

Her eyes blazed with fury. "A homewrecker like Camilla should have died long ago. She has already lived long enough—"

Smack

Leonard’s hand struck her face.

The force sent Mila stumbling backward. She lost her balance and collapsed onto the sofa.

A sharp pain tore through her abdomen, stealing her breath. Her face instantly turned pale.

Cold sweat covered her forehead. Terror gripped her heart.

Her baby...

But Leonard was too blinded by anger to notice. He continued yelling, "Camilla was right. You are hot-tempered. You exaggerate everything. You always play the victim and blame Bianca."

He sneered.

"For a moment, I actually believed you had suffered injustice. I even felt guilty. But someone as heartless as you doesn’t deserve anyone’s sympathy, let alone love."

Mila had heard enough. Clenching her teeth against the pain, she glared at him.

"Get out." Her voice was low and trembling.

"What?"

"I said..." She gathered every ounce of strength she had left. "Get out."

Leonard’s nostrils flared. "If anything happens to Camilla, I’ll never forgive you."

His eyes filled with hatred. "I’ll make you pay for this."

With that, he stormed out of the mansion.

The front door slammed shut.

The moment he disappeared, Mila gasped. A cry escaped her lips as another wave of pain ripped through her abdomen.

She felt something warm running down her legs. Her breathing stopped.

Slowly, she looked down. Clear fluid pooled beneath her.

Her eyes widened in horror. "My baby..." she screamed.

Hearing her cry, the housekeeper came running. "Miss—"

She froze.

The sight before her drained all the color from her face. For several long seconds, she couldn’t move. She simply stood there in shock.

Mila looked at her through tear-filled eyes. "Call... an ambulance..." she said between ragged breaths. "My water... broke..."

The housekeeper snapped back to her senses. She nodded frantically, grabbed the phone, and dialed the hospital with trembling hands.

"Hello." Her voice shook with panic. "Please come to the Vega mansion immediately. Miss Mila’s water has broken."