Chapter 7 I Won't Let Anyone Hurt My Children

​"Put the phone down."

​The command echoed through the apartment, forcing everyone to turn toward the entrance.

​Liam Oscar stood in the doorway, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his sharp eyes locked onto Kendall Shank. For several tense seconds, the room fell completely silent.

​Kendall recovered his composure first. "This is a family matter."

​"So I heard," Liam said, slowly walking into the room.

​His gaze shifted to Dizer. She was pressing herself against the wall, one hand protectively covering her stomach. Her eyes were red—not from crying, but from the sheer exhaustion of fighting back. A painful tightness gripped Liam's chest; he had never seen her look so entirely alone.

​"What happened?" he asked quietly.

​Before Dizer could answer, Camille’s voice cut through the air from outside. "Liam!"

​Breathing heavily, Camille hurried through the open door, stopping short as she sensed the heavy atmosphere. Her eyes darted straight to Dizer's hand resting on her stomach. A flicker of panic crossed Camille's face before she quickly masked it.

​"What did I miss?" she asked.

​When nobody answered, Camille walked over to Liam and wrapped her hand around his arm. "Liam, let's go."

​Gently but firmly, he removed her hand. "I'm not leaving."

​The rejection made Camille's smile stiffen, though she forced herself to maintain her composure. "What are you doing here?"

​Liam looked at her coldly. "I came to see my wife."

​The words stunned everyone in the room, especially Dizer.

​My wife. It was the first time Liam had ever used that title for her.

​Camille forced a tight laugh. "You mean legally."

​Ignoring her remark, Liam turned back to Kendall. "What were you arranging?"

​Kendall slid his phone into his pocket. "Nothing that concerns you."

​"It concerns me if it involves my wife."

​There it was again. My wife.

​Dizer stared at Liam in utter disbelief. Just hours ago, he could barely tolerate looking at her. Now, he was standing like a shield between her and her father. She couldn’t comprehend the sudden shift—and neither could Camille, whose fingers were slowly curling into tight fists.

​"Liam..." Camille pleaded, but he completely ignored her.

​Kendall’s voice grew firmer, asserting his authority. "Dizer's pregnancy complicates everything."

​Liam frowned. "Complicates what?"

​"Our agreement. Our reputation. Our future."

​Liam looked at Dizer, then snapped his gaze back to Kendall. "So your solution is abortion?"

​Javier closed her eyes in shame. Kendall, however, remained silent.

​That silence was all the answer Liam needed. His jaw tightened in disgust. "You actually suggested that?"

​"It is the only reasonable solution," Kendall replied coldly.

​"The child is innocent."

​"The child is inconvenient."

​Those words echoed brutally through the room. Inside Dizer, something finally broke.

​Inconvenient.

​Just like she had always been. A burden. A replacement. An inconvenience.

​She looked directly into her father's eyes. "You never wanted me."

​Javier immediately shook her head. "Dizer, don't say that."

​"Then prove me wrong."

​Silence stretched over them again. It was always silence.

​Dizer smiled bitterly. "I thought so."

​Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she spoke with a trembling but fierce voice, her hands resting protectively over her stomach. "My children will never grow up wondering whether they are loved. But they will know one thing." She smiled through the pain. "Their mother chose them."

​The apartment fell dead silent. Even Camille was left completely speechless.

​Liam stared at Dizer. Something about the way she spoke—the fearless, gentle strength she showed while protecting children she hadn't even met yet—made him see her in a completely new light. For the first time, he wasn't looking at a forced marriage partner. He was seeing the woman she truly was.

​He had never noticed it before. Or perhaps, he had never wanted to.

​Thirty minutes later, Kendall and Javier left, empty-handed and defeated.

​Camille lagged behind. The moment Kendall's car pulled away from the building, she turned to Liam in the hallway.

​"Can we talk?"

​Liam nodded, stepping further away from the apartment door.

​Camille took a deep, calculated breath, her eyes filling with tears. "You believe her, don't you?"

​"I don't know."

​She stepped closer, touching his hand gently. "Liam... you know how desperate Dizer is. She lost everything. What if she's lying about the pregnancy because she doesn't want to lose you, too? You said yourself you barely remember your wedding night."

​He did. He only remembered scattered fragments, nothing more.

​"Don't let sympathy cloud your judgment," Camille whispered.

​Liam looked down at her hand before quietly pulling away. "I need proof."

​Camille's heart skipped a beat. "Proof?" She forced a careful smile. "Exactly."

​Liam nodded, his voice turning firm. "When the baby is born... I'll request a DNA test."

​Camille managed to maintain her smile, but inside, sheer panic exploded. If those children truly belonged to Liam, everything she had meticulously worked for would collapse.

​Inside the apartment, Dizer stood by the window. She watched Liam and Camille talking on the street below. She couldn't hear their words, but she didn’t need to. She already knew Camille would never stop trying to destroy her.

​A soft knock sounded behind her. She turned to find Liam entering the room alone.

​For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Finally, Liam broke the silence. "How are you feeling?"

​Dizer almost laughed. He was asking now? After everything?

​"I'm fine," she replied bluntly.

​"You don't look fine."

​"I'm alive."

​As another heavy silence settled between them, Liam noticed a medical envelope sitting on the coffee table—the same envelope he had retrieved from the hospital.

​"I think this belongs to you," he said.

​Dizer looked surprised. "You had it?"

​"You left it behind."

​She snatched it away immediately—too quickly, in fact. Her panicked movement only fueled Liam's growing suspicion.

​"What is it?" he asked.

​"Nothing," she muttered, slipping it hastily into her handbag.

​Liam didn't press further, though he knew it was far from nothing. Instead, he looked at her intently and asked, "Are you really pregnant?"

​Dizer met his gaze dead-on. "Do you think I'd lie about something like that?"

​Liam couldn't answer. He honestly didn't know what to believe. Camille's warnings echoed in his mind, but then he remembered the fierce determination Dizer had shown against her father. Would a woman like that lie?

​"Dizer..."

​She cut him off calmly. "When the babies are born, I'll give you the DNA test you want."

​Liam's eyes widened in surprise.

​"But after that," she continued, her voice softening as she swallowed hard, "whether they're yours or not... I won't beg you to be their father."

​Those words hit Liam harder than a physical blow. He suddenly realized she wasn't asking him for money, love, or even for him to stay. She was fully prepared to raise those children entirely on her own. For reasons he couldn't explain, that realization made his chest ache.

​Before he could find his voice, his phone rang loudly. It was Noah.

​"Liam!" Noah's voice was frantic. "You need to get to the hospital immediately."

​"What happened?"

​"It's Mrs. Harrison. She's crashing."

​"I'm on my way," Liam said, hanging up. He turned to Dizer, locking eyes with her one last time. "This conversation isn't over."

​Dizer offered a faint, tired smile as she placed a hand over her stomach. "No. It's only just beginning."

​Liam turned and rushed out.

​Neither of them noticed the man standing across the street, lowering a camera with a long lens.

​He had photographed everything: Dizer, Liam, the apartment, and the exact moment Dizer had instinctively shielded her stomach.

​He pulled out his phone and dialed. "The job is done," he reported.

​"Good. Send me the photos," a cold female voice answered from the other end.

​The man transferred the files immediately.

​Seconds later, the woman smiled maliciously as the images loaded onto her screen. She whispered to herself, "Dizer... let's see how long you can protect those babies."