His indifference to her pain was evident as he coldly remarked, “You're getting pretty reckless, Nicole."

He lifted her effortlessly, tossing her onto the bed.

Despite the softness of the bed cushioning her fall, the impact, however, was still jarring.

Nicole, alarmed, questioned him as he advanced, “What are you up to, Jarrod?"

Jarrod leaned over with a wicked smile on his face. He said to himself he didn't need to negotiate with Nicole. He could do whatever he wanted with her. She was his woman.

“I'm offering you a chance to redeem yourself by having my child.

Even with a baby, you can't erase what you've done!" Jarrod declared.

He lunged toward Nicole, attempting to remove her clothes.

“Get away from me!" Nicole snapped, her voice thunderous.

She was uncertain how much longer she could endure without the painkillers.

Yet, she knew she had to persevere until her father's surgery. She refused to suffer from Jarrod any longer.

“I won't let you touch me again," Nicole asserted, clutching her torn clothes, her complexion ghostly from pain.

Jarrod's irritation flared at her resistance His voice was icy, "Don't think I'll be moved by your act of pity."

Then, he pressed on her cruelly, and Nicole felt as if her organs were squeezed hard in her chest.

Suddenly, blood spurted from Nicole's mouth, splattering across Jarrod's white shirt.

The sight visibly unsettled Jarrod.

For a moment, his heart seemed to falter, realizing it was Nicole's blood.

“Why are you bleeding like this?" Jarrod's voice lost its cold detachment, sounding strained.

Nicole, with a bitter smile and blood at the corner of her mouth, responded, “It's not unusual for someone with cancer."

Jarrod couldn't fathom her claim as truth, suspecting she was mocking him.