She had taken thirty lashes of the family rod to marry him. She'd knelt until she blacked out and still refused to give him up.
Ivor had scaled the Henson estate walls in the dead of night, gathered her into his arms, and wept as he swore, "Jocelyn, I will never betray you. Not in this lifetime."
She had believed those lashes were medals of honor, proof of what she'd sacrificed for love.
Now she knew the truth. Everything she'd gambled had bought her nothing but a ticket into the abyss.
The injection finished. Ivor finally exhaled. He pulled her limp body into his arms, fingers fumbling to wipe away her tears.
"Shh, don't cry. I'm only doing this because I'd hate for you to regret it later. It wasn't easy for us to be together. Getting pregnant was even harder. If something happened to this baby, you'd blame me for the rest of your life."
Jocelyn kept her eyes shut, smothering the hatred that churned behind them. Deep inside, she made a vow.
Ivor. Nellie. What you owe me, I will collect. Every last cent, a thousandfold.
After that injection, her morning sickness spiraled out of control. Even a sip of warm water sent her into violent, full-body retching. Ivor was beside himself, scouring Harbor City for every specialist he could find, glued to her bedside around the clock.
Then came another checkup at the private clinic. Jocelyn stepped out of the restroom and heard Ivor's voice drifting from behind the consultation room door, mid-conversation with the doctor.
"Mr. Sanchez, Miss Henson's physical reactions are abnormal. Frankly, that course of medication shouldn't be producing side effects this severe. We strongly recommend stopping it immediately and running a full panel of tests."
Ivor hesitated. When he spoke, his voice was low and firm. "No. If we stop the medication, I'm worried it'll affect the baby. Nellie's had a hard enough time these past few years. I don't want to disappoint her again."
Jocelyn went rigid. The hatred that flooded through her was so vast it nearly swallowed her whole.
That evening, the moment Ivor left to handle business, she picked up the phone and dialed.
"The woman in Switzerland. Nellie Harding. Bring her back to Harbor City. Now."