Chapter 3

"I've run into his wife a few times, and honestly, she just doesn't match the vibe of this place at all. Makes you wonder what that president was thinking," Benjamin gossiped.

Four or five years ago, before I even married Elliot, those two were already having a thing.

Suddenly, the car felt way too small, almost like it was closing in on me. I couldn't breathe—panic rushed over me and then... nothing. Everything went black.

When I came to, I was in the hospital. Benjamin, who'd been dozing by my bedside, snapped awake and hurried to get the doctor.

"You're finally awake," he said, relief in his voice.

"You brought me here?" I asked softly.

"Yeah. You just passed out on me, scared the hell out of me. I rushed you straight to the hospital," he replied.

"The doctor said you're pregnant, and your blood pressure's all over the place. The stress and emotions probably made you faint. While you were out, I used your phone to call your husband. He should be here any minute," Benjamin explained.

When Benjamin mentioned Elliot, I dropped my gaze, my expression darkening.

Speak of the devil—Elliot walked in.

"Lina! What happened?" Elliot cried, panic clear in his voice.

Elliot rushed in, grabbed my hand, his eyes red and glistening with unshed tears.

"How did you just faint out of nowhere? When I got the call, I was scared out of my mind!" he stammered.

I discreetly pulled my hand away and turned my face aside, not wanting to watch him put on a show.

The way I recoiled made Elliot pause, looking embarrassed for a second.

Benjamin spoke up from behind, explaining my situation. Only then did Elliot finally realize Benjamin was in the room too.

Elliot glanced at him and asked, "You're the one who brought my wife to the hospital?"

He took out a check and offered it to Benjamin.

"Thank you for your help, but you're no longer needed here. Take this as your reward—and please, show yourself out," Elliot said coldly, his tone dripping with superiority.

Benjamin noticed the complicated look on Elliot's face, then glanced at me, his eyes full of concern. He didn't reach for the check.

"No need for that," Benjamin replied. "Catalina's been a friend of mine since we were kids. Helping her is the least I can do."

"You know, you actually look kind of familiar," Benjamin added, a note of casual curiosity in his voice.

Elliot narrowed his eyes, sizing Benjamin up with obvious suspicion.

"I've never heard Lina talk about having friends," Elliot said coldly. "Take the money. Let's keep things strictly business."

I could practically feel the knives in the air between them—I was wracking my brain for a way to calm things down when a nurse came in, asking the family to step outside for a moment.

Elliot pressed the check forcefully into Benjamin's hand, not taking no for an answer, then strode out behind the nurse.

Once Elliot had left, Benjamin quietly put the check aside, his fingers lingering on it for a moment. He looked conflicted, struggling with what he wanted to say but unable to get the words out.

Seeing how torn he was, I didn't hesitate. ''You've met him before, right? At that villa?'' I asked, reading the hesitation on Benjamin's face.

Benjamin gave a strained nod, his expression tense. ''I know why you were crying today,'' he said, voice full of concern.

''Can you do me a favor?'' I asked, not really paying attention to what Benjamin just said. I just wanted to get to the point.

''Sure, what do you need?'' Benjamin replied, sounding steady.

''Could you go to HealthCare Institute, look for a doctor named Adelyn Browning, and ask her what these pills are?'' My voice was low and serious.

I dug into my bag and handed him the bottle of vitamins I'd been taking forever.

Benjamin peered at the bottle, clearly stumped.

''Okay, I'll go right now,'' Benjamin replied.

I gave him a serious look. ''Whatever you find out, please keep it to yourself. I really need you to keep this secret.''

Benjamin nodded heavily, took the pills from me, and walked out of the room.

Not long after Benjamin left, Elliot came back, looking absolutely devastated.

''Lina, the doctor said our baby… something's wrong. The development isn't right, and the heartbeat has stopped. There are signs you might miscarry soon. They said we have to terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible, so it won't hurt you even more,'' Elliot choked out, voice shaking.

As soon as he finished, Elliot just buried his face in his hands and cried, as though the world had just crashed down around him.

I felt like I might throw up. My eyes were empty as I stared at the ceiling, refusing to even glance in Elliot's direction. I just waited—dead inside—for his tears to run dry.

''Are you sure?'' I asked, my voice hollow, completely devoid of emotion.

He was so wrapped up in his own dramatic breakdown THAT he didn't notice the ice in my tone or the way I'd shut him out.

''Lina, I know how much this baby meant to us. I get how hard it is to accept… but it's happened. For your health, let's go ahead with the procedure, alright?'' Elliot said, his words gentle, but I could tell he wasn't really seeing me at all.

''We'll have lots of kids someday.''

I signed the consent form without hesitating, then pulled the blanket over myself, shutting out everything and refusing to face reality.

Elliot just thought I was too distraught to respond. He didn't bother to look any deeper.

He tried to offer consolation, but it was all for show. ''Lina, don't be too sad. I guess this baby just wasn't meant to be with us,'' he said, sounding insincere and detached.

And before I could react, he snatched up the consent form and hurried off, acting like he couldn't wait to put this all behind him.

As soon as he was gone, I got up, packed my things, and walked out of the hospital.

I went home, grabbed the house deed, and headed straight to the apartment complex. I had the property manager come along so I could kick Libby out myself.

When the door swung open, Libby's eyes widened in surprise for a split second, but then she shot me a look full of contempt.

''What are you doing here? I haven't even come after you yet, and now you're the one showing up at my door?'' Libby sneered.