Chapter 3
I froze in my tracks, my mind going totally blank.
Samuel was holding her, looking completely indifferent, like he didn't feel a shred of guilt for what happened to me that day.
"Vivian could never have my child," he said.
Evelyn blinked, confused. "Why?"
He laughed, but there was nothing but cold cruelty in his eyes. "Because the tech from Lane Technologies can only be inherited by the Pierce family.
"If she'd had a kid, the contract would say the tech belongs to that child, not me."
Evelyn chuckled. "So what about the baby I'm carrying?"
Samuel quickly tried to comfort her.
"The baby you're carrying is my precious one. It's nothing like the child Vivian would have had. From now on, we'll..."
A sudden crash. The sound of my phone smashing against the ground shattered the silence of the estate, making both of them spin around, startled.
Samuel's eyes widened in shock.
"Vivian?" he gasped.
He immediately let go of Evelyn, his voice shaking, not sure how much I'd heard.
"What are you doing here?" he stammered.
I walked forward slowly, my eyes bloodshot, the shock and grief written all over my face.
"So it was you all along," I whispered.
Samuel hurriedly grabbed my hand, panic in his eyes as he desperately tried to explain himself. "Please, you've got it all wrong. It's not what you think, I swear."
I slap him. Samuel's words were cut off mid-sentence, five distinct finger marks stood out on his cheek.
"Are you crazy?" Evelyn rushed over and shoved me aside. "How dare you hit him."
Samuel shielded Evelyn, and she clung to him protectively, both of them guarding each other.
I collapsed to the ground, clutching my stomach. My face went ghostly pale, and blood started streaming down my thigh.
"It hurts so much," I screamed in agony.
Cold sweat drenched me in an instant. Samuel was totally stunned, but when he snapped out of it, he scooped me up in a panic and carried me to the car in a frenzy.
"Vivian, Vivian, Stay awake," he shouted desperately.
The pain was unbearable, and my consciousness was slipping away. The baby I'd fought so hard for was gone. Again.
When I came to, the sky was already dark.
Samuel was sitting beside me, staring at the floor, not sure what was going through his mind.
As soon as he saw me open my eyes, he rushed over, worry written all over his face. But I could see right through it.
"You must be thrilled. You must feel so lucky," I said coldly.
His face froze, lips pressed into a thin line, brows furrowed. "Vivian, don't say that."
Half a year ago, I got another shot at having a baby—a chance to finally be pregnant again.
The doctor told me the treatment was still experimental, no promises it'd actually work.
I said yes.
I wanted a baby so badly—a child with Samuel, one that belonged to both of us.
For the past six months, I'd been poked with countless mysterious injections and gone through three surgeries, both major and minor.
The day before I discovered Samuel was cheating on me, I finally got the news: I was pregnant.
I'd planned to tell him on our anniversary, to give him the news as a surprise gift.
But he beat me to it. His idea of a 'surprise' was hooking up with Evelyn before I even got the chance.
And now, I'd learned the truth about what happened three years ago.
For the first time, I looked into Samuel's eyes and felt nothing but disgust.
"Now that the baby's gone, you can finally take over Lane Technologies. You must be real proud of yourself, aren't you?" I spat.
"Vivian." Samuel roared, his face twisted with rage.
I yelled back, tears streaming down my face. "Samuel, why did I ever have to meet someone like you? Nothing good ever came of it. The baby's gone, and it's all for nothing.
"You don't deserve to have a child with me."
At that, Samuel froze for a moment.
Samuel's pupils trembled for a split second, and his hands clenched into tight fists.
Just as he seemed about to say something, Evelyn pushed the door open and walked in.
She walked over, clutching a thermos, looking all nervous. "Vivian, I made some chicken soup for you. Please don't be too upset."
I stared her down, refusing to look away.
She acted like I wasn't even there, just opened the thermos and pushed it toward me. "Here, drink some..."
"Get lost." I snapped.
I lost control and shoved her away. The chicken soup spilled all over her. "Ah."
"Eve." Samuel shouted.
He quickly let go of me and rushed over to Evelyn, pulling up her skirt to see her thigh was already red and blistered from the burn.
"I'm fine, really," Evelyn said softly.
But hearing that just made Samuel even angrier.
He looked at me like I was his worst enemy, not his wife. "Vivian, don't go too far. Eve made you soup out of kindness, and you just act like you don't care at all. You really don't know what's good for you."
He scolded me, but his gaze lingered on Evelyn's injury, full of concern.
I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself.
I pushed all those turbulent emotions deep down inside.
I glanced at the clock. Only two days left until the thirty-day divorce waiting period was over. I had to get his signature as soon as possible.
"Sorry," I said.
Evelyn froze, and Samuel snapped his head around. Seeing me lower my gaze and apologize, he frowned, clearly surprised.
He pursed his lips, let go of Evelyn, and sat down beside my bed.
His tone softened. "Alright, I was wrong. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Vivian, please, don't make things more difficult for me."
He pulled me into his arms, gently patting my back just like he used to.
"You'll always be my wife," he said softly.
I curved my lips into a smile, pretending nothing had happened, and took out a folded piece of paper from my pocket.
I put on a playful pout, pretending to be cute.
"Then you have to reimburse me for all the stuff I've bought lately," I said.
He didn't think twice about it. Instead, he looked a little guilty and signed the paper without even glancing at it.