Chapter 3

Daniel strode toward us, eyes narrowed. "I told you not to come here."

"I just wanted to see Sophie," she whispered, instantly switching to that pathetic, trembling act he loved so much.

Some of the tension in Daniel's face eased. "You don't need to. Go home."

"But I'm farther along now," she said softly. "And I heard Sophie knows a lot about pregnancy. I just wanted to ask her a few things."

At the mention of pregnancy, Daniel's expression completely softened.

That was when Olivia grabbed my wrist, looking up at me with tearful eyes. "Sophie, please. For the baby's sake, help me."

My stomach turned. I tried to pull away, but she suddenly twisted toward me and then threw herself backward, crashing onto the floor.

A sharp, dramatic scream filled the hallway. "Ah! Sophie! Why would you push me?"

Daniel bolted toward her, panic flooding his face. Once he saw she wasn't bleeding, he visibly relaxed—but only for a moment.

Then he turned on me, fury blazing in his eyes. "Sophie! How dare you?"

He stood up and slapped me so hard my vision blurred.

He snapped, "How could you be this cruel? You can't get pregnant, so now you're trying to hurt Olivia? If anything happens to my child, you'll regret it."

I covered my cheek, staring at the man in front of me as if he were a stranger.

Daniel scooped Olivia into his arms and carefully settled her in the back seat.

He didn't look at me once. He just sped off, leaving me standing there like discarded trash.

When I went back inside to finish packing, I started noticing all the traces she'd left behind—a curled strand of her hair on my pillow, a white slip shoved under the bed.

She really did try everything she could to declare war on me.

Good thing I was done feeling anything for either of them.

Before leaving, I tossed our wedding photos into the trash. Then I placed the divorce papers and the termination report neatly on the nightstand.

*****

At the hospital, Daniel had barely helped Olivia into the room when he was met by his mother, Samantha, and his sister, Sienna—both storming toward them with murder in their eyes.

The moment they saw Olivia, they rushed at her. Samantha raised her hand and slapped her across the face without hesitation.

Daniel froze in shock and rushed to stop her. "Mom! What are you doing?"

Samantha didn't slow down. "Get out of my way! Do you even know who this little tramp is? She's the one sleeping with Sienna's husband!"

"What?" Daniel stared at her, stunned. By the time he snapped out of it, he was already pulling Olivia behind him to shield her.

Olivia cowered, trembling like a helpless victim.

"Mom, that's impossible," Daniel insisted. "Olivia is sweet. She'd never go after Sienna's husband."

He tightened his hold on her. "And she's carrying my child."

Samantha and Sienna gasped at the same time.

"Daniel, how could you get this woman pregnant?" Samantha practically wailed. "She's ruining our whole family."

Sienna pulled out her phone and shoved the screen in his face. "I don't care what you think is going on. Look. Isn't this her having dinner with my husband?"

Daniel glanced at the photo. A flicker of doubt crossed his face, but he quickly shook it off. "This must be a coincidence. Maybe they just happened to know each other and grabbed dinner."

"You've completely lost your mind!" Sienna snapped. She yanked his arm, dragging him aside. "Move. I'm not wasting my breath on you."

She lunged for Olivia. "No one touches my man and walks away whole!"

Sienna swung hard, aiming straight for Olivia's face.

"Stop! That's enough!" Daniel tried desperately to intervene, but both women were raging.

Within seconds, even his face had a few fresh scratches.

He stumbled back from the pain. Sienna seized the opening, grabbed a fistful of Olivia's hair, and dragged her forward.

Her hand landed across Olivia's cheek, sharp and vicious. Then she pulled back her leg and kicked Olivia straight in the stomach.

"Ah!" Olivia screamed.

This scream wasn't an act.

Blood began spreading rapidly between Olivia's legs.

Shouting, crying, and chaos filled the hallway.

People rushed in. When they saw the bleeding, they immediately called the police.

Officers arrived within minutes and took everyone involved into custody.

As Daniel's still-legal spouse, I naturally received a call.

The officer said, "Ma'am, your husband is involved in a suspected assault case. Could you come down to the station?"

"Sorry," I said calmly. "I'm about to divorce him."

After hearing the whole story, a cold laugh curled in my chest.

Daniel, how did it feel? Being cheated on hurt, didn't it?

I explained my situation to the officer, and he let out a long sigh. "You seem like a good woman. How'd you end up marrying into a family like that?

"A whole family beating up the mistress until she loses the baby—that's definitely assault."

He shook his head. "You should end things with him for good. Don't look back."

I smiled, hung up, and immediately called my best friend, Chloe Bennett.

I took a deep breath. "Chloe, are we still doing that world trip we planned?"

*****

That night, Daniel finally wrapped up the mess with Olivia threatening to sue Samantha and Sienna. Completely drained, he dragged himself home.

The moment he stepped into the suddenly empty villa, a wave of dread washed over him.

He called my name, "Sophie! Where are you?"

He rushed through the house, panic rising—until he saw the words written across the mirror.

Then he noticed the two documents sitting neatly on the nightstand.