Chapter 2

When I woke up again, I found myself in a regular hospital room.

The anesthesia had worn off, and the wound in my abdomen burned like fire.

My uterus was gone, and so was my baby. I touched my empty belly. There were no more tears, and all that was left inside me was emptiness.

The door opened, and Eugene walked in.

He had changed into clean clothes and looked refreshed, holding a food container in his hand.

Seeing me awake, he set the container down hard on the bedside table. "Get up and have some soup."

The aroma of chicken soup filled the air, rich and inviting.

I felt a bit out of it. In three years of marriage, Eugene had never brought me a meal, much less homemade soup.

I wondered if he knew about the baby. If maybe, just maybe, he actually felt guilty.

I braced myself and tried to sit up, but the pain in my abdomen was so sharp that I hissed through my teeth.

Eugene frowned, his expression full of impatience. He didn't reach out to help. Instead, he stepped back from me.

"Quit acting so weak. The doctor said you only have a bruise," he said.

I froze at his words.

I saw the certainty in his eyes and suddenly realized something.

Maybe the doctor or nurse was being nice and didn't tell him the truth.

Or maybe he never even asked. He just believed whatever was convenient.

"Anna had the housekeeper make this for you." He lifted the lid.

The smell drifted out, but it only made me feel sick.

"She felt bad about taking your plasma yesterday. She insisted I bring this to help you recover." He filled a bowl and held it out to me, that same arrogant look in his eyes.

"Katherine, Anna is genuinely kind. Stop playing games with her. That stunt you pulled yesterday? I don't want to see it again," he added.

I stared at the bowl of soup, my stomach twisting in disgust.

She took plasma from a pregnant woman and cost a life. Some kind of kindness that was.

"I'm not having it," I said, turning my head away, my voice hoarse.

"Not having it?" Eugene let out a cold laugh and slammed the bowl down on the table. Soup splashed everywhere.

"Katherine, don't be ungrateful. Anna went out of her way to do something nice for you. Who do you think you're giving that attitude to?" He stepped closer, grabbed my chin, and forced me to look at him.

His grip was so tight that it hurt.

"Let me make this clear," he continued. "Tomorrow is the Grant Group's anniversary party. You will be there.

"Anna is performing as a special guest, and you will publicly thank her for taking care of you. That'll shut down all the talk about me saving Anna before you at the crash."

I finally understood what he meant. He didn't bring soup because he cared. He did it only to protect his and Anna's reputation.

After all, a husband saving his childhood friend while leaving his wife to bleed was really bad press.

He needed me, the victim, to smile for the cameras and say it was all a misunderstanding. He needed me to say that Anna and I were good friends.

"And if I don't go?" I held his gaze, my eyes steady, watching his face twist with anger.

Eugene let out a mocking laugh, like I'd just told a joke. "Then you can figure out how to pay for your brother's dialysis next month."

That was the same old tactic. It always worked before.

Before, whenever he mentioned James, I'd beg, crawl, and do whatever he wanted.

But this time, staring at the man I'd loved for ten years, I felt nothing. He felt like a stranger, and he made me sick.

"Eugene," I murmured.

"Changed your mind?" he scoffed, arching an eyebrow.

"I want a divorce," I stated calmly.

The room fell eerily silent.

Eugene paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost came to his eyes.

"Divorce? Katherine, what game are you playing now?" He leaned in close, his eyes dripping with sarcasm. "Who's going to pay for your brother's medical bills? And who's going to cover your father's gambling debts?

"You think you can survive without me? You're like a parasite. Without me, you couldn't even afford to eat."

He was so sure of himself, so convinced that I loved him too much to leave, that I couldn't live without the Grant family money.

I stared at him calmly, like he was nothing but a clown. "This time, I'm serious. I'll leave with nothing."

Eugene's smile froze on his face.

Something in my eyes must have startled him, some resolve he'd never seen before. The realization that he was losing control made him even angrier.

"Fine. Great." He straightened up and kicked the chair beside my bed, sending it crashing to the floor.

The loud crash echoed through the hospital room.

"Katherine, you brought this on yourself. If you want a divorce, fine. Sign the papers. But before you do, you're going to that party tomorrow.

"And I want you to apologize to Anna. Your little stunt yesterday scared her so badly that she had nightmares all night."

I couldn't believe he wanted me to apologize to the woman responsible for my baby's death.

Under the blanket, my hand curled into a fist so tight that my nails cut into my palm.

Blood seeped through the gauze, but I couldn't feel it.

The hatred burning inside me was a thousand times stronger than any physical pain.

"And if I don't?" I asked.

Eugene pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and put it on speaker.

The automated message from the hospital billing office came through. "Mr. Grant, James Sinclair's account is out of funds. If you don't pay today, his life support will be turned off in two hours."

He hung up and waved his phone in the air, a cruel smirk spreading across his face. "Two hours, Katherine. Your brother's life is in your hands.

"Tomorrow night at 7 PM at the Kempinski Hotel. I want you there, dressed up, and in front of all the media, you're going to apologize to Anna and admit you were wrong."

With that, he turned and walked out.

At the door, he paused without looking back. "Don't even think about pulling any tricks. You know what I'm capable of."

The door slammed shut behind him.

I closed my eyes, and finally, tears streamed down my face.

Eugene had won this round.

He used the person I cared about to threaten me, but he had no idea that James actually died three days ago from an infection.

That call was just a delayed hospital notice. Or maybe it was a little show he staged just to force my hand.

Either way, it didn't matter anymore. I had nothing left now.

If he wanted a big show, I'd give him one.

I'd be there, and I'd make sure he and Anna got a gift they'd remember for the rest of their lives.

I yanked the IV needle out of my hand. Blood started to ooze out, but I just pressed a tissue to it, not even flinching.

Then I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

The call connected almost instantly. A calm but excited male voice came through. "Miss Sinclair, you finally reached out to us."

I stared out at the gloomy sky, a cold smile curling at my lips.

"Leo, prepare the paperwork for me," I said into the phone. "And I'm taking back everything that belongs to the Sinclair family.

"Tomorrow night, I'm going to show Eugene what kind of person he's really provoked."