Chapter 3

For a long time after that, Pedro didn't come to see me again.

I stayed alone in the basement, and it was actually quite peaceful. But the occasional phone calls always made me a bit nervous.

The person at the other end of the phone asked, "Eliza, did you change your mind?"

I replied, "No, something came up. Don't worry."

"No!" The voice on the other end was urgent, as if they wanted to fly to me right that moment. "Let me come pick you up myself."

I sighed and tried to calm them down. "Don't worry. I'm really fine."

The situation was too complicated. If someone else got involved, everything might fall apart.

Since Pedro had already agreed to let me go, all I had to do was wait patiently.

It would be fine. I had always been good at waiting.

But before I could finish speaking, the basement door creaked open.

"Eliza, looks like you're doing quite well?" Melanie had shed her pretense of gentleness and timidity. An icy chill radiated from her.

She patted her belly, then leaned in and pressed her fingers into my still-unhealed wound. "I really don't know what trick you've used. Even like this, you still manage to make Pedro think of you."

I pushed her hand away, suppressing the urge to slap her. "You don't need to be so insecure. With the baby in your belly, the position of Mrs. Farrell will be yours sooner or later."

I didn't know what part of my words struck a nerve, but the relatively composed Melanie suddenly flew into a rage.

A fierce look flashed in her eyes. She lunged forward, grabbed my hair, and slammed me hard to the floor. "What are you so smug about?

"You think you can keep occupying the position of Mrs. Farrell forever? Let me tell you, Eliza, everything you have is mine."

Her movements were wild, and her tone was manic.

When I was watching her like this, a sudden thought struck me. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

The moment I said that, she froze.

After cautiously looking around to make sure no one was listening, she let out a sigh of relief and then turned to look at me with even more malice. "How did you know?"

I gave a helpless, bitter smile.

How did I know?

Not long after I got married, I was pregnant.

Back then, I thought having a child would make Pedro treat me a little better. But because his mistress at the time threw a tantrum, he ignored my pleas and forced me to abort my baby, which had been five months along.

I couldn't exactly say that the only reason I could guess it right was that Melanie's behavior now was so different from how I had been when I was pregnant.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway." As if suddenly making up her mind, she clapped her hands and let go of me. "Anyway, you're no different from a dead woman."

Before I could ask what she meant, some liquid with a sharp stench drenched me from head to toe.

Then she pulled out a lighter and grinned at me maliciously. "You'll go down as the one who killed my baby. Even after you die, Pedro will hate you forever. Don't blame me, Eliza. Blame yourself for standing in my way."

With that, the lighter in her hand began to fall.

I watched her twisted smile, calculated the distance between us, and, ignoring the pain, lunged forward to grab her wrist.

"What are you doing? Let go!" She struggled to break free, but the flames had already blocked her escape.

Seeing that I was about to get her involved, a flicker of fear finally appeared in Melanie's eyes. "You think this will make a difference? Let me tell you, if Pedro comes, he'll still save me."

The moment she finished speaking, the basement door was kicked open.

Pedro burst through the flames, his brow furrowed as he saw me clutching tightly onto Melanie.

Then he kicked me aside, scooped Melanie into his arms, and turned to leave without looking back.