Chapter 4

The day I was discharged from the hospital was the day Grant's so-called "mandatory travel quarantine" ended.

At eight in the morning, he sent a text.

[Baby, coming home today. Wait for me.]

I stared at the words for a long time, then tapped the reply box.

I typed something, then deleted it.

Typed again, deleted again.

Finally, I sent one sentence.

[I'm pregnant. There are things we need to talk about.]

Delivered.

I put my phone down and sat on the couch to wait.

Grant never replied.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

I got up and opened the door.

It wasn't Grant standing there.

It was Savannah.

"Claire, long time no see."

Her smile was sickeningly sweet, but her eyes were venomous as she looked me up and down.

"Not going to invite me in?"

"What do you want?"

I didn't move out of the doorway.

She simply turned sideways, shoved past me into the apartment, and walked straight to the living room couch like she owned the place.

"Don't be so cold."

"You look awful, Claire."

"But then again, who could sleep after finding out all those dirty little secrets?"

She smirked.

"By the way, Nolan played his part perfectly."

"Or did you actually think he just suddenly grew a conscience and spilled everything?"

I shut the door and stared at her coldly.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Savannah leisurely flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Nothing. Just came to chat."

"Oh, and that message you sent Grant? I saw it."

"He was in the shower, so I went ahead and deleted it for you."

She looked up, her smile innocent and malicious all at once.

"You're welcome."

"Not that he'd care about a baby anyway."

My heart plummeted.

"What do you mean?"

Savannah stood up and walked over to me.

She was half a head shorter than me, but she looked at me like I was dirt on her shoe.

"I'm here to tell you to get rid of it."

"Grant is completely focused on me right now. A baby is just going to distract him, and I'm not letting that happen."

I took a step back.

"This is between him and me. It's none of your business."

Savannah sneered.

"Claire, you're pathetic."

She leaned in, lowering her voice.

"There's a little detail I never told you."

"That night three years ago? I never drugged Grant."

"I just told him that if he wouldn't touch me, I'd go find someone who would."

"A homeless guy, one of his competitors, anyone."

"He got so insanely jealous he pinned me to the bed."

"You know the rest."

She stepped back, admiring the way my face completely fell apart.

Her smile grew even sweeter.

Three years of trust. Three years of softening my heart for him. It all shattered in that single second.

I was the joke all along.

"Get out."

My teeth were chattering.

"Get the hell out of my apartment!"

Savannah didn't move.

Instead, she took a step closer, her eyes dropping to my stomach.

"Grant only cares about me now."

"You and that thing in your stomach are just going to take his attention away from me."

"You shouldn't have his baby."

She tilted her head.

"Are you going to take care of it, or do you need my help?"

I completely lost it and shoved her.

"Get out! Get out!"

Savannah stumbled back two steps.

The next second, she lunged forward and shoved me hard in the chest.

I lost my balance.

My lower back slammed into the sharp corner of the coffee table.

A tearing pain exploded through my body.

I looked down.

Blood was running down my legs.

Savannah's lips twitched into a smirk. She turned on her heel and walked briskly to the door.

She pulled it open and disappeared into the hallway.

Using every last ounce of strength I had, I reached for my phone on the floor and dialed 911.

The dispatcher answered.

I gave the apartment address, my voice breaking. "I was attacked... I'm pregnant... I'm bleeding..."

The second I hung up, Grant's name flashed on the screen.

I answered.

He sounded like he was smiling.

"Baby, I'm almost home. Miss me?"

I opened my mouth.

"Grant, I'm pregnant."

Dead silence on the other end.

Then, unconcealed ecstasy.

"Really? Claire, I'm coming right—"

"Don't bother."

My voice was so flat it didn't even sound like me.

"Savannah just came over and shoved me."

"I'm bleeding."

"I don't think the baby is going to make it."

No sound came from the phone.

I closed my eyes.

"I want a divorce."

Chapter 4

The day I was discharged from the hospital was the day Grant's so-called "mandatory travel quarantine" ended.

At eight in the morning, he sent a text.

[Baby, coming home today. Wait for me.]

I stared at the words for a long time, then tapped the reply box.

I typed something, then deleted it.

Typed again, deleted again.

Finally, I sent one sentence.

[I'm pregnant. There are things we need to talk about.]

Delivered.

I put my phone down and sat on the couch to wait.

Grant never replied.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

I got up and opened the door.

It wasn't Grant standing there.

It was Savannah.

"Claire, long time no see."

Her smile was sickeningly sweet, but her eyes were venomous as she looked me up and down.

"Not going to invite me in?"

"What do you want?"

I didn't move out of the doorway.

She simply turned sideways, shoved past me into the apartment, and walked straight to the living room couch like she owned the place.

"Don't be so cold."

"You look awful, Claire."

"But then again, who could sleep after finding out all those dirty little secrets?"

She smirked.

"By the way, Nolan played his part perfectly."

"Or did you actually think he just suddenly grew a conscience and spilled everything?"

I shut the door and stared at her coldly.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Savannah leisurely flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Nothing. Just came to chat."

"Oh, and that message you sent Grant? I saw it."

"He was in the shower, so I went ahead and deleted it for you."

She looked up, her smile innocent and malicious all at once.

"You're welcome."

"Not that he'd care about a baby anyway."

My heart plummeted.

"What do you mean?"

Savannah stood up and walked over to me.

She was half a head shorter than me, but she looked at me like I was dirt on her shoe.

"I'm here to tell you to get rid of it."

"Grant is completely focused on me right now. A baby is just going to distract him, and I'm not letting that happen."

I took a step back.

"This is between him and me. It's none of your business."

Savannah sneered.

"Claire, you're pathetic."

She leaned in, lowering her voice.

"There's a little detail I never told you."

"That night three years ago? I never drugged Grant."

"I just told him that if he wouldn't touch me, I'd go find someone who would."

"A homeless guy, one of his competitors, anyone."

"He got so insanely jealous he pinned me to the bed."

"You know the rest."

She stepped back, admiring the way my face completely fell apart.

Her smile grew even sweeter.

Three years of trust. Three years of softening my heart for him. It all shattered in that single second.

I was the joke all along.

"Get out."

My teeth were chattering.

"Get the hell out of my apartment!"

Savannah didn't move.

Instead, she took a step closer, her eyes dropping to my stomach.

"Grant only cares about me now."

"You and that thing in your stomach are just going to take his attention away from me."

"You shouldn't have his baby."

She tilted her head.

"Are you going to take care of it, or do you need my help?"

I completely lost it and shoved her.

"Get out! Get out!"

Savannah stumbled back two steps.

The next second, she lunged forward and shoved me hard in the chest.

I lost my balance.

My lower back slammed into the sharp corner of the coffee table.

A tearing pain exploded through my body.

I looked down.

Blood was running down my legs.

Savannah's lips twitched into a smirk. She turned on her heel and walked briskly to the door.

She pulled it open and disappeared into the hallway.

Using every last ounce of strength I had, I reached for my phone on the floor and dialed 911.

The dispatcher answered.

I gave the apartment address, my voice breaking. "I was attacked... I'm pregnant... I'm bleeding..."

The second I hung up, Grant's name flashed on the screen.

I answered.

He sounded like he was smiling.

"Baby, I'm almost home. Miss me?"

I opened my mouth.

"Grant, I'm pregnant."

Dead silence on the other end.

Then, unconcealed ecstasy.

"Really? Claire, I'm coming right—"

"Don't bother."

My voice was so flat it didn't even sound like me.

"Savannah just came over and shoved me."

"I'm bleeding."

"I don't think the baby is going to make it."

No sound came from the phone.

I closed my eyes.

"I want a divorce."