Chapter 2

At the hospital room door, James's mother-in-law, Margaret Nolan, walked in, her heels tapping against the floor as she carried a thermos.

"James is already swamped with work, and you still have to interrogate him? Claire, we're all devastated about losing the baby. Don't put all the blame on him," Margaret said.

I looked at her. "Margaret, when I was kidnapped, I called him seventeen times."

Margaret set the thermos down on the cabinet. "Who knows if you didn't bring this on yourself by running around everywhere?

"You're pregnant, about to give birth, and you still can't sit still. If you'd stayed home and taken it easy, would the baby have ended up like this?"

James said quietly, "Mom, that's enough."

"So, am I wrong?" Margaret stared me down. "Emily's pregnant, too, and she knows how to stay put and take care of herself.

"But you? You're always throwing tantrums every other day, insisting James has to revolve around you."

I threw off the covers and got out of bed.

James reached out to steady me, but I pulled away.

"I've already had the divorce papers drawn up," I said.

The room went quiet for a moment.

Margaret let out a laugh. "Divorce? Claire, what do you even have to your name? The house you live in belongs to the Nolan family, and everything you eat and wear comes from us.

"Your dad's company is only surviving because James keeps throwing them business. If you leave the Nolan family, you'll be back begging your stepmom for a bite to eat in no time."

James looked at me like I was a kid throwing a tantrum. "Claire, you lost the baby. I know you're upset, so I'm not going to hold it against you."

"I'm not being emotional." I took the divorce papers out of her bag and placed them on the table. "Sign it."

James shot a glance at the papers, his face turning grim. "You want me to walk away with nothing?"

"I want you to apologize to my baby for what you did," I said.

Margaret slammed her hand on the table. "Are you crazy? James says a few sweet words, and you really think you're some princess now?

"If he hadn't married you, you wouldn't have even set foot in the Nolan family."

James crumpled up the divorce papers and tossed them into the trash. "Claire, don't try to threaten me with divorce. You know I can't stand these kinds of games."

I stooped down, fished the paper out of the trash can, and carefully smoothed it out, one crease at a time. "This isn't a threat."

He stared at me. "If you really go through with this, the Lane family won't lift a finger to help you."

"I don't need anything from the Lane family," I shot back.

A soft cough came from the doorway.

Emily was propped up against the doorframe, dressed in an oversized knit dress. Her face was so pale that she looked as fragile as glass, like she could shatter at a touch. "Claire, please don't fight with James because of me."

Margaret hurried over to steady her. "Emily, what brings you here? You're expecting. Don't tire yourself out."

Emily glanced at me, her eyes welling up as tears fell instantly. "I know you hate me, Claire. But I swear, I never meant for that video to get out. I'm hurting, too."

I shot back, "What are you so miserable about?"

She bit her lip. "Everyone saw me. How am I supposed to show my face ever again?"

I walked right up to her. "My baby is dead."

She lowered her head, gently touching her belly, and whispered, "Claire, you're still young. You'll have another chance."

Hearing those words from her was like a knife twisting in my gut.

I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The slap rang out, sharp and clear.

Margaret yelled, "Claire!"

James rushed over, pulling Emily into his arms and shoving me away with his free hand.

I'd gotten out of the hospital, my legs still shaky. My lower back slammed into the edge of the bed, and the pain hit so hard everything went blurry for a moment.

He didn't even spare me a glance. He looked down at Emily. "Does it hurt?"

Emily clutched her face, sobbing uncontrollably. "James, please don't blame Claire. She's in so much pain after losing her baby."

James shot me a look of pure disgust. "Claire, apologize."

I gripped the edge of the bed to steady myself. "Apologize to who?"

"To Emily."

I stared him down. "James, do you even remember? I was the one lying on that operating table, and the child we lost was yours, too."

He looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. "That doesn't give you the right to hit her."

I laughed, but the pain made my throat sting.

Outside the door, a man in a gray suit stopped in his tracks. When he saw me, his expression shifted.

He didn't come in. Instead, he handed a business card to the nurse.

The nurse handed me the card and whispered, "That gentleman said if you ever need a ride, call this number."

Only one name stood out on the card: David Stone.

When James saw the card, his face instantly darkened. "Do you know him?"

I slipped the card into my bag. "Not really."

Margaret let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Barely finished talking about divorce and you've already got another man on the hook? Claire, you really have no shame."

I grabbed the divorce papers from the table and headed for the door.

James called out from behind me, "If you walk out that door today, don't ever come crawling back to me."

I didn't look back.

At the end of the hallway, David was standing there, holding a black coat in his hand.

He took one look at me in that flimsy hospital gown, but didn't say a word about it. "The car's downstairs."

"Thanks," I said.

He lowered his voice. "Mrs. Bennett is waiting for you. She said, 'Don't let yourself suffer alone anymore.'"

I didn't go see my grandmother.

Instead, I went back to the Nolan family's house.

James thought I couldn't live without him, so I was going to take away everything he thought I needed from him, one by one.

In the living room, Margaret was already sitting on the couch, waiting for me.

In front of her was a wooden box, its lid flipped open, showing some gold jewelry and a bank card.

"This is your compensation," she said.

I looked at her. "Compensation for what?"

"The baby's gone, so there needs to be some closure," Margaret said, pushing the bank card toward me. "There's 150,000 dollars in there.

"Swallow the whole divorce thing and don't make a mess for everyone."

I asked, "Does James know about this?"

"James is busy taking care of Emily. He doesn't have time for your drama."

When she mentioned Emily, her voice softened, as if she were talking about her own kid.

I pushed the card back to her. "Is my baby's life only worth 150,000 dollars to you?"

Margaret snapped, "Don't be so greedy. You've been living with the Nolan family for three years. Have you ever gone without anything?

"That baby in your belly was the Nolan family's heir, and now it's gone. The Nolan family lost more than you ever could."

I looked at her, my stomach twisted with disgust.