Chapter 2

Another cop came over to calm me down. I pretended to pull myself together, but kept hiding behind him, shaking like a leaf. "She's the one who shoved me down the stairs. My poor baby was only three months old—never even got to see the world before she took him away."

Charles' face went pale. "Emily! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You fell on your own, and now you're blaming Bianca? And you actually called the cops? Wasting police time is illegal, you know?"

I clung to the cop's sleeve, looking all pitiful. "She really did push me! Once I found out I was pregnant, I put cameras everywhere at home just to be safe. Officer, you can see for yourself!"

One of the cops nodded, asked for the address, and hurried off with his partner to check the footage.

Bianca was totally freaking out. She only acted so boldly because she thought there were no witnesses—she never saw that coming.

The original Emily was just as stubborn. She had the evidence but refused to use it, choosing to suffer in silence instead. Was she just trying to be dramatic or what?

The cops moved fast—before I knew it, they were back in the hospital room. The video laid it all out: Bianca closing in on me, then shoving my shoulder and sending me flying down the stairs. Blood pooled beneath me, and when Charles burst in, all he saw was Bianca frozen in shock, kneeling beside me.

Bianca's legs buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.

Charles shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "No way... Bianca really did this to my child..."

Bianca crawled over and clung to his pant leg. "Charles, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it! I just wanted her to stop hogging you—I never meant to hurt your baby! I only pushed her by accident. Please forgive me, okay? Please?"

I'd had enough. "What is wrong with you? Who are you even asking to forgive you? I'm the one you shoved down the stairs! I'm the one who lost my baby because of you! And I'm still the one lying in this hospital bed! You're barking up the wrong tree, dumbass!"

Silence fell around me. Bianca stared, her mouth slightly open.

Charles blinked, utterly baffled.

Even the officers exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what to make of my sudden, sharp change in tone.

Shoot, I totally forgot to stay in character.

I quickly clutched my belly and wailed, "The evidence is right there, Officer. Bianca is guilty of intentional harm, and I'm not letting this go. Please arrest her. She's vicious and scheming—she'll definitely try to hurt me again. I'm so scared. Just thinking about my dead baby keeps me up all night..."

Even though my acting was far from perfect, the evidence against Bianca was solid. Deliberate assault was a charge that would stick. The police led her away, struggling, and she'd be in custody for a while at the very least.

Charles just stood there, looking from me to Bianca's retreating, writhing form, then back at me. Confusion was written all over his handsome face.

Stop looking so confused, idiot. He was no saint, either.

I lay back on the hospital bed. "Charles, I want a divorce."

Charles' lips quivered. "A divorce? Do you really think you have the right to ask me for a divorce?"

Ah, there it was. The classic, entitled "rich and powerful" spiel.

I grabbed the water cup off the nightstand and hurled it right at that idiot's forehead.

"Just because you've got some cash stashed away, you think you're king of the world? You think you can buy my freedom? When I say I'm divorcing you, it's happening—who the hell are you to tell me I don't have the right? The law gives me this power, not you! Tomorrow, I'll deliver the divorce papers myself. If you dare refuse to sign, I'll blow up everything that happened today. I'll tell everyone the mighty CEO of Kingston Group cheated on his wife and teamed up with his side chick to make the real wife lose her baby. Just wait for your stock to crash, your company's value to evaporate, and the board to tear you apart!"

The cup cracked against Charles' forehead, blood beading up bright red. His black trench coat was soaked, and honestly, he'd never looked this pathetic in his whole life.

Charles just looked even more lost. "Emily, this isn't you."

I gave a cold laugh. "Oh really? So what do you want me to be? The weak, spineless Emily you can push around with Bianca however you like, never saying a word? The sweet, obedient wife who just sits there and watches you and your side chick get all lovey-dovey, swallowing every bit of humiliation? Just take all the crap you two throw at me? Screw that! No one's going to put up with you forever! I'm not your damn mother!"

Charles walked away, looking absolutely shattered.

Suddenly, my chest tightened, and I realized—it was the old Emily's heartbreak coming through.

Cut it out already. Stop being such a loser.