Chapter 2
Claire drove with steady hands.
Her black SUV was rugged and tough, just like her.
I sat in the passenger seat, curled up tight, watching the city flash by outside.
Even after leaving that cold operating room, I still felt frozen inside.
I felt like a soulless puppet, hollow and numb.
"We're going to my place first," Claire said, breaking the silence in the car.
Her voice still carried the anger she hadn't let go of.
"Don't go back home for now. That place is a hellhole now," she added.
I didn't say a word, simply turned my face toward the window.
My tears had run dry, and all that was left inside was a barren, empty desert.
Claire's place was in a high-end, gated community. It was a spacious, open-plan apartment, decorated in minimalist black, white, and gray. Cold, but undeniably classy.
She pulled a brand-new pair of women's slippers from the shoe cabinet and set them at my feet.
"Sit down. What do you want to drink?" she asked.
"Just water," I said, my voice rough and raw.
She quickly poured me a glass of water and handed it over, watching as I drank it all in one go.
"Now, tell me everything, from start to finish," she said.
She sat across from me in a single armchair, legs crossed, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
"From the moment you found out you were pregnant, to when Ethan, that bastard, told you to get rid of the babies," she said. "Don't leave out a single detail."
I looked at her, the woman who technically was my sister-in-law.
In the past three years, I could count on one hand how many times we'd met.
She was always busy, either in the operating room or on her way to some academic conference.
Between us, there was only polite distance, never any real closeness.
But right now, the anger and heartache in her eyes were real.
This sudden kindness was like a tiny match, striking a faint spark in the pitch-black world I was trapped in.
I took a deep breath and started to talk.
From the joy of holding that ultrasound report, to the disgust of walking in on Ethan and Madison.
From the coldness of Ethan handing me the divorce papers, to the cruelty of him telling me to get rid of the babies.
I spoke calmly. There was no tears, no accusations, like I was telling someone else's story.
But every word I said made those scenes replay in my mind, tearing me apart all over again.
Claire listened in silence, her hands clenched tighter and tighter on her knees, her knuckles so tight they turned white.
When I finished, her chest was heaving, and she spat out a word through gritted teeth. "Bastard!"
She shot to her feet, pacing the living room like a lioness on the prowl.
She said, "I always knew Madison was bad news. Back in college, she was stringing along a bunch of guys, always acting all frail, like she could faint any second. She's a total drama queen, always playing the victim for sympathy.
"Ethan was totally under her spell back then and swore he'd never marry anyone else. When she dumped him, he was a wreck for ages.
"I thought he'd finally come to his senses when he married you, but turns out he's still just as stupid!"
She slammed her fist against the wall, a dull thud echoing through the room.
She snapped, "How could a Goodman man turn out to be such a clueless idiot?
"For some scheming outsider, he's willing to hurt his own wife and murder his own kids."
Her anger was contagious, and for the first time, I actually felt a hint of pain in my numb heart.
At least feeling something was better than feeling nothing at all.
She sat down across from me again, her eyes calm now, but beneath that calm was a storm brewing.
"Liv, listen to me," she said.
She took my cold hand in hers. Her palm was warm and steady, radiating a strength that made me feel safe.
She said, "We can't give up on the babies. They're your flesh and blood, and they're the Goodman bloodline.
"And we're not letting Ethan off the hook that easily.
"Divorce is a must, but not like this, getting dumped with some lousy apartment.
"He's the one at fault, cheating and hiding assets. We're going to make sure he walks away with nothing, and his reputation ruined."
I stared at her, my mind spinning.
Walk away with nothing? Ruin his reputation?
I'd never considered those words before.
All I wanted was to escape, to get away from that suffocating marriage, from that man who made me sick.
"I—" I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
"Don't be afraid," Claire said, catching my hesitation. "I've got your back.
"You don't have to worry about anything right now. Stay here, take care of yourself, and keep the babies safe.
"I'll handle the rest."
Her tone was firm, carrying the authority of someone used to being in charge.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was Ethan.
Seeing his name flash on the screen made my stomach churn.
My first instinct was to hang up.
But Claire stopped me, her hand on mine.
"Answer it," she said.
Her eyes were cold and heavy.
"Put it on speaker," she added.