Chapter 1
My so-called CEO husband, Edward Pierce, thought pregnant women were brainless, and I, Anna Ryan, had to run every expense over 30 bucks by him.
The day I started showing signs of a possible miscarriage, he turned down my request for a one-thousand-dollar procedure.
"Do you know that one thousand dollars is what many people live on for a whole month?" he said.
"I don't earn money for you to leech off me," he added.
Because the procedure wasn't done in time, I lost my baby.
As soon as I got off the operating table, his childhood friend Claire Linwood, who had just come back from abroad, posted on her social media.
The photo showed a two-million-dollar Ocean Heart necklace.
She included a caption: [Thanks for treating me like a princess, just like you did when we were kids, no matter what it takes.]
She tagged Edward.
I didn't make a big fuss as I used to.
Actually, I simply liked the post.
And I texted: [That's great. Let him treat you like a queen forever.]
*****
Edward called me. "Anna, what's up with that comment you left on Claire's post?
"Everyone was having a good time, but now she's feeling guilty because of what you said.
"She just got back to town, and I gave her a gift. What's the big deal? We've been close since we were kids. Do you always have to get—"
He hadn't even finished saying the word "jealous" before I cut him off.
"Oh, really? Sorry about that. Won't happen again," I said, my voice cold and distant.
Edward suddenly went silent.
Every time we argued because of Claire, I'd blow up and demand answers from him.
Even though every fight left me heartbroken, I still couldn't stop myself from wanting him to prove he cared.
Especially after I got pregnant.
For the first time, I let him say whatever he wanted without arguing back.
He didn't know that losing the baby had made me rethink our whole relationship.
I hung up before he could say another word.
Right after I deleted the comment, Edward called me again.
This time, his voice was way gentler.
He said, "I'm not blaming you or anything, just whatever. Where are you?"
"At the hospital," I answered.
"Okay, you probably don't have cab fare, huh? I'll come get you," he said.
The hospital hallway was pitch dark, no lights, no heating. On Christmas Eve, with snow falling outside, it was freezing.
My hands were red from the cold as I clutched my phone, and it struck me as ironic.
"Aren't you curious why I'm at the hospital?" I asked.
On the other end, I could hear Claire crying.
She said, "Edward, is Anna still mad at me? Was I really that out of line this time? I didn't think she'd get so upset over it.
"I'm really upset right now. Can you be with me?"
I interrupted, my tone frosty.
"Edward," I said.
He had just said he was coming to pick me up.
There was a pause on the other end.
Edward said, "I'll send the driver to pick you up."
He hung up without another word.
Listening to the hollow beeps on the other end, I put down my phone, lowered my head, and buried my face in my hands.
Obviously, in the end, I was the one left behind.
And it was always me.
But for some reason, not a single tear was left in me.
I was not even sad, really.
I just felt a bit of pity for myself.
I stood at the hospital entrance, the wind cutting right through my only long coat, leaving me shivering all over.
A taxi driver, rushing to get home, pulled up and rolled down his window.
He called out, "Heading home? I can take you for free so you don't miss Christmas dinner."
I gave a small smile.
"Thanks, but someone's coming to pick me up," I replied.
Taxis kept passing by, but Edward's driver never showed up.
Guess he forgot about me again.
I didn't blow up his phone like I used to, demanding he come get me right away. Instead, I just flagged down a passing cab.
Not a dime to my name, and I knew it.
But honestly, I just didn't have it in me to start another fight with him.
As the cab pulled up to the entrance of my neighborhood, a massive burst of fireworks exploded across the sky, painting half the night in dazzling colors.
I was stunned for a moment. The driver glanced at me.
He said with a smile, "Heard Mrs. Pierce was feeling down, so Mr. Pierce went all out and set up this whole fireworks show just for her."
"Mrs. Pierce?" I asked, turning to look at the driver.
He nodded.
"Yeah, she just got back today. There was some drama between Mr. Pierce and a woman. So, he spent a fortune to make her happy. Each firework costs 4 thousand. And Mr. Pierce booked the whole show."
So, I'm the "other woman" now.
I looked down and gave a silent smile. The driver kept talking, shaking his head.
"Guess it's not so bad when the rich throw their money around. At least folks like us get a free fireworks show," he said.
I looked out the window.
"Yeah," I replied.
With all that over-the-top pampering, it was getting impossible to tell who he really considered Mrs. Pierce these days.
No wonder winning her over with fireworks was a big deal, but coming to get me didn't even matter in comparison.
"Hey, beautiful?" The driver's voice snapped me back to reality.
He shot me an apologetic grin.
"You still need to pay," he reminded me.
"Oh," I replied.
I slipped off my diamond ring and placed it on the dashboard.
"Keep the change," I said.
"Hey. Miss. That's way too much," the driver called.
He kept calling after me.
I walked into the neighborhood without looking back.
Just as I was about to step into the pitch-black villa, a massive firework lit up the night behind me.
I turned around to see bursts of brilliant fireworks coming together, forming a huge rose that bloomed across the sky.