Chapter 2

Vanessa's sweet, delicate voice called out from outside the hospital room, "Eric."

Her voice crawled into my ears like a thorny vine, scraping raw against my eardrums.

My whole body tensed with pain.

I clutched my lower abdomen on instinct.

It was empty now.

The baby who used to kick me from inside was gone.

Grief crashed over me without warning, and I broke into uncontrollable sobs.

Eric's face turned cold as he snapped at me, "Don't make a scene in front of Vanessa."

I clutched the sheets, my fingers digging in so hard it felt like I might tear them apart.

Is crying for my dead child considered causing trouble?

Does he expect me to act like him? Forcing divorce on the very day our child died, all for the woman who took my baby?

Eric handed me a tissue. "Wipe your face."

I stared up at the IV bag hanging above me and let out a bitter smile.

Cold fluid seeped into my frail body, one drop at a time.

And my husband, the father of my child, couldn't wait to run to the murderer who took our baby.

Hatred coiled and spread in my heart, growing as wildly as vines nourished by spring rain.

"If you walk out that door, nothing will remain between us," I said, my voice trembling with anger.

Eric paused briefly. He turned back to look at me and spoke in a soft, soothing tone. "Vanessa is worried about you. If you do not want to see her, I will go tell her to leave."

I watched Eric walk away without a second thought.

Despair washed over me as I sank back onto the hospital bed.

The hospital was so quiet that Vanessa's voice came through loud and clear.

"Did she agree to you being my partner for our couple influencer channel?" Vanessa asked.

So this is what Eric calls "being concerned" about me.

All she cared about was whether her plan had succeeded.

Not about the mother whose child she stole from me with her own hands.

Eric replied with a hint of a smile in his voice. "She agreed."

"And did she sign the divorce papers too?" Vanessa could barely contain her excitement, her voice trembling with eagerness to claim her victory.

As soon as Eric took out the divorce papers, Vanessa leaned in and kissed him hard on the cheek.

"Eric, you're amazing. You're the best. No one loves me as you do," Vanessa gushed.

Eric wrapped an arm around her, his voice full of affection. "We're in a hospital, be careful. If she sees us, she'll start making a scene again."

Hearing that, I let out a bitter, humorless laugh.

When have I ever made a scene?

Every time he dismissed her behavior by calling her a young sister, I bit my tongue and put up with it.

If I could turn back time, I wish I'd actually caused a scene back then.

Maybe then I wouldn't have lost my own child.

Vanessa buzzed with excitement. "I cannot believe she agreed so easily. She has managed your account this whole time. I worried she would never let go of it."

Eric sounded annoyed. "Management alone cannot make an account successful. Without the influencer, the account is nothing. This account belongs to me, plain and simple."

Vanessa spoke in a timid tone. "I know that, of course. But Claire keeps saying you would be nothing without her."

Knowing I was weak and bedridden, Vanessa did not bother lowering her voice as she spoke ill of me.

What truly broke me was Eric's response.

"She is far too domineering. She never knows how to soften herself around a man. She always takes credit for everything. That attitude gets her nowhere. I am the only person who can put up with her," Eric said.

My heart was completely shattered.

It turned out that's how he sees me.

I racked my brain for ideas, pulled all-nighters editing videos, and every viral hit I made helped him become a ten-million-follower influencer.

In the end, I received no recognition for my work. I got no credit for my effort. I only got blamed.

Tears streamed down my face again and again.

Outside the door, Vanessa was bubbling with excitement. "Eric, let's go get hotpot to celebrate, okay?"

"I am not sure. That might not be a good idea," Eric said, sounding hesitant.

"Oh, please. The hospital has nurses. Food tastes like nothing without you there with me," Vanessa pouted.

"Fine, I'll go let her know," Eric said.

Eric pushed open my door.

In the cold hospital room, I was all alone.

The baby I had carried, who was always with me, was gone

Eric came over quietly, leaning down to tuck the blanket around me.

But Vanessa called from outside, and he froze, then hurried out.

"Call me if you need anything. I will go get your favorite broth-filled steamed buns," he said.

The moment the hospital room door clicked shut, my heart slammed shut as well.