Chapter 2
I stopped eating.
No food, no water, no words.
The doctors and nurses kept coming in, trying to convince me, but I acted like I couldn't hear a thing.
Whenever they tried to hook me up to an IV for nutrients, I'd fight them off, yanking out the needle until my hand was all bruised and purple.
The Grant family started to panic.
They didn't care if I died, but they were worried I'd die in the hospital. If people heard about it, their reputation would be trashed.
An ex-daughter-in-law who starved herself to death after being forced into an abortion? That kind of scandal would tarnish their reputation for good.
On the third day, Edward finally showed up.
He looked a bit thinner, with faint dark circles under his eyes, but he still carried himself with that same air of superiority.
He stood by my bed, just watching me in silence for a long time.
"Are you done acting out?" he finally spoke, his voice dripping with impatience.
"Karen, quit these childish stunts. It's pathetic," he said.
I slowly turned my head, staring at the face I once loved down to my bones.
Now, all that remained was a hatred that cut just as deep.
"Edward." My voice was rough. "Did you come here just so I wouldn't die and mess up your family's spotless image?"
He frowned hard, "What are you even talking about? Lucas is safe now. Isn't that what you always wanted?"
I let out a hollow laugh.
I nearly screamed, "I wanted? Yeah, I wanted him saved, but I never wanted it to be at the cost of my own baby!
"That was your own flesh and blood! How could you... How could you say it didn't bother?"
At those words, his gaze wavered for a moment before turning icy again.
"That was the only option we had at the time. Karen, can't you just be rational for once? Lucas is Aaron's only son. He can't be put at risk," he said.
"So my baby was the one who had to die, huh?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He stayed silent.
That silence cut deeper than any excuse he could've given.
"Tell me. What do I mean to you? What did our baby ever matter to you?" My voice was barely more than a whisper.
I forced myself upright, every word squeezed out with the last bit of strength I had left.
He looked at me, lips barely moving as he coldly spoke the most heartless words.
"Karen, we're done. Just sign the papers, take the money, and go start your new life. It's better this way for everyone," he said.
For everyone but me and my lost baby.
My heart died right then and there.
There was no warmth left in me.
"Fine," I said, my voice eerily calm, catching him off guard. "I'll sign."
He finally let out a breath he'd been holding.
"But I have one condition," I said.
"Go ahead," he replied.
"I want to see my baby one last time," I said, my voice steady even though I was shaking inside. "I want to bury him myself."
For a split second, a flicker of hesitation and a trace of compassion crossed Edward's face, but it was quickly replaced by cold resolve.
"He's already... been handled," he said, his voice flat.
"Handled?" I echoed the word, numb.
My blood ran cold. "What do you mean? Did you just toss him out like medical waste?"
"Karen!" He raised his voice, clearly stung by my words. "The dead can't come back. Why are you still obsessing over this?"
It hit me.
It all became painfully clear.
To him, that little one was never even a real person, not from the start, not ever.
I shut my eyes, refusing to look at him.
"Bring me the divorce papers," I said, my voice flat.
"Eat something first," he said.
"Just give them to me," I insisted.
He finally gave in.
I took the papers and, with slow, deliberate strokes, signed my name.
Then, right in front of him, I picked up the bowl of cereal from the nightstand and forced myself to eat.
He watched me, his eyes hard to read.
Maybe, in his mind, I'd finally given in to reality.
But only I knew, from the moment I signed those papers, I was no longer Karen Curtis.
From now on, I was nothing but a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell, with only one thing left driving me.
Revenge.