Chapter 3

Xavier's quiet sobs soon turned into uncontrollable crying. He collapsed onto me, dropping every last bit of his guard and bawling like a kid.

After a long while, I leaned back a little and looked up at the chandelier.

All I had to do was say, "Alright, I forgive you." Just like that, our lives could go back to the way they were, back when we were happy.

All I had to do was let it go, just swallow my pride this one time.

However, I couldn't do it anymore.

I sniffled, then kicked Xavier out of the room.

I stayed awake the whole night, not even drifting off once.

Just as I finally managed to doze off at dawn, a commotion downstairs jolted me awake.

Xavier's sister, Diana Pierce, stormed up the stairs in her high heels.

When she saw Xavier sleeping on the floor outside my room, she burst through the door without a second thought.

"Leah, who do you think you are, making Xavier sleep on the floor?" Diana snapped.

She didn't care at all that I was pregnant; she yanked my arm, trying to pull me off the bed.

I nearly lost my balance, but a girl caught me just in time.

I fell onto her back, drawing a soft, pained grunt from her.

"Thank you," I said, shooting a grateful look at Diana's friend, the girl she always brought over. Her name was Hannah Burke.

Hannah looked a little scared of me, keeping her head down and nervously shaking her head.

Five years as Diana's sister-in-law, and she still treated me like I wasn't worth even basic respect.

"Just because you're carrying Xavier's child doesn't mean you get to call the shots in the Pierce family. My parents might be okay with it, but I sure as hell won't," Diana snapped.

She'd always been jealous of how much Xavier's parents liked me, and every time we met, she'd throw some snide remarks my way.

However, I was pretty much used to it.

Just as I was about to leave, she said, "Leah, Xavier has been cheating on you, hasn't he? Once you pop out that baby, he'll lose interest in you. And by then, you'll never get to be so arrogant."

She shot a sly look at Hannah, flashing a cryptic, almost mocking smile.

I turned around and said coolly, "Do you know Xavier's cheating?"

Diana's face lit up with even more smugness, her chin held high.

"Even your own family doesn't love you. Do you really think Xavier is gonna stay loyal to you? What a joke," Diana scoffed.

Back then, I always figured Diana was just being childish, so I never took her seriously.

However, even a total stranger wouldn't take pleasure in seeing a pregnant woman get betrayed by her husband like this.

Diana shot me a glare, then dragged Hannah straight over to my jewelry box.

She rummaged through it like she owned the place, pulling out necklaces and bracelets worth millions of dollars.

After snatching a diamond necklace worth tens of millions for herself, she spent ages picking through the rest. Finally, she slipped a diamond ring onto Hannah's ring finger.

She waved Hannah's hand in my face, flaunting it like she was trying to rub it in.

"Hannah, this is Leah's wedding ring. It matches Xavier's. See?" Diana said, her voice dripping with mockery. "It's just perfect for you."

Maybe pregnancy really did make me dumb, because I still hadn't caught the insinuation tucked inside Diana's words.

Whenever I got a luxury necklace or designer bag, Diana would just waltz in and start digging through my stuff. She often walked away with pieces I hadn't even had the chance to use.

And I always let her because I was stupid enough to think "family" meant something.

However, now that I was about to divorce Xavier, I wasn't going to be anyone's doormat anymore.

As for that wedding ring, if she wanted it, she could have it.

I ignored the smug look in Diana's eyes and grabbed all my things back from her without a second thought.

I turned back to grab a million-dollar bracelet and offered it to Hannah. "Here, this is for you. It's brand new. Thanks for catching me just now. I really appreciate it."

Hannah instantly backed away, looking honestly terrified of me.

"Mrs. Pierce, please, I really can't take this. It's way too much," she stammered.

I was not one to pressure anyone, so I was about to set the bracelet aside.

Just then, Hannah hesitated and said, "Mrs. Pierce, could you give me this ring? I really like it."

I paused for a moment, then nodded.

However, before Hannah could even hold onto it, Xavier showed up out of nowhere at the door and snatched it right out of her hand.

"Leah, that's our wedding ring. How could you just give it to someone else like it means nothing?" Xavier demanded.

His voice came out hoarse and strained.

I turned to Hannah, who looked pale as a ghost, and tried to reassure her. "It's okay, he's not upset with you. Why don't you both step outside for a bit?"

Diana, intimidated by Xavier, hurried out of the room.

Hannah, whether she was scared or just nervous, moved slowly toward the door, hesitating and glancing back at me with every step.