Chapter 4
My head was spinning. How could this be possible?
Seven years ago, I got pregnant just a month after marrying Harley.
When I told him the news, he gazed at my belly with a soft, tender look.
But his tone was unwavering. "Honey, I don't want Adam and Nina to get hurt."
"They've already been separated from their birth mother. I don't want them to hate me for this," he said.
Adam and Nina were twins he had with Olivia.
The only thing he ever regretted about divorcing Olivia was what it did to the kids.
So he didn't want me to have another child.
After the medical abortion, Harley sat by my bedside and made me a promise.
"Adam and Nina are yours now. They're our kids," he said.
For seven years, I held onto that promise.
I never dared to dream of having a child of my own.
But now, Chloe was pregnant.
Her shrill laughter pierced right through me, like a poisoned needle straight to the heart. The pain hit so hard that I almost fell off my chair.
Before I even realized what I was doing, the warm milk was already splashed all over Chloe.
She screamed, "Janice, how dare you!"
It finally hit me. My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't even hold onto the cup. It slipped from my grip and went rolling across the floor.
"Get in here and slap her," Chloe barked.
The private room door swung open at her shout. A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped inside. When his eyes met mine, he subconsciously looked away.
When Harley and I first got together, he assigned his personal bodyguard to watch over me.
It wasn't until our fourth year of marriage that he took the bodyguard back, saying it was just a staff rotation.
Our fourth year of marriage. That was when he met Chloe.
Everything started piecing together in my head. Each thought twisted tighter and tighter until my whole heart felt knotted up and aching. My chest was tight, sour.
"What are you waiting for? Slap her!" Chloe barked.
The bodyguard looked hesitant. "Shouldn't we check with Mr. Frost first?"
"Jake, so you don't take orders from me now?" Chloe shot back.
She smirked. "What exactly did Harley tell you when he assigned you to me?"
I looked up and met Jake Mason's gaze.
He was Harley's most trusted. He had been by Harley's side for over ten years. Honestly, he probably understood Harley better than I ever could.
He valued whatever Harley valued, no questions asked.
Jake hesitated for a long moment, unable to make a move, and for a brief, twisted moment, I actually let myself hope.
I grabbed my bag, held my head high, and was about to stride out. Jake reached out and blocked my path.
"Sorry, Mrs. Frost," he said quietly.
He slapped me hard right across the face.
The blow knocked me to the ground, my cheek burning like fire.
Everything warped and faded. Sounds turned into a distant hum. I clutched my face, dazed, and for a long moment, I couldn't pull myself together.
Then Chloe's phone started ringing. It jolted me back.
"Why aren't you at home? Where did you sneak off to this time?" Harley's familiar, gentle voice washed over me.
"Oww, it hurts," Chloe pouted, her voice trembling with tears as she played up the pain.
Harley was supposed to be overseas. He'd said he wouldn't be back all week.
Yet he showed up in less than 30 minutes.
He carefully looked Chloe over, making sure I hadn't actually burned her.
Only then did he finally walk over to me slowly in his leather shoes.
"You promised," I said, searching his face for even a trace of guilt. "You said you'd never have another child."
Harley looked down at me from above, as if I were nothing more than an ant beneath his feet.
"I told you to behave," he said.
His tone was gentle as ever, but the words felt like he was sending me to the depths of hell.
He went on, "Janice, if you really can't control yourself, I'll have to send you straight to the hospital."