Chapter 3
"Why? You worked your butt off for all of that. Why give it to her?" Alice demanded. "You say you love me? Then give me the money. That's what love looks like. Don't tell me nonsense.
"I'm not having this baby! Not like this! How am I supposed to raise a kid with no money?
"Better to end this now than let the kid come into a life of suffering."
Tyler panicked the moment he saw her hurting herself. He wrapped his arms around her like she was made of sugar glass.
"Hey sweetheart, don't. If you're mad, hit me. Don't hurt yourself or the baby. I'll earn the money back," he reassured her. "I only agreed to give those assets away so I can get free of her faster and marry you.
"You're worth it. Don't you get that?"
The way he looked at her… tender, devoted, like she was something precious he had to guard with his whole life.
Once upon a time, he looked at me the same way.
I didn't want to watch anymore. I was turning to leave when Alice suddenly spotted me from Tyler's arms. Her eyes changed, vicious all at once.
My brows tightened. Something bad was coming.
She shoved Tyler away, grabbed two empty IV bottles from a passing nurse's cart, and charged straight at me.
I barely had time to react.
The hatred in her eyes was sharp enough to bleed. "Who says you need a divorce? If you're widowed, he can marry me clean and easy!"
Crack. The bottle smashed against my skull.
Warm blood spilled down instantly, and my vision swayed.
As her vision blurred, all Mia could see was Tyler rushing toward her, panic written all over his face.
"Mia!" he cried out.
Alice lifted the other bottle and brought it down hard. "Trying to take my man's money? Die already!"
Everything went black. My body hit the floor, and I lost consciousness.
When I woke again, I was already in a hospital room.
My head throbbed so hard it felt like it might split open.
I reached up on instinct and winced when my fingers brushed the wound.
A nurse was changing my dressing. She glanced at me with pity. "You're awake? Mild concussion. More than forty stitches. But the baby's okay."
It was just me and the nurse in the room. I clenched my palm and whispered hoarsely, "Where are Tyler and Alice?"
"You mean the couple who were fighting with you?" the nurse asked. "After you passed out, the girl said her stomach hurt. The man panicked and rushed her to OB-GYN to get her admitted."
I froze. "Then who sent me to the ER?"
"One of our staff. You'll need to stay a few days for observation. And nobody has paid your fees yet. You should call a family member."
Tyler had watched me get beaten bloody, watched me collapse, and still didn't bother to send me to emergency care himself.
Suddenly, my phone rang.
I picked it up and saw a taunting message from Alice.
[You old hag, your life is really tough. Didn't even die this time.]
[Next time, you won't be so lucky.]
[Tyler is mine. His money too.]
[Sign the divorce papers and get lost, or I won't let you walk away alive.]
Attached at the end was a photo.
In the picture, Tyler was right by Alice's hospital bed, peeling a pomegranate for her, looking at her with all the tenderness in the world.
I stared at that peaceful profile of his… the one I used to know so well.
Then I dialed a number.
"Hello, I want to file a police report. My husband's mistress attempted to kill me for money," I said, my voice icy and unwavering.
I submitted the hospital footage and her threatening messages as evidence.
Five minutes later, Tyler stormed into my room.
He pushed the door open, his face dark and stormy, bringing a chill with him.
"You reported Alice for attempted murder?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
I met his cold stare calmly. "I took more than forty stitches. She wanted me dead. That's not an exaggeration."