Chapter 2

"Eloise, you don't actually think that just because William stood in for me at the wedding, you're his wife now, do you?" Damarion's face turned stormy, as if he'd just caught me cheating.

"The Donovan family is a prestigious clan. Someone like you shouldn't even think about getting involved with them. You'd better not let me catch you harboring any filthy ambitions," he warned.

With that, he grabbed my wrist tightly.

"What were you thinking, acting out of spite like this? You refused the living expenses I gave you and ended up taking a job as a beer girl. If Brylee hadn't spotted you, I wouldn't have believed it was really you," he said.

I was already wasted, my head spinning.

When he yanked me like that, my stomach went wild, and before I knew it, I was puking all over the place.

"Eloise, are you pregnant?" Brylee made sure everyone could hear her. "You're acting just like my sister did when she first got pregnant."

I froze, suddenly remembering that William and I had been trying for a second baby, so we hadn't been careful at all. Wait, was I actually pregnant?

Right now, I couldn't care less about them. All I wanted was to get to the hospital and get checked.

But Damarion took my urgency as a sign of betrayal. He completely ignored Brylee and dragged me straight into the car.

"Damarion, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted.

"Let's see if you've betrayed me," he said.

His face was dark as he slammed the gas pedal, racing us to the hospital. When we arrived, he dragged me straight in for a gynecological exam.

"You're not pregnant. The vomiting is just due to a stomach issue," the doctor said.

I couldn't help feeling let down. I really wanted to have another little girl.

Damarion glared at me, his eyes bloodshot. "Are you seriously disappointed?"

'Damarion looked like he was about to lose it, his eyes practically blazing with rage.'

I didn't bother with him and was about to leave.

But I'd barely taken two steps when he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up. "We'll deal with this at home," he said.

There was no way I could escape from a man who's been hitting the gym for years. I was forced to return to our old marital home.

"Damarion, you need to calm down," I said.

He was about to pull me back into the room, so I gripped the doorframe tightly, my breathing quickening in panic.

He forced my fingers off the frame, lifted me by the waist, and carried me straight into the bathroom.

"Eloise, how dare you betray me? Tonight, I'm going to wash every trace of him off you," Damarion snarled. "You better cut ties with that guy, or I swear I'll break every bone in his body."

Damarion had completely lost control. He turned the shower on full blast, soaking me as he yanked at my clothes, ripping them off in his rage.

With a sudden rip, the fabric on my shoulder was torn open, revealing my fair skin.

He paused, stunned for a moment, then his gaze darkened with desire.

My tears spilled over, and I gave him a fierce slap across the face.

"What gives you the right to treat me like this?" I shouted.

Damarion was struck speechless by the hopelessness in my eyes.

He swallowed hard, then quietly bundled me up in a towel, holding me close before gently laying me down on the bed.

I panicked and tried to get up.

"Hold still. You scraped your skin and didn't even say it hurt," Damarion muttered.

He crouched down, gently holding my ankle as he carefully dabbed on the ointment, murmuring to himself. "Thinking about it, did you look for a substitute because you missed me?

"If that's really it, I'll forgive you. Just break things off with him, and then we can start planning for a baby," he said.

I let out a bitter laugh, unable to hold back my sarcasm. "Is Brylee still acting all dramatic, threatening to end it all? Or have you already forgotten how we lost our child?"

Damarion looked away, avoiding my gaze. "Brylee's honestly better now. Even if something happens, she won't turn to me anymore. As for the baby, we're still young. We've got plenty of time to have another."

I blinked, my eyes burning with tears.

Just thinking about the child from my past life, that pain hit me all over again, refusing to let go.

That year, Brylee came over to the Mayer family. Out of nowhere, she lost it, slammed me to the ground, then went hysterical, screaming about ending it all.

Everyone in the Mayer family, even Damarion, ignored me completely. They only cared about Brylee.

No one even noticed me lying there in a pool of blood.

My baby was gone, just like that—lost in a pool of blood, ripped away from me before I could even say goodbye.

The pain of losing my child made rage flare up inside me. I tore my hand out of Damarion's grasp, my eyes blazing with hatred.

Damarion stared at me, completely taken aback.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

On the other end, I could hear the familiar wailing and sobbing.

"Okay, I'll be right there," Damarion said.

After hanging up, Damarion looked conflicted. "I asked Ben Cook to pick up a gift for you. Just wait for me at home. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

With that, he strode out without another word.

My face turned icy. Here he was again, the classic slap-then-candy routine.

Once he was gone, I rushed to the backyard, clambered up the wall, and bit back the pain as I jumped down.

My knees hit the ground hard, making me gasp, but I had no time to waste. I hobbled off as quickly as possible.

Once I got home safely, I found my parents and daughter already fast asleep.

I went to my room and made an overseas call to William, pouring out all my frustrations.

William was about to blow up on the other end, but after I calmed him down, he started whining for attention.

"I miss you so much. I can't wait to see you at the charity gala tomorrow," he said.

My heart felt warm, and all the stress from the night just vanished. I had the best sleep in ages.

The next day, the charity gala took place right on schedule.