Chapter 3
The medicine bottle was smashed down on Jenna's head.
Blood started pouring out, and Jenna swayed on the spot.
Derek frantically rushed over, panic written all over his face.
He shouted, "Jenna!"
Lilah snatched up another bottle and smashed it down on Jenna with even more force.
"Trying to steal my husband's money? Drop dead!" she said.
Jenna's vision went completely dark as she slumped forward, losing consciousness.
When Jenna woke up again, she was already lying in a hospital bed.
Even with her head wrapped in bandages, it still felt like it was splitting apart.
She reached up without thinking, and her fingers shook as she gingerly touched the spot where she had been hurt.
The nurse was changing Jenna's dressing when she saw her wake up.
She said sympathetically, "You're awake? You suffered a mild concussion and needed more than forty stitches, but the good news is your baby is safe."
Now, it was Jenna and the nurse in the room.
Jenna's hands balled up tightly, and her voice came out rough as she asked, "Where are Derek and Lilah?"
The nurse said, "You mean the two you were arguing with? After you passed out, that girl started complaining about stomach pain, and that guy got all panicked.
"He scooped her up and rushed her to the OB/GYN to get her admitted."
Jenna froze.
She asked, "Then who brought me to the ER?"
The nurse answered, "It was someone from the hospital staff who brought you in. You'll need to stay here for a few days for observation, and your bill still hasn't been paid.
"You should get in touch with your family so they can come take care of you and handle the payment."
He actually watched her get attacked and lose consciousness right in front of him and didn't even care enough to get her help.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
Jenna picked it up and saw a taunting message from Lilah.
It read, [Wow, you really are one tough old crow. Still kicking after all that?
[But next time, you might not be so lucky.
[Derek belongs to me now. And so does his money.
[Here's my advice: sign those divorce papers and get out of my life for good. Otherwise, I'll make your life hell.]
Right after those texts, there was a photo attached.
In the picture, Derek was sitting by Lilah's hospital bed, peeling a banana for her, looking at her with all the tenderness in the world.
Jenna glared at Derek's profile, his face so calm and gentle, like he didn't have a care in the world.
She dialed the number.
She said, "Hello? I need to report a crime. My husband's lover just tried to kill me for his money."
Jenna submitted the hospital security footage of Lilah attacking her, along with the threatening texts Lilah sent, turning it all in as evidence.
Less than five minutes later, Derek showed up in her hospital room.
He pushed the door open, his face dark, bringing a chill into the room.
"You called the cops and accused Lilah of attempted murder?" he demanded.
Jenna met his eyes, her tone icy calm.
She said, "I got over forty stitches. She tried to kill me. She's not innocent."
Derek looked at her pale face and the layers of bandages around her head, and his expression softened just a little.
He said, "Lilah just couldn't deal with all the money talk between us, so she acted out and hurt you.
"She's young, and with the pregnancy, her emotions are all over the place. She even cut her hand on the bottle. She's already paid the price.
"Let me apologize on her behalf. Can you just let it go?"
Jenna had promised herself she wouldn't let Derek mess with her feelings ever again.
But her whole body trembled with fury anyway.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Derek, completely falling apart.
She said, "Derek, you used to protect me. You swore that if anyone ever hurt me, you'd pay them back ten times worse.
"Now Lilah only got a scratch on her finger while attacking me, and you actually think that's enough punishment for her?
"You can't even make her, the one who hurt me, apologize to me in person?
"What happened to all those promises? What happened to the love you once had for me? Did you just let it all go to the dogs?"
But instead of the tenderness he used to show, Derek just frowned, clearly annoyed by her meltdown.
He stared at her tear-streaked face, totally unmoved.
"Jenna, quit acting pathetic. Your tears don't mean anything to me anymore," Derek said.
Jenna was stunned.
Derek's voice was cold and steady.
He said, "Back then, I thought what we had was love, but it was just family.
"Meeting Lilah made me see just how wrong I was.
"Lilah's pregnant now, and I won't let you make things difficult for her."
He threw the stack of documents right in front of Jenna.
The papers spread open by themselves, and Jenna immediately saw the words "Stock Transfer Agreement" printed at the top.