Chapter 3

Veronica looked at her hands. She said over the phone, "Of course. I'm going to live for myself from now on! I'm going to find my dream again."

Tina was overjoyed. "I'm so happy for you, Veronica!"

After hanging up, Veronica looked at her suitcase and thought for a while. It was already past midnight. So, she decided that she could only leave the next day.

She had only just gotten up when she suddenly received a call from Henry.

Veronica hesitated briefly before answering the call.

She heard two voices on the phone, one belonging to Henry and the other belonging to another woman.

"Henry… I think you should go back to your wife tonight. Veronica's waiting for you."

The sound of a lighter clicking was followed by Henry presumably lighting his cigarette. "Go back to her? Ha! I feel like throwing up just by looking at her face. Don't joke around anymore, Daphne."

Daphne Moore?

So, Henry hadn't been staying late at the office over the past few weeks, but rather in another home he shared with Daphne.

Veronica felt a pang in her heart at Henry's words. She found it ironic, yet she wasn't in a hurry to hang up.

It was obvious that someone had "accidentally" called her on purpose.

She was curious about what Daphne wanted her to know.

Daphne chuckled. "Do you really hate Veronica that much, Henry? But you've both already been married for a year. Are you sure that you've never felt anything for her at all?

"I mean, she's really pretty and graceful. She was even the famous Sherman heiress, known throughout Amberdale… I don't believe that you've never felt anything for her."

Henry put on a half-smile and replied, "Feel things for her? Impossible. The only person I like is you. Daphne, don't you think you're being a little too jealous now?"

Daphne replied, "Well, you're the one keeping me out of the public eye, hiding our relationship. After all, I come from a plain family background. I can never compare to her."

Henry frowned. "Why are you comparing yourself to her? You're a lot more precious to me than she is by a thousandfold, maybe even a millionfold.

"I heard that her mother gave birth to her at the hospital and then ran away after that. She then stumbled onto the streets and was killed by a car.

"If it weren't for that damn nurse who switched her at birth because she hated the Shermans, Veronica would have grown up in an orphanage instead.

"She was lucky, yet she made the real Sherman heiress suffer for most of her life. Now that the truth's finally out, Veronica is actually nothing but a street beggar who doesn't even know her parents. The Shermans have also completely kicked her out.

"And she even used such lowly methods to get rid of you back then! Did you know how delighted I was when it was revealed that she was a phony?

"Her family background, which she used to be so proud of, turned out to be fake. How could she ever compare to you now?

"You're the only one in my heart, Daphne. You're like the moon in the sky, my one and only."

It had only been one day.

However, Veronica managed to stay calm and unruffled, even after hearing so many hurtful things about herself.

She calmly ended the call and carefully saved the recording.

She didn't care whether Daphne was simply gloating or trying to prove something. Since Daphne was challenging her head-on, Veronica would accept the challenge without backing down.

They didn't see her as a person with dignity. They only wanted to humiliate her and take every advantage of her.

If that were the case, Veronica would let them have a taste of their own medicine and make them experience what it was like to lose everything!

Now that she had concrete evidence handed to her on a silver platter, she decided that the best form of revenge was to expose their dirty, secretive affair first.

The next morning, Veronica spent some time throwing up in the bathroom. After that, her mind felt clearer.

She knew that she was going to have to divorce Henry. However, she feared that it wouldn't be as easy as she wanted it to be.

Now, everyone in the Goodwin family knew that she was pregnant. They would naturally assume that she was carrying the Goodwins' offspring, so there was no way they would ever let her off that easily.

Henry had also gone through such lengths to plan it out with Daphne, and they were undoubtedly rejoicing at it thinking that they had been successful—especially Daphne.

That phone call last night was obviously because Daphne confidently thought that Veronica would never dare to make a huge fuss about it even if she found out that Henry had been cheating on her.

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Veronica would have nothing if she left the Goodwins. On top of that, she was also pregnant.

So, even if Veronica were to find out that Henry had been cheating on her, Daphne believed that Veronica would only choose to grin and bear it in silence.

Daphne was just set on being a pain in the ass for Veronica and making life as hard for her as possible.

Yet, the more she was like that, the more Veronica refused to go along with the script. She refused to accept betrayals of any kind. Moreover, she was never a helpless damsel in distress, relying on others for her survival!

Veronica had just descended the flight of stairs when she bumped into the family doctor, Anna Holmes, who had just stepped in through the door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Goodwin. What a coincidence. It's time for your shot again today."

Veronica walked up to Anna and picked up the syringe. "Is this really a progesterone shot?"

Ever since her first IVF attempt, Henry had hired Anna to give her a progesterone shot every single day. He told Veronica that it was all for her own good, and the shots he was giving her were all high-quality, imported supplements that were safe for her.

Veronica's stomach was now covered in varying colors of bruises.

Back then, she hadn't dared to stop the shots when she failed the first IVF attempt because she didn't want Henry to worry about her. She had thought that perhaps the second attempt would be successful if she continued with it.

But now, Veronica was certain that it was all a scam!

"Dr. Holmes, how much is Henry paying you to do this? What did he promise you?"

Anna was a young woman with a plain face. When she heard Veronica's question, her pupil immediately constricted in shock.

"You…"

How had Veronica found out about it? And how much did she know?

Veronica knew that she had hit the nail on the head when she saw Anna's expression.

When Veronica was at the hospital the day before to question Frank, she had also told him that she was receiving progesterone shots every single day.

Yet, Frank had gotten angry at her. "That's bullshit! Mrs. Goodwin, you may be pregnant with twins, but all your tests have come back normal. There are no signs of miscarriage or anything of the sort. Why are you still taking progesterone shots? Don't you know that it's very dangerous to both you and your babies when in excess?"

Veronica shook in rage when she heard that.

"But I've been experiencing terrible morning sickness every day. I also don't have much of an appetite for anything."

Frank replied, "Even the healthiest people can suffer adverse side effects if they take random drugs or shots they don't need!

"Please stop taking the progesterone shots. I really can't promise that no accidents will happen if you keep taking them."

Veronica then had Frank give her another check-up just to be sure.

After analyzing the results, Frank said, "There's nothing abnormal with you or your babies. You're also on the healthier side. As for the contents of the shots, I think we can only be sure after you bring in a sample for testing."

Veronica then knew that this had to be part of Henry's plan.

Even though he believed that she was pregnant with his and Daphne's babies, he was still determined to make her pregnancy as difficult as possible so she would suffer.

Veronica's glare at Anna was deadly. She said, "I used to believe that as a doctor, you would uphold your oath and have some sort of conscience.

"Now, if I were to take this shot to get it tested and report you to the police for drug abuse and intent to harm me, do you think Henry would still try to save you? Or do you want to bet how many years you'd be spending in prison?"

Anna panicked. "Mrs. Goodwin, I'm only carrying out Mr. Goodwin's orders. You… You can't do this to me… It'll destroy my entire life."

Veronica tried her best to hold back her anger. What, so she was supposed to allow someone else to destroy her own life instead?

"Dr. Holmes, I'll let you choose whom you plan to take orders from next time," she said.

Anna wasn't dumb. Even though Henry held more authority, Veronica now had leverage over her. There was really nothing else Anna could do.

After Anna slinked away with her tail between her legs, Veronica looked up at the huge wedding portrait hanging on the living room wall.

Back then, Henry was still playing the role of a kind and caring husband to her.

Even after her identity was exposed as a fake, Henry still defended her against his family and refused to divorce her.

At first, Veronica had thought that Henry was a man of his word, planning to take full responsibility for her life, thus making him a great life partner for her. Unfortunately, she had been blind then to his deceit. She never realized that all of Henry's care and gentleness with her had been nothing more than an act.

Veronica was now even more curious about something. If even her pregnancy and the progesterone shots were a hoax, then were her initial infertility test results faked as well?

She wanted to get out of this house as soon as she could. So, she went online and hired a few strong movers and cleaners.

While she ate, the movers and cleaners took down the massive wedding portrait and cleared out every trace of her from the house, including her mugs, utensils, photo frames, and the souvenirs she had brought back from the trips she took with Henry after their marriage.

Then she threw everything into the garden bonfire and burned it, turning it to ash.

She was the one who decided to leave Henry and their marriage behind first.

When she left with her suitcase, Veronica called Anna and said, "Dr. Holmes, I need you to provide a document confirming that I am showing signs of a threatened miscarriage due to emotional stress during my pregnancy.

"And send it to Henry yourself."

Since Daphne was being upfront about it with her, Veronica didn't mind going with the flow and telling the entire world about her existence now.

After hanging up, Veronica then remorsefully caressed her stomach and said, "I'm sorry, cupcakes. Mommy doesn't mean to curse you like that. I'm just getting back at two bastards. Please don't be mad at me.

"You're the only ones I love now. I don't have anyone else but you. Be strong and grow well in my belly, alright?"

After stopping the "progesterone" shots, Veronica realized that her morning sickness had eased considerably. She knew she had to stay strong and healthy to protect her babies.

She was also determined to leave this broken marriage before they were born.

Veronica got a call from Henry just after she moved into her newly rented apartment. It seemed that he had already received the faked report from Anna.

He sounded extremely anxious on the phone. "Veronica? Dr. Holmes said that you were emotionally triggered and showed signs of a threatened miscarriage. Haven't you always stayed at home? Who was it who triggered you? Tell me! I'll defend you at once!"

Obviously, he was only concerned about his bastard babies growing in Veronica's womb.

Veronica pretended to answer in a frail, weak voice. "Henry… I-I heard that Daphne has returned… Is that true?

"I-I know that you've never really forgotten her… And I also know that you misunderstood… I was not the one who chased her away…"

The other end of the line went dead silent as soon as Veronica mentioned Daphne.

A long while later, Henry replied, his voice low, "Who did you hear this nonsense from, Veronica? Don't overthink things. You're my wife. She and I are in the past now.

"And if you were triggered because of this, then I am going to be very upset with you."

Veronica quietly listened as Henry continued with his act. Then, she responded, "I'm just too worried about you, Henry. But I guess I'm feeling a lot better now because of what you just said.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm now staying at the hospital for further observation, and I can't go home to take care of you for the next few days. Maybe you should return to the Goodwin residence for the time being."

Veronica was already planning to sell their home anyway, which was why she had to keep Henry as far away from it as possible. It would be even better if he didn't return there over the next few days.

Henry then asked her which hospital she was at, planning to visit her. Veronica hurriedly said, "Now's a crucial moment for Goodwin Group, Henry. You don't have to shift your focus to me.

"But you also don't have to worry about me. I promise I'll call you once I've been discharged from the hospital."

Veronica then hung up on him while trying her best to suppress her nausea and disgust. Finally, she let out a huge sigh of relief.

She didn't care about being the Goodwin family's daughter-in-law. She was Veronica Sherman, after all. She never needed them in the first place!

The next morning, Veronica went to the hospital again. She brought the syringe containing the drug that Anna had been injecting into her for months and handed it to Frank for analysis.

When she learned that it was just saline water, Veronica heaved another sigh of relief.

It seemed that Anna hadn't been lying to her after all.

She had told Veronica that she had only been injecting her with saline water all this while. It was simply Henry's and Daphne's idea to make her suffer as much as possible with endless injections during her pregnancy.

Frank simply couldn't wrap his head around it.

"But if it's just saline water, then why go to such lengths for it?"