Chapter 3

Yvette signed her name on the paper, then called her lawyer.

"Draw up a divorce agreement." Her voice was frighteningly calm.

The lawyer nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Prescott. Once the papers are ready, there will be a mandatory thirty-day waiting period. After that, provided neither party objects, the civil registry will notify you when your divorce papers are ready to be collected."

"I understand." Yvette's expression didn't change. "Get it done as soon as possible."

After the lawyer left, Yvette was alone in her hospital room again. She closed her eyes, but no tears came. Her heart felt so empty that she couldn't even summon the energy to grieve.

The door opened quietly a moment later.

Thinking her lawyer had returned, Yvette opened her eyes, only to find herself looking at the last person she wanted to see.

Claire Wells.

She hadn't expected Claire to come looking for her.

"What do you want?" Yvette asked hoarsely.

"Mrs. Prescott..." Claire wore the same gentle, timid expression as always, an insulated container in her hand. "I know what Yates did to you. I only wish I'd been there. I would have done everything I could to stop him..."

Yvette regarded her coldly, unwilling to listen to another word of her insincere concern.

Claire continued anyway, her voice thick with tears. "Still, you have to understand what he was going through. When we lost our baby, Yates was absolutely devastated. He held me and cried like a little boy, saying our baby was the proof of our love. He stayed beside my hospital bed for days and nights without eating or drinking anything..."

Every word was another poisoned knife twisting deeper into Yvette's already battered heart.

"If that's all you came to tell me," Yvette interrupted, her voice cold and raspy, "you can leave. You're not welcome here."

Claire flinched as though frightened. Then she quickly raised the container in her hand.

"I... I won't say anything else. Mrs. Prescott, I made you some soup to help you recover. You've just had a miscarriage, and your body is still weak. You need something nourishing to build your strength back up..."

"I don't want it. Take it away." Yvette turned her face aside in disgust.

The timidity vanished from Claire's expression, replaced by a cold, stubborn determination.

"I'm afraid you don't get to decide that."

Before Yvette could react, Claire lunged forward and seized her jaw with startling strength. With her other hand, she lifted the container and began forcing the soup into Yvette's mouth.

"Let go of me! Claire! What are you doing?"

Still weak from her injuries, Yvette struggled helplessly against the woman's grip.

By the time Claire finally released her, Yvette was doubled over the edge of the bed, coughing violently as her stomach churned.

Claire watched her struggle, leisurely wiping her hands. A tearful smile spread across her face.

"Well? Does it taste good?"

Yvette jerked her head up as a terrible sense of dread swept over her.

"That's not soup to help me recover... What is it? What did you put in it?!"

Claire's eyes reddened, and tears spilled down her cheeks almost on command. Yet beneath those tears, her gaze was as cold as a snake's.

She spoke slowly, making sure Yvette heard every word.

"Can't you tell? There's something from the baby you lost in there... the one that never even had a chance to fully develop."

Yvette's mind went completely blank.

For a moment, she could barely comprehend what she'd heard. Then the full horror of it hit her, and a wave of nausea so overwhelming that she could hardly breathe swept through her body.

She bent over the side of the bed and frantically shoved her fingers down her throat, desperate to vomit. She gagged so violently that her entire body convulsed, wishing she could empty every last thing from her stomach.

"Ugh... Ugh!"

Claire stood watching, tears streaming down her face as she savored Yvette's suffering.

"Does it hurt? That's how much pain I was in when I miscarried. No, mine was even worse! If you hadn't forced me to leave, would I have gotten into that accident? Would I have lost my baby? Yates doesn't even love you anymore, so what gives you the right to act like you're better than me just because you're his wife? What right did you have to drive me away?"

She moved closer, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Everyone gets what's coming to them eventually! And that baby of yours? That was your punishment! That's what you get for killing my child!"

"AHHH!"

Yvette couldn't take another second of it.

All the anger, humiliation, and grief she'd been holding back for so long finally erupted. Summoning every last ounce of strength she had, she raised her hand and slapped Claire hard across the face.

At that exact moment, the hospital room door flew open.