Chapter 2: Nan Yin, Why Don't You Just Die?

"Valentina, why don't you just die?" Hamiltion Carpenter's voice was icy, and the hand gripping her neck was cold, devoid of any warmth. "How dare you harm my child! How could I have married such a vicious woman as you?"

The child... is dead?

Valentina forced a bitter smile. Bai Yue had succeeded in making Hamiltion Carpenter hate her for the rest of his life.

With the last shred of rationality, Valentina struggled, flailing her small hands to weakly hit Hamiltion Carpenter's shoulder, making a gurgling sound from her throat. But the man, like a bloodthirsty demon, ignored her struggles and instead tightened his grip, dragging her off the bed and slamming her onto the floor with a thud. As she was pulled, her back collided with the corner of the table, causing her to curl up in pain.

"I didn't..." Valentina's voice was weak as she tried to explain.

"Valentina, if anything happens to Bai Yue, I will make sure you join her in death!"

After venting his anger, the man stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Valentina lay on the floor, panting heavily, her slender shoulders heaving like a wounded deer. Her mind was filled with the thought: Hamiltion Carpenter used her kidney to impregnate Bai Yue...

Her kidney... it functioned well...

Valentina wanted to call for a servant to help her up, but thinking about her situation in the Lu family's old mansion, she remained silent. She was a laughingstock in the Lu household.

Struggling to the door, Valentina heard two women talking in the corridor.

"Mom, that Valentina is so wicked. Sister Yue is carrying my brother's child, our Lu family's grandchild, and this woman dared to harm her! You must make my brother divorce her. I don't want such a treacherous sister-in-law."

"That little slut, Valentina, has been in the Lu family for two years without even giving birth to an egg. Your brother finds another woman, and she dares to resist. Just wait and see how I'll deal with this little slut."

These were the voices of her mother-in-law, Lauren Reed, and her sister-in-law, Amy Conrad. The more Valentina listened, the colder her heart became, all the way down to her feet. Her mother-in-law often beat and scolded her, and when she didn't finish the housework, she wasn't allowed to eat. Her sister-in-law was even more outrageous, encouraging her brother to find a mistress. No matter what, she could never warm the hearts of this family.

Only after the two women's voices faded did Valentina step out of her room. It took her ten minutes, leaning against the walls, to walk from her room to the old patriarch's study.

The door to the patriarch's study was slightly ajar, and a warm yellow light seeped through the gap. A sharp slap echoed, followed by the patriarch's trembling, angry voice, "Good-for-nothing, how can I, Wendell Carpenter, have such an ungrateful grandson! When you were in the car accident, how did Valentina take care of you? When you needed a wife to bring good luck, who married you without a word? Have you forgotten everything? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs or wolves?"

Valentina leaned against the door, smiling bitterly. Yes, wasn't her marriage to Hamiltion Carpenter just for bringing good luck? Was wanting his love too much to ask?

Hamiltion Carpenter straightened his back, kneeling solemnly before the old patriarch. Even in front of his elders, he remained cold, aloof, and proud.

"Grandfather, as you said, I was sick at the time, not fully conscious. Marrying her was not my decision; it was you... all of you who made the decision for me."

The man's beautiful eyes were cold, his starry brows slightly furrowed as if pondering his words.

"I will compensate her for what I owe, but I must get a divorce."