Chapter 4

The moment I walked through the door, I found Donald and Jolene tangled together on the couch. Neither showed the slightest embarrassment at being caught.

I did not spare them a glance. I simply walked past.

Jolene came into the room while I packed my bags. She wore a lace nightgown that barely covered her, and telltale marks covered her exposed skin.

"Begonia, my husband slept with you for free all those days, but I only got to sleep with Donny twice. I still came out behind."

I ignored her and kept my head down as I folded my clothes.

My refusal to acknowledge her only irritated her further.

She stormed over, snatched away the clothes I had crocheted by hand for my first child, and stomped on them. "He's dead. What's the point of keeping these?

"You probably don't even know what happened. While you were being pampered during your recovery period, with Donny taking care of you, I told him I'd dreamed that baby came to claim my life. Guess what he did?"

I froze.

A smug, vicious smile spread across Jolene's face. "He didn't say a word. He just found a priest and had your child's ashes sealed away next to the garbage dump..."

A roar exploded in my head. I lost all reason and lunged at Jolene.

I tore and clawed at her, then clamped both hands around her throat like a vengeful ghost out to claim her life.

Donald rushed in and tore me away from her before backhanding me across the face.

My ears rang instantly.

He slapped the divorce papers down on the table. His signature was already at the bottom. "Begonia, you'd better think this through carefully. If you divorce me, do you really think Levi will marry you?"

I let out a cold laugh. Without so much as looking at him, I signed my name.

Donald's expression darkened.

Just then, Harold woke up hungry.

Donald looked at me coldly. "Custody of Harry goes to me. Since you're leaving anyway, you might as well nurse him one last time."

I stared at him in disbelief. I had never nursed Harold, not even once. He had always been fed formula.

I remembered how a nurse had once made an offhand remark about it. "That's cold. Pumping and dumping the milk instead of feeding her own baby."

Donald had fired her on the spot.

Afterward, he comforted me. "Nia, it's fine. I know you're afraid of the pain. Formula is just as nutritious as breast milk..."

Now he carried Harold straight over to me and treated me like nothing more than a dairy cow.

"I won't feed him." I grabbed my packed suitcase and turned to leave, but Donald seized my wrist.

His voice turned icy. "You'll feed him whether you want to or not."

He set Harold on the bed and pinned both my hands behind my back.

The fabric across my chest tore apart.

I fought with everything I had and screamed, "Donald! You bastard! Let go of me!"

Levi heard the commotion and came running. He and Jolene stood in the doorway and watched.

But Donald showed no sign of stopping. The moment Harold latched on hungrily, the last shreds of my dignity crumbled.

"Why... Why are you doing this to me?!"

Donald leaned close to my ear. "Nia, look. Harry's so happy. Could you really bear for him to never see his mother again?"

It hurt. It hurt so much.

I closed my eyes in despair as tears seeped from beneath my lashes.

I did not know how much time had passed before Donald finally released my hands. "Nia, think it over carefully. Can you really give up both the baby and me?"

With that, he picked up a full and contented Harold and left.

Jolene and Levi left as well, satisfied now that the show was over.

I lay slumped on the bed like a broken doll. My tears had long since run dry.

He had asked if I could bear it.

How could I not? I no longer wanted him. I did not want the child either.

I changed into fresh clothes and set a report beside the divorce papers. Then I took my suitcase and left that place of heartbreak behind, my heart as cold as the dead of winter.

-

Donald returned to the room later. He had expected to find Begonia waiting there, ready to apologize to him. Instead, he found an empty room and a missing suitcase.

The truth was unmistakable.

Begonia Hudson was gone. She had actually gone through with the divorce. She had actually left him.

Donald flew into a rage and began smashing everything within reach. Then his gaze suddenly landed on the report beside the divorce papers.

His face turned deathly pale. His hands trembled as he snatched up the thin document. It was a paternity test.