Chapter 5

Walter said coldly, “That doesn’t justify you poisoning Belle’s dog. I’m the one who let her keep it in the office. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t go after her.”

Seeing that Walter and I had completely fallen out, Belle’s eyes gleamed with a flash of triumph.

She cried even harder and said in a choked voice, “Walter, please don’t let me ruin your relationship with your wife. That would make me very sad.

“I really don’t think Zara meant to poison Scruffy on purpose. Since it’s already gone, fighting over who’s to blame won’t bring it back. Let me tell you something. I heard Zara graduated from dance school, and she’s an amazing dancer. People call her the Dancing Queen. Why don’t Zara perform a beautiful, stunning dance for me? Then, we’ll call it even.”

I clenched my fists tightly. My throat felt tight. It was very difficult to breathe.

Walter booped Belle on the nose. He said affectionately, “Oh, what’s gotten into you today? You’re being so good.”

Seeing the two of them all over each other, I directly interrupted them, “I’m not dancing. If you won’t drive me, I’ll go to the hospital myself.”

With that, I placed the divorce papers on Walter’s desk. Then, I turned to leave.

Walter snapped his fingers. His security guards swiftly came in and pinned me to the spot.

“Zara, you’re going to dance this dance whether you like it or not. You can do this the easy way or the hard way. You’re not walking out that door until you’ve finished dancing.”

I could barely stand. My whole body felt cold.

“You’re threatening me... for her?”

Walter frowned and said impatiently, “I’m only asking you to dance. It’s not like you’re losing a limb. Dancing is literally your specialty. You poisoned Belle’s dog. She was generous enough to forgive you. What’s the big deal about asking you to dance?”

At that moment, I felt utterly heartbroken. I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood.

Walter’s gaze grew colder as amniotic fluid kept leaking down my legs.

I realized that he was being serious. I swallowed my pride, stood on my tiptoes, and prepared to start dancing.

However, Belle interrupted me again.

“Wait! Swan Lake isn’t just about the moves. If you don’t have the costume and the look, what’s the point of you dancing it in casual clothes?”

She took out a set of clothes and a pair of shoes from the cabinet and placed them in front of me.

“Change into these before you dance.”

My stomach hurt terribly. Eager to get rid of Belle quickly, I barely hesitated. I took them and changed.

But as I put on the shoes and stood up, sharp pain shot through the sole of my foot. A piece of broken glass had cut into my foot.

I broke out in a cold sweat and let out a piercing scream.

“Ah, it hurts so much! There’s glass in the shoe.”

Belle frowned and said, “That’s impossible. I prepared these shoes myself. There’s no glass in them. Zara, if you don’t want to dance, you could’ve just said so.”

Walter’s gaze shifted back and forth between Belle and me. Finally, his gaze settled on me in an ashen expression.

He then said angrily, “Zara, I’m disappointed in you.”

Seeing Walter so determined to stand up for Belle, I lost the last bit of hope I had left in my eyes.

Walter and I had reached a point where I had to prove my own innocence to him.

The sense of being favored without having to worry about losing it was gone. It no longer belonged to me.

I smiled bitterly. I braced myself against the pain, slowly crouched down, and took off the shoes.

A few shards of glass fell out with them. Walter heard the sound and looked down. The soles of my feet were completely bloody. My white socks were stained dark red.

At first glance, it looked horrifying.

Belle covered her face and muttered to herself, “That’s impossible. There’s no way there was glass in the shoe. Somebody must have accidentally dropped it in there.”

When Walter saw this, he instantly rushed over, scooped me up, and ran out.

Belle chased after him.

Just as we were going down the stairs, Walter’s foot slipped. Several marbles had been placed on the stairs.

His eyes went wide. He tried to set me down and brace himself, but Belle would not let go of him.

“Walter, my chest really hurts!”

Walter hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still chose Belle.

I tumbled heavily to the floor. The pain in my lower abdomen was so intense that I almost passed out. Blood flowed between my legs.

Before my vision went dark, I saw a familiar figure rush in front of me, looking panicked.

His eyes were dark and dangerous.

He said coldly, “Don’t be afraid. Whoever did this to you, I’ll make them pay a hundred times over.”