Chapter 5

To my annoyance, Jenna came looking for me again. She taunted, "Well, well. Your face healed fast, didn't it? Guess Seb's men went too easy on you last time."

I ignored her and tried to walk past her into the house.

She threw out an arm to block me, her chin tilted smugly. "Seb threw this huge party tonight just for my sister. Aren't you just dying of jealousy?"

I still didn't say a word.

My indifference pissed her off. Her face twisted with menace, and she hissed, "Looks like you didn't learn your lesson last time, Calista. Bitches like you just need more of that to be put in your place."

Before I could react, she threw something into the pool, then shouted, "Someone, help! Quick! Help me, please!"

Jenna's shouting drew a crowd, and Sebastian was among them. The moment she saw him, tears filled her eyes, and she cried, "Seb, I was just trying to apologize to Calista for what happened last time, but she refused to accept it. She even grabbed my necklace and threw it into the pool.

"That necklace was my sister's keepsake. It was her absolute favorite! Seb, please… You have to get someone to fish it out for me!"

At that, Sebastian turned a cold gaze on me. He no longer bothered to hide the contempt in his eyes; his stare cut into me like a knife.

I rushed to explain. "Sebastian, I didn't do anything. She threw it in herself."

He just curled his lips into a frosty smile, his voice like ice. "That's a pretty lousy lie, Calista. Why would Jenna throw away her sister's necklace? Since you're the one who tossed it, then you're the one who's going in after it. If you can't find it, don't bother coming back up."

With that, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the pool.

I struggled hard, begging, "Sebastian, don't! I can't swim! And I'm pregnant with your—"

He shoved me into the water before I could finish. Chlorine burned my nose, and a sharp, searing pain exploded in my throat as the pool water rushed in.

In an instant, the world went silent. All I could hear was the frantic pounding of my own heart in my chest. Darkness closed in from every direction; terror swallowed me whole, and I blacked out.

When I came to again, I was lying in a hospital bed. My chest ached dully, and there was a faint, dragging pain low in my abdomen.

Sebastian was sitting by my bedside. The second he saw I was awake, he leaned in, about to say something.

I beat him to it and went straight to the only thing that mattered. "Did I lose the baby?"

He gave the smallest nod. A flicker of pain and tenderness crossed his eyes. But when he spoke, his words still came with barbs. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant, Calista? Why did you have to go and provoke Jenna?"

It wasn't until he saw the tears spilling down my cheeks that he hurried to swallow the rest of his reprimand. He started to comfort me instead.

"Don't cry. We're still young; we can have another baby," he said.

He reached out to wipe away my tears, but I turned my face away. I slowly shook my head and said firmly, "We're never having another baby, Sebastian. We're getting a divorce."