Chapter 3

The next time I opened my eyes, I found out that I was lying in a hospital ward.

"Thank goodness the maid who's hired to clean your home took you to the hospital, Ms. Fairfield. I've just performed the D&C procedure on you, so you should rest."

As the doctor read my report, his brows knit together into a deep frown.

"Also…" He lowered his voice. "Your constitution is weak, making it very difficult for you to get pregnant, to begin with. But because of this ordeal, it'll be impossible for you to get pregnant from now on."

I could only grip my blanket as my heart throbbed in pain.

The surprise baby whom I had yet to introduce to this world ended up becoming the remnants of my nightmare.

The doctor paused. "Where's your husband? I'd like to give him some medical advice regarding your condition."

I merely shook my head silently.

I had called Evan three times earlier, so he had already turned off his phone.

…

That night, I returned home.

As soon as I stepped through the front door, Peachie shook off the leash and came barreling into me.

Minerva covered her mouth in surprise.

"I'm so sorry, Syrena! I was in the middle of training Peachie to keep watch at home against home invaders! I didn't think that you'd come back at this time!"

I propped a hand against the wall, feeling pain erupting from my wound. Since it wasn't healed yet, it got torn apart again. To me, it felt as though someone was scraping my insides with a knife.

Evan didn't even bother glancing at me. Instead, he patted Minerva on the head.

"It's the dog's fault, not yours. Don't take it to heart."

Peachie's white fur floated everywhere in the apartment. Evan was germaphobic, so he used to demand that I keep Peachie locked up in a cage throughout the years.

"If I ever see a strand of fur at home, you can forget about keeping Peachie."

But now, everything was a mess at home, and yet Evan didn't think much about it.

Instead, he frowned at me.

"Why didn't you clean up the spilled ketchup? Do you have any idea that Minnie almost slipped after stepping on it? What the hell were you doing?"

As I stared at the puddle of blood on the floor, which Evan had mistaken for ketchup, I could only clutch my stomach.

"It's none of your business."

Evan's expression froze on his face momentarily. But soon, he cleared his throat.

"Minnie wants to record videos at home. I've been busy with the recording and the editing, so I don't have time to deal with you."

My dad's case had been tormenting me to no end. On top of that, I just lost my baby.

Meanwhile, Evan spent all his time with Minerva while editing her videos for her.

In the past, he kept claiming that he didn't know how to edit. He didn't even want to put in effort just to learn that skill.

Ironically enough, he was also the one who stayed up all night editing every frame and shot in Minerva's videos.

I didn't argue with Evan, nor did I bother starting a fight. Instead, I slowly limped back to my room, where I dug out the evidence folder.

Evan followed me into the room.

"I'll start the trial next week, if you can afford to wait. I'll have time by then."

I didn't bother glancing at him. "I can't wait that long."

There were only two days left.

Once the statute of limitations was over, Dad would have to spend the next three years in prison. He had a pre-existing heart condition that could flare up at any moment.

Evan's expression darkened instantly.

"Can't you be more understanding? Minnie is still young, so I can't leave her alone. I'm her adoptive brother; is it my fault for wanting to take care of her?"

I found myself starting to choke on my words.

"My dad is still in prison despite his old age. He needs someone to take care of him too!"

Evan was starting to lose his patience.

"Honestly speaking, it's precisely due to his old age that he should be serving time in prison. In a way, he's not causing us any trouble at all!"

I was stunned, to say the least.

Before Evan could apologize to me, I grabbed my stuff and left immediately.

But Minerva moved to stand in my way. She stuck out three fingers and connected them, making a cheeky swear gesture.

"Syrena, I swear that I will never disturb you two next week no matter how big my plight is! Even if Ev insists on keeping me company, I'll definitely turn him down!"

I let out a bitter chuckle at her words.

"There's no need for that. I refuse to believe that I can't seek out a lawyer who's not connected to you in this whole wide world, Evan Henderson."

After that, I turned on my heel and left.

"Syrena Fairfield!" Evan called out to me loudly.

Still, I never looked back.

The moment I walked into an elevator, my cousin, Barney Wiles, who worked in the prison, suddenly called me on the phone.

"Syrena, the guy who framed your dad insisted on extending his prison sentence to five years! Because of that, your dad went into cardiac arrest earlier!"