Chapter 9

Sophie's recovery after a natural birth was smooth, and she was discharged just three days later.

Throughout those days, Zeke never left her side. Occasionally, his thoughts drifted to Lily, but each time he checked his phone and saw no missed calls, he told himself she must be alright.

What he never realized was that Sophie had erased every trace of Lily's calls from his phone. She wanted Lily to believe Zeke never spared her a single thought, to push her to surrender and walk away.

That very morning, Lily was also discharged from the hospital.

Her body was frail, and the pain made each step a struggle, yet she insisted on going to the funeral home. Rhonda pushed her wheelchair steadily along the way.

There, Lily watched her child being cremated and placed the ashes into the urn with her own hands.

A drizzle fell as she stepped outside. She glanced up at the sky, and a hollow grief stirred deep in her chest.

"Take me home, Rhonda," she said.

Back at the Connolly residence, the bloodstains on the floor remained stubbornly visible, and the memory of that night lingered vividly in Lily's mind. Her heart ached with a pain too deep to bear.

Clinging to the railing, she climbed the stairs slowly, step by deliberate step. After packing a few belongings, she set the urn and the divorce papers, hidden by Zeke, down on the table.

Once she had finished everything, she made her way downstairs.

The maids stood lined up in a row, and when they spotted Lily descending, they broke down in tears.

"Mrs. Connolly…"

Summoning her strength, Lily said, "I'm leaving. Thank you all for looking after me all these years. Clean the bloodstains on the floor, or Zeke will find fault with you when he comes back."

"We left the stains untouched, Mrs. Connolly! We want him to witness the cruelty of what he did!"

"Exactly. Those bloodstains shook us to the core. He needs to see them with his own eyes."

The maids wept together in sorrow.

Lily pressed her lips tight, yet the tears still slipped free, tracing silent paths down her cheeks.

"Thank you," she whispered.

She brushed the tears away, grasped her suitcase, and stepped out of the Connolly residence. She cast one last glance at the house she'd lived in for five years, then dropped her gaze and left with a quiet resolve.

Soon after she was gone, Zeke's car pulled up.

He helped Sophie to the doorway, then called out sharply, "Bring Sophie's things inside!"

Silent at the doorway, the maids watched him approach. They stepped aside, opening a path for him.

A frown crept across Zeke's face. "Why are you all just standing there?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Zeke, you've spoiled them so much that they've grown bold enough to behave like this."

"What exactly is going on?" he demanded, stepping into the living room.

The long streaks of blood caught his eye, and his gaze widened in shock. A crushing weight pressed down on his chest, stealing his breath.

"What's this?" Zeke asked.

"That's Mrs. Connolly's blood," Rhonda replied, betraying no emotion.

"What?" He stared at her, disbelief clouding his eyes. "That can't be. How could she have bled so much that night?"

"Mrs. Connolly begged you to save her and the baby that night, but you turned a blind eye. She had no choice but to drag herself, inch by inch, to my room while calling for help.

"That's how these bloodstains came to be," Rhonda said. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

Pain gripped Zeke with a cruel tightness. Clutching her hand with desperate urgency, he asked, "Where's Lily? Where is she?"

"She's already gone, but she left something for you upstairs. You should go see it."

"Gone? Where could she possibly have gone? This is her home. I'm her husband. Where else would she go?"

"No, Mr. Connolly. You're divorced. Have you forgotten?"

Zeke staggered back, panic rising like a tide. Fear surged through him, and his eyes burned red with tears.

Sophie caught his arm. "Maybe she's just messing with you. Zeke, women bleed this much when they have a baby. I went through the same thing!"

"Get lost!" he barked, turning around to fix her with a glare sharp enough to cut glass. "Do you think I'm stupid, Sophie? Do you honestly believe this amount of blood is normal?"

He rushed up the stairs.

"Stop playing games, Lily. Please, just come out!"

But her room was empty. On the table sat a small box and a bundle of papers.

Step by step, Zeke moved toward the table until his gaze landed on the papers resting there—the divorce agreement he'd hidden away.

"No way!"

How had Lily found them? Though the papers had been hidden right before her, she was blind. She shouldn't have seen them.

Then his eyes caught the box next to the papers, and a cold dread washed over him. His hand shook as he reached toward it.

The moment the lid opened, everything inside him shattered.