Chapter 5

“You’re already skin and bones,” Liam snapped. “And you’re still trying to diet?”

For one foolish second, the concern in his voice caught me off guard.

Then I smiled.

“Evan likes me thinner.”

Evan was the man Margaret had found for me eight years ago, the one who helped me stage the fake affair.

After Liam left the country in anger, I never saw Evan again.

The moment Liam heard his name, his face went cold.

Vanessa, sitting beside him, immediately gave me a soft smile.

“Claire, don’t misunderstand. Liam is a doctor now. He gets upset whenever he sees people harming their health just to lose weight. When we were overseas, I tried dieting more than once, and he scolded me every time.”

As she spoke, she turned to Liam with an affectionate smile.

“Right, Liam?”

But Liam did not look at her.

He stood abruptly, shoving his chair back.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

Then he walked off without another word. He did not look at me. He did not look at Vanessa either.

I watched his back disappear down the hall.

Had I ruined things again?

Ruined Liam’s new life.

Ruined the love he had finally found after me.

Guilt settled heavily in my chest.

Across the table, Vanessa suddenly picked up a glass of hot water and threw it straight in my face.

“You little bitch,” she hissed. “Do you think I’m stupid? You’ve been playing weak and helpless all day just to pull Liam back in.”

The water stung my face. Heat spread across my skin.

I tightened my fingers against the edge of my coat and said quietly, “I’m sorry. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

Vanessa only sneered.

Then she came around the table and slapped me across the face.

“You think pretending you can barely walk will make Liam come running back to you?”

“Let me tell you something. Liam is mine. He will be mine for the rest of his life. Don’t think you can steal him just because you were his first love.”

My cheek burned until it went numb.

I could endure the hot water.

After all, I was the one who had shamelessly chased after the last bit of warmth Liam might still give me.

But she had no right to hit me.

So without thinking, I pushed her away.

“Vanessa, lay a hand on me again and I’ll call the police.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Vanessa suddenly dropped to the floor.

Then she screamed.

“My stomach! Help me! Someone help! She attacked me. I’m pregnant.”

I stared at her on the floor, then looked down at my own hands.

I had been sick for eight years.

Getting dressed exhausted me. Some days, I could not even hold a glass of water steady.

There was no way I had enough strength to knock Vanessa down.

When I pushed her just now, I only meant to stop her from hitting me again.

But somehow, she had thrown herself to the floor.

Before I could make sense of it, Liam appeared at the edge of the dining room.

The instant he saw Vanessa on the floor, he rushed to her side.

“Vanessa. Vanessa, what happened?”

Vanessa burst into tears and clutched his shirt.

“Liam, save me. Please save our baby. Claire… Claire tried to kill me.

“The second you left, she started insulting me. She said you were nothing but trash she had thrown away. She said that if she ever wanted you back, you would crawl to her like a dog. I couldn’t take it. I really couldn’t. So I threw a glass of water at her.

“But that only made her angrier. She cursed me. She called me a vicious little bitch. She called me a slut. She said all I knew how to do was pick up men she didn’t want anymore.”