Chapter 4

Cassandra's POV

The next day, while packing my things, I heard a baby whimpering. After hesitating for a moment, I pushed open the master bedroom door. The window was wide open, and cold air was rushing in.

Molly was suffocating. Her body had turned blue, her little head was thrown back desperately, and she couldn't even cry out.

I instinctively reached out to touch her, but my wrist was slapped away, sending a sharp pain through me.

"What are you doing?" Gavin glared at me with bloodshot eyes, as if I were a murderer. "Even if you hate Molly, you can't do something this cruel to her! If anything happens to her, I won't forgive you!"

Jenny leaned against the doorframe, tears streaming down her face. "Cassandra, I know you blame me, but Molly is innocent. If you hate me, come after me."

Gavin bent down to examine her. "She has acute epiglottic edema. If we had been ten minutes later, her airway would've been blocked, and she would have stopped breathing!"

He shoved past me and rushed into Miley's room like a madman. "The epinephrine spray we prepared for Miley two years ago is in here! Find it!"

Mom and Dad rushed in after him. They immediately overturned Miley's small desk.

I tried to stop them, but Jenny grabbed my arm. Then, I heard her soft, indifferent voice. "Cassandra, you can't keep living in the past. Miley's been gone for two years. You need to learn to accept it. What's gone is gone."

I watched helplessly as they tore apart the swaddling cloth I had sewn by hand. Then, they ripped Miley's death certificate.

Finally, Gavin yanked open the cabinet door and pulled out the metal box I had hidden inside, holding it high in the air.

"Don't touch that!" I screamed hoarsely.

However, he didn't even look back at me. He simply smashed it onto the floor. A tiny ceramic pendant inside shattered.

Miley's baby hair drifted out, only to be crushed beneath Gavin's foot. Then he yelled, "Found it!"

Two years ago, he had held me as I cried. His eyes were red as he swore that he would spend the rest of his life protecting Miley with me. But now, he had crushed her beneath his feet to save his illegitimate daughter.

Tara burst through the door, shouting, "I brought the car around! Quick! Get her to the hospital!"

In the chaos, everyone rushed outside, carrying the baby, who had finally recovered enough to breathe. None of them spared me a glance.

I walked through the shattered glass and torn scraps of paper scattered across the floor and into Miley's room. I stared at the pile of ruined keepsakes and finally fell to my knees. I sobbed my heart out.

But suddenly, I felt a crushing pain twisting through my lower abdomen. And something warm trickled down my legs.

With trembling hands, I called Gavin. I said, "My stomach hurts. Could you take me to the hospital?"

There was a commotion in the background, and he sounded very impatient as he said, "Molly just fell asleep. Can you stop trying to fight for attention? Cassandra, we don't have time to indulge you."

Then, I called Mom.

She answered and immediately yelled, "Enough already! Can't you call emergency services yourself? We don't have time for you!"

I could faintly hear Tara's voice in the background. "The more you talk to her, the more she'll keep going. Look at her blowing spit bubbles! She's so cute!"

Then, the line went dead.

I sank down against the cold wall as my vision gradually faded to black. Before I lost consciousness, I saw my assistant, Phoebe Zeller, running toward me in a panic.

Later, I woke up in the hospital.

The nurse sighed. "The pregnancy was unstable, and we couldn't save the baby. We called your family members one by one. But they said I should tell you to stop pretending, and they refused to come."

I nodded. I thought I would cry, but I was surprisingly calm. It felt like my heart had already been crushed to pieces. I felt empty.

I asked Phoebe, "Why did you come here?"

Her eyes welled up with tears. She answered, "They've gone too far. How could they leave you there all alone? I came to bring you some documents. The VP said you'll need these for the overseas assignment. Cassandra, why don't you rest for a few days before you leave? Are you sure your body can handle it?"

Even an outsider cared enough about me. But none of the people closest to me did.

"No," I said. "There's no need."

…

Third-Person POV

Three days later, Molly was out of the observation period. Gavin, Jenny, and Tara happily headed home with Cassandra's parents, Daniel Thorne and Sarah Correa.

When they arrived at the door, they found their luggage dumped outside, and a group of strangers inside the house.

"Who are you? Where is Cassandra?" they asked.

The real estate agent glanced back at them and replied, "Don't you know? Ms. Thorne hired me to sell the house. She said she was going abroad for work and gave me full authority to handle everything."

Gavin's face instantly turned pale.