Chapter 2

Keeping the baby on my own didn't make much sense.

But I wanted a family of my own.

My parents divorced when I was very small, and both remarried soon after. I became unwanted baggage. Neither of them wanted me around. Growing up like that made me desperate for a family that was truly mine.

Felix came along, and for the first time, I felt that kind of warmth.

He made sure I ate, cared about how I felt, and remembered little things about me that even I forgot.

He always put me first, as though my feelings mattered more than anything.

The future he promised me was sweeter than a fairy tale.

For a while, it even seemed like he was making it real.

He wanted to give me a better life, build a home with me, and plan our wedding.

We were even going to have a child together.

Now all of it was gone.

I went through my bank accounts.

I had some savings, enough to support me for a few years.

The problem was that I could not leave right away.

The doctor said this month was high-risk.

Too much exertion, long-distance travel, or severe emotional stress could trigger a miscarriage.

I sighed. One month. I could stand anything for one month.

A few days later, Felix showed up.

Claire came with him.

"Audrey, you've had a rough week." He waved his phone at me. "Why haven't you used my card at all?"

I answered coldly. "I used my own money."

Felix didn't seem to notice my tone. "Look at you, all grown up and saving your future husband money."

He tapped the tip of my nose like he used to.

As if he hadn't ignored me for days.

As if he hadn't tried to make me abort our child because Claire told him to.

Claire quickly interrupted us.

She stepped forward, deliberately closing the space between herself and Felix. "Felix, let's get to what we came for."

She moved so close to him that there was barely any space between them.

Felix didn't pull away. They looked far too comfortable together.

Felix lifted his chin. "Oh, right. Claire did a reading earlier. She said today is a good day for cleaning the house. But there's a proper way to do it. We can't just clean however we want, so she kindly offered to do it herself."

Volunteering to clean someone else's home. Talk about full-service.

I had no interest in whatever she wanted to do. "Fine. Go ahead."

"Let's start with the bedroom. Where a person sleeps has the biggest effect on their fortune."

Claire seemed excited about the idea. Felix didn't question her at all.

The two of them went into the bedroom and left me in the living room.

Soon, I heard banging and crashing in there.

It sounded like they were throwing things onto the floor.

Then, suddenly, something shattered.

My heart jumped.

I hurried toward the bedroom.

The room was a mess.

A crystal jar lay shattered on the floor.

We had gotten it from a witch after Felix proposed.

It was meant to protect our love and keep us together.

"Felix..." I looked at him, demanding an explanation.

"Audrey, I broke that jar. It protects a relationship, yes, but it drains Felix's drive." Claire smiled at me. "The two of you are so devoted. You don't need a thing like that. Push it too far and it turns on you."

Listening to her say that, then looking at what she had just done, I found it beyond absurd. "You believe in tarot, but you smashed that jar without even thinking twice? Felix, does any of this seriously make sense to you?"

Felix's brows drew together. Instead of questioning Claire, he turned on me. "Claire meant well. Don't talk to her like that."

Claire sighed. "Felix, I think you need to live apart from your fiancée for now. Thank goodness I came with you today or there could have been real trouble."

Felix did not argue.

I froze.

Only then did I notice that the crystal jar was not the only thing on the floor. My clothes were scattered everywhere too.

"Felix, go through the whole place carefully. There can't be a single thing belonging to her left in this house."

Claire delivered the order with a stern face.

Felix finally looked uncomfortable. "Then... how long?"

"A month, minimum."

Felix hesitated for only a moment before turning to me. "Audrey, move out for now. There's an empty duplex in the suburbs. I'll send someone to clean it right away."