Chapter 4

"We've toned it down now that I'm further along," Chloe added.

"You have no idea how much stamina Lionel used to have. We had to rush to the hospital so many times because he was way too aggressive in bed…"

"Are you proud of yourself for shamelessly sleeping with another woman's husband?" I countered and met her eyes dead-on.

"No matter how incredible he is, he's just something I'm done playing with. How does it feel to get knocked up out of wedlock after feeding on my scraps?"

"You—"

Chloe's face flushed and paled under my remark. She pouted before stepping closer to me, with a twisted expression on her face.

"And what about you? You couldn't even protect your own child. It must have felt awful to watch her die in your arms, right?

"When your precious daughter was sick and dying, and your husband wouldn't answer his phone… Guess what he was doing."

My heart wrenched at the mention of Nora. Without hesitation, I threw all my strength into a hard slap across Chloe's face.

"If I find concrete evidence that both of you are associated with Nora's death, I swear I'll make you pay for it in blood!"

Just as my hand landed on her face, a massive force violently shoved me aside.

"Evie Bright! Who gave you the nerve to lay a land on her? If anything happened to her just now, you wouldn't even have enough lives to pay for it!"

Watching Lionel look so frantic over Chloe, I smirked mockingly and smacked the stack of divorce papers against his chest.

"Sign it and give your precious little son a proper title."

As Lionel read the words on the paper, he impatiently frowned and stepped closer. "Now is not the time to throw a tantrum, Evie. I don't have time to deal with your attitude.

"I'll give you whatever answer you want once I've handled everything."

"My child isn't even buried yet, while your mistress and her unborn baby are living in luxury. But you think I'm throwing a tantrum?" I snapped.

His frown deepened.

"Why is it so exhausting to talk to you, Evie? Maybe after everything's over, I should take you to a doctor. I seriously think something's wrong with you.

"I don't blame you for not understanding my situation, but you shouldn't take your anger out on innocent people. Don't blame me for getting ruthless if you keep up this unreasonable act."

I shook my head, amused. "What are you so full of yourself for, Lionel? I'll sue you for divorce even if you refuse to sign the papers. I don't want to have anything to do with you ever again!"

With that, I drove to a mall to buy what I needed and only returned late that evening to pack my bags for the airport.

The moment I stepped through the door, I found that Lionel had cooked a massive spread of my favorite food. He dropped his usual irritable attitude and eagerly pulled me over to the dining table.

"I know I've neglected you lately and put you through so much pain, honey. None of us wanted what happened to Nora.

"Once I've dealt with everything, we'll focus on building a good life together again, okay?

"I swear to you; what's going on between Chloe and me isn't what you think. All this time, you're the only person I've ever wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Will you please trust me?"

Staring at the table full of food in front of me, I was briefly dazed. He knew what I wanted all along.

The thought made me suck in a cold breath.

"Am I that easy to fool, or do you just think I'm pathetic, Lionel?"

As I spoke, Chloe walked in, pushing a cart loaded with expensive dishes, and shot me a smug look.

"Evie, Lionel ordered way too much food, and I seriously can't finish everything. Besides, I've developed a massive craving for sour food lately, and I can't get enough of it.

"Did you crave sour food as much when you were pregnant with Nora?"

"No, she didn't," Lionel answered for me and rushed over to hold her. "Just tell the nannies or call me if you need anything. What if you trip or hurt yourself?"

"Oops!" she gasped and quickly grabbed a piece of revealing lingerie on the food cart to hide it away, blushing shyly as she leaned against him.

I shot them a look of disgust, grabbed my pre-packed suitcase, and prepared to leave.

When Lionel noticed this, he stepped forward to block my path. "Maybe it's best that you go on a trip to clear your head, honey. By the time you get back, I'll have all this mess cleared up, and we can start fresh."

"Oh, I do have to start fresh."

I swerved past him and dragged my suitcase out.

At the elevator, the young nurse doing her rounds hesitated for a few seconds before stepping close and whispering into my ear.

"The woman in the ward next to yours is your friend, right? She showed clear signs of a miscarriage this morning, but she's been hiding it from everyone. You might want to advise her to make proper arrangements if the baby truly isn't meant to be."

I was secretly stunned. I hadn't expected karma to come for Chloe this quickly.

Just as I accelerated out of the underground parking garage, Chloe suddenly appeared out of nowhere and threw herself onto my car.

She was hit and sent flying several feet away, screaming in pain as blood pooled on the floor. The car would have run over her if I hadn't slammed on the brakes in time.

My heart lurched. I quickly opened the door and got out of the car to check on her.

Just then, Lionel rushed toward me. Without hesitation, he grabbed me by the collar and slapped me hard across the face.

"Are you courting death, Evie? Didn't I warn you not to touch her?

"If anything happens to her today, I'll make you pay with your life!"

Before I could say a single word in defense, he hurled me against the car behind me with such force that I coughed up blood.

While I scrambled to get onto my feet, Lionel frantically scooped Chloe into his arms and rushed upstairs.

My heart turned completely cold as I watched the way he treated another woman with a gentleness he had never shown me.

A nearby nurse stepped over to check on me and give my hand a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry. She already started bleeding upstairs.

"This area is a blind spot for cameras, but I know this has nothing to do with you."

I nodded and spat out the remaining blood in my mouth. Numbly, I climbed into the driver's seat and signed the papers to inherit my family business.

After taking a deep breath, I slammed my foot on the gas pedal and sped away.

"From this day onward, we shall never cross paths again, Lionel.

"Your downfall shall begin once you finish dealing with your precious lover!"