CHAPTER 3

-Sarah’s Pov-

His slap really hurt me. Not only did my cheeks feel hurt from the stinging pain I felt, but my heart as well. In fact, my heart hurt more than anything else.

My eyes even started to glaze over, tears falling down my cheeks as I held my cheek that had been slapped by my own husband.

"Why did you slap me?" I asked him.

He looked so angry, even the look in his eyes was absolutely horrifying for me to stare at. But I didn't turn my gaze away from him.

Then my twin sister came towards me, got behind me, and held my shoulders. 

"Xavier, don't hurt her," were the words I heard. It sounded so sincere like a sister, but I didn't know if she was really defending me.

"What's wrong? What happened? Why?" I asked, still confused and full of questions that I couldn't find the answers to. 

I was still so shocked by my own husband's slap. They were staring at each other and it really looked like I was the villain.

"What did you do toMariya, Sarah?! Tell me honestly! Why did you hurt her?" asked Xavier with his anger boiling over and his eyes still bulging.

His breathing sounded so heavy with accusations that I didn't even know what they meant. 

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "I don't understand.Mariya, what did you say to him?" this time with my voice shaking, I asked my sister.

"Don't pretend like you didn't do anything, Sarah! You're hurting her and making her think bad thoughts!" Xavier shouted.

My heart broke even more hearing that. I didn't even understand what they meant, leading me to believe thatMariya was slandering me in front of Xavier to expose me to his wrath.

I was really stressed out and it made my whole body break out in a cold sweat because in one moment, the two people in front of me who had a part in my life, disappointed me at the same time.

"I didn't do anything to hurtMariya, Xavier. You know that I'm not the type to hurt someone, let alone my own sister. Why are you accusing me as if I did something bad to her?" I said clearly and honestly. 

“Zoya, say something!” I asked her.

My tears were even more overwhelming as they mixed together sadness, disappointment, and anger.

"I don't believe you! You hurt her, didn't you see how sad her expression was? She can even still defend you!" 

I immediately shotMariya a 'What did you say to him?' look through my facial expression. ButMariya just stayed silent, as if it was true that I hurt her.

"You took away the precious things that I gave her! How sick are you for loving me so much that you took her things away from me?!"

I glared in shock at the reason I just heard. What was this? SoMariya was really slandering me? How evil was she to slander her own sister? 

"I'll jail you up in the basement because you dared to take something that doesn't belong to you!" he said, threatening me.

I shook my head quickly, defending myself. Because if I didn't defend myself, who would?

"You believe I took something that belongs to her? Do you really believe that, Xavier?!" I asked shakily. 

"I believe it because I know how much you want me to love you! You want me to only see you, not your sister!"

I was surprised to hear his answer. Did he really believe that when we had been together for so many years even though there was no love from him for me?

“But why would I steal hers? What for?!” I asked but there was no answer back.

Why was fate so cruel to me? What did I do wrong in the past that I was humiliated like this even to my own sister?

"Zoya, you didn't really mean to say that to him, did you? I never took your things! Not even a loan!" I said to her, asking her to confirm, that perhaps her heart would be moved to change.

Zoya even remained silent, damn it, that's what made Xavier seem to believe that I really did it.

"Just check my stuff if you don't believe me!" I said to Xavier. "I swear I didn't—"

"I checked," Xavier said. "And I found this item in your bag."

My eyes blinked as Xavier showed me the evidence, leaving me completely speechless as I felt that the more I tried to explain, the less trust I was likely to get.

"I will jail you on this," he said.

"No, Xavier. Don't. She's my only sister, don't imprison her. We've got the evidence anyway, at least nothing is missing from what she took,"Mariya spoke this time and her tone actually sounded like she was pleading.

I sighed and shook my head. Just hearing it made me instantly sick because my twin sister was really bad. She showed as I really took her things. Damn it!

She loved Xavier so much, I knew. Maybe she thought that I had really taken him, even though I had never forced Xavier to love me, even though he didn’t love me, but loved her anyway.

But why would she be this cruel? Hurting me by slandering me? Pretending to care when she was the one who set me up?

"Argh!” I suddenly cried out, holding my stomach that felt twisted.

Zoya, who was behind me, looked confused. I whimpered in pain even as I fell to the floor while holding my own stomach.

"Ugh ... help!" I called for help, but seeing Xavier who only looked at me with a cold stare, it felt even more painful until it radiated through my body.

"What happened to you?" askedMariya. Either she was really asking out of concern, or just pretending.

I curled up even more, feeling the tension and my stomach that felt like it was being ground by something until I saw blood flowing from my thigh.

My eyes glared, my lips parted in shock ... I'd forgotten that I'd just found out I was pregnant, that I'd even intended to tell Xavier. But with this incident, I felt it was a waste to tell him.

I sawMariya look shocked, but she didn't say anything even when I was in a state of utter dying.

"Zoya ... help me," I pleaded, hoping that my sister could be relied on, because if I asked Xavier for help, he didn't even seem to care when he saw me in this state.

Xavier immediately pulledMariya away when he heard me asking her for help, and even when he noticed I was bleeding. Then he yelled at the guards and said, "Take her out away from here!"