Chapter 3

It was only then that I learned how contemptible I was in Kate's eyes.

The very next day, her boyfriend dumped her before disappearing without a trace. She blamed me for all of it and reluctantly went through the motions of our wedding.

It was around then that Margaret said to me, "Neil, although we had a deal, you and Kate cannot register your marriage. Kate is right. You're not good enough for her anymore."

With my parents gone, I had neither power nor influence. Naturally, I couldn't hold a candle to the rising Barker family.

I let out a long, heavy sigh. Maybe my decision was wrong from the very start.

After that day, Kate stopped coming home altogether. Meanwhile, Martin would occasionally text me just to rub it in.

"Mr. Cross, this is my first time being a dad. There are some things I don't know, so I wanted to ask for your advice. You're much older than me, so you probably have more experience with kids, right?"

Messages like these were getting on my nerves.

For the three years after our wedding, Kate wouldn't even let me touch her. Even when we shared a bed, she made me put a wooden plank down the middle.

If I accidentally brushed against her, she'd get so disgusted that she would actually throw up. Afterward, she would scrub herself in the shower like she was trying to peel her own skin off.

The constant buzzing of my phone finally drove me over the edge. I grabbed it and called the number back.

"Don't you know how to use a phone to look things up? Didn't Kate tell you that we've never even slept together?

"Or are you just sending these messages to show off? If that's the case, you're wasting your time. I have nothing to do with Kate now. I genuinely wish you both the bes—"

Right then, I heard a sneer. But the voice on the other end wasn't Martin's. It was Kate's.

"Neil, did you really think I'd fall for your nonsense again? The second I left, you went crying to my mom to back you up. Honestly, I'm glad I broke your leg. God knows what you would've done to Martin otherwise."

With that, she hung up.

I listened to the beeping that followed, gripping the phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white before helplessly loosening my grip.

I should have known I'd lose when I made that wager with Margaret three years ago. I just never imagined I'd lose this badly.

I had intended to quietly wait until it was time to leave. But the very next day, Kate and Martin came storming back into the house.

Kate's eyes were bloodshot, and her clothes were disheveled. It looked like she'd just been in a screaming match with someone.

She glared at me with reddened eyes, looking like she wanted to chop me into a thousand pieces.

Before I could even react, Martin, who was standing beside her, suddenly dropped to his knees right in front of me.

"Mr. Cross, I know you've got a problem with me. If those texts I sent pissed you off, then I'm sorry. But you had no right to put Margaret up to forcing Kate into an abortion! That's the child we have long been hoping for!"

My head was spinning. I opened my mouth to defend myself. But the next second, a sharp, stinging pain exploded across my cheek.

Kate slapped me several times. Her palm turned red from the assault, her hand trembling at her sides.

She suddenly grabbed a pair of scissors from the table and pointed them right at me, screaming hysterically, "Neil, you make me sick!

"Three years ago, you forced me to marry you against my will. And now you're trying to kill my baby? What kind of crap did you feed my mom to make her turn on me?"

I pressed a hand against my burning cheek, my lips parting slightly. "I didn't—"

But Kate wasn't having it. Having lost all reason, she drove the scissors deep into my shoulder.

Blood stained her hands and soaked through my shirt. Evidently, she hadn't expected me to stay completely still.