Love, Lies, And Redemption

"I want you to pay for this with your life! You cruel woman, you made Violet fall... Do you really want to hurt the baby?

At the entrance of the operating room, Lucas who was usually known for his gentle demeanor, had a woman pinned against the wall, choking her tightly.

The woman is Rachel.

The woman he was trying to strangle was his wife, Rachel, with whom he has been married for nearly six years.

The girl in the operating room is his mistress.

Rachel felt like she was suffocating, and it was getting hard to stay conscious.

She fought desperately to escape his grip.

His fingers were filled with rage and strength, as if they were ready to snap her neck or even take her life.

Rachel's face turned red, her veins clearly visible, and breathing became a struggle. She fought to speak, managing to gasp out:

"I... didn't... push her..." Rachel stammered, even with Lucas's hand still around her throat.

"You still have the nerve to deny it? Do you think Violet is as heartless as you to hurt her own baby? Are you that desperate to keep me with you?..."

Rachel's voice was shaky. She hadn’t pushed Violet, and she never imagined that Violet would fall on her own just to set her up.

But she couldn’t get the words out.

Close by, she could hear Violet’s mother crying, "Violet, my poor Violet, if you lose the baby, how will I live without holding my grandchild?"

Rachel shook her head in panic, tears streaming down her face from the pain and fear. She clawed at Lucas's hand, trying to find a way to breathe, but no words came.

She felt like she was going to die.

No one was there to save her.

"Lucas, let her go. If you kill her, you'll end up in jail, and it will ruin the company’s reputation."

His sister, Grace, rushed over, trying to reason with him.

Gradually, the pressure from Lucas's hands began to ease.

Rachel finally felt a sense of relief but it didn't last long as she was suddenly shoved hard, causing her to stumble backward uncontrollably. She lost her footing and crashed headfirst into the sharp corner of the wall behind her.

The impact sent a jolt of pain through her, and she instinctively brought her hand to her head, only to find it covered in blood.

Lucas ignored her, his expression icy as he shouted, "Don’t think you’re safe. I might let you go now, but your punishment will be worse than death, and your entire family will suffer too."

His voice was so cold that it sent chills down Rachel’s spine.

Despite the pain, Rachel managed to stand up, her body shaking as she straightened herself and defiantly shouted, "I didn’t push her! She fell on purpose. Lucas, you must be out of your mind to think she’s really pregnant. No mother would intentionally fall knowing she’s pregnant."

Usually, Rachel was quiet and compliant, never one to speak harshly or stand up for herself.

But today, she was a completely different person.

Lucas looked at her with fury, his anger boiling over as he shoved her against the wall again. "The doctor confirmed she’s pregnant! Do you really think she would risk losing her baby just to falsely accuse you?"

Rachel was at a loss for words, but she managed to choke out, "I... I didn’t push her."

There was a fierce determination in her eyes that Lucas had never witnessed before, and she had no intention of admitting to pushing Violet.

Lucas had never seen her so resolute.

Violet’s mother, furious, rushed forward, shoved Lucas aside, and slapped Rachel hard across the face.

Caught off guard, Rachel felt the sting of the blow.

"You little liar, you still want to deny it?" Violet’s mother screamed.

As she raised her hand for another slap, Rachel instinctively grabbed her wrist, trying to hold her back.

Rachel spoke coldly, her eyes flashing with intensity, "I didn’t push your daughter. I seriously doubt she’s even pregnant." In a fit of anger, Rachel shoved the woman aside, her gaze locked onto Lucas with fierce determination.

Violet’s mother was taken aback by the force of Rachel’s push. She stumbled and hit her head against a chair, resulting in a painful bump.

Lucas rushed to help Violet’s mother regain her balance.

His anger was boiling over. "What the hell, Rachel? It’s not enough that you’ve hurt Violet; now you want to hurt her mother too and add to your list of wrongdoings?"

As he scolded her, he hurled a vase in her direction.

Rachel didn’t have time to react and was struck on the forehead.

Blood began to trickle down her face.

Suddenly, Rachel felt her vision blur.

As she sank to the floor, despair filled her heart.

This was the man she had loved and been married to for six years.

But now, he despised her completely. How could he ever believe that she could hurt a pregnant woman?

When Rachel regained consciousness, she found herself in a hospital bed, her head spinning as memories of the incident flooded back.

Her heart ached deeply.

Her mouth felt dry and bitter.

Covering her throbbing face, she fought back tears that threatened to spill.

After nearly six years of marriage to Lucas, she had tried so hard to be the wife he deserved.

But he didn’t love her.

It was his stepmother who had stood by Rachel when Lucas began to act out. But would she be able to help her this time?

Rachel felt a wave of fear wash over her.

Just then, a nurse entered the room: "You’re awake! You’ve been in a coma for three days. Is your head still hurting?"

Rachel didn’t respond but instead asked anxiously, "Can you tell me about Violet Armstrong? Did her baby survive after being rushed to the emergency room yesterday?"

The nurse hesitated for a moment before she spoke, "I'm really sorry, but the baby didn't make it. The mother is fine, but she did lose her womb, so she won't be able to have kids in the future."

Rachel’s heart sank.

It was over.

Lucas would definitely come for revenge.

As Rachel was lost in her thoughts, the ward door swung open.

It was Lucas.

Dressed in a gray shirt and blue pants, he looked neat and well-groomed.

He addressed the nurse politely, saying, "Please leave. I need to talk to her."

The nurse nodded and exited the room.

Rachel fought through the pain to sit up.

The moment the nurse was gone, Lucas's demeanor shifted. He walked over with a cold expression, slammed a document onto the bed, and said in a chilling tone, "Sign it."

Rachel picked it up and glanced at it.

It was a divorce paper.

It stated that she had to vacate the house without any belongings and return everything she had taken from the Brown family.

This included shares, businesses, properties gifted by the Brown family, and any cash received from them.

Rachel's face drained of color.

"Why?"

She asked, her voice shaking.

Lucas replied indifferently, "If you don’t sign, in five days, I’ll make your family wish they were never born. You have these five days for your family to move out."

Her body shook with fear.

Is he really serious?

Her marriage was crumbling.

Taking a deep breath, her eyes filled with tears, she said sadly, "Lucas, we’ve been married for six years. Do you really want to do this?"

Lucas sneered, "Rachel, what else do you bring to the table besides being a wife?"

Rachel bit her lip, trying to use her last card to sway him, "Your stepmother won’t agree to this."

She paused, then added, "If you divorce me, she’ll take back all the privileges she’s given you..."

"You manipulative witch, do you think you still have anyone on your side?"

Lucas laughed coldly, "I just received word from the house help that my stepmother is dead. Now you’re all alone."

He hissed, "Because of your heartlessness, Violet lost the baby and her womb. I won’t forgive you, and neither will the Amstrong family. Just wait, your family will wish they were never born."

He walked away after saying that.

Rachel's eyes grew wide, her ears rang, and a wave of fear surged in her chest.

His stepmother is dead?

Seriously?

If that’s true, even if she signed the divorce, she and her family would never find peace.

Lucas had been under his stepmother's thumb for way too long, and she was the one his stepmother had picked for him.

Once he breaks free from her control, his revenge will be devastating.

Violet is the shining star of the Amstrong family, and the Amstrongs and the Browns are among the list of most powerful families in New York City.

The Amstrong family isn’t just influential in this city; they have even bigger allies backing them up.

How could the Carter family, a small player, survive the wrath of these two major families?

Just when Rachel was feeling lost, her phone started ringing.

She turned and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. It was her mom calling.

As soon as she answered, she heard her mother crying:

"Rachel, where are you? Did you upset Lucas again? Some men in black came yesterday and wrecked our store. When your siblings tried to stand up to them, they were taken to the police station."