Chapter 3

"You were faking it," I said.

Chloe burst into laughter, not even bothering to deny it. "So what if I was? Daniel believes me. That's all that matters."

She rested a hand on her stomach and let out a low, mocking laugh. "My baby could've lived. He could've been born perfectly healthy, but I slipped and lost him. Daniel wanted that child so much, so someone had to take the blame. Unfortunately, that someone had to be you."

I shook with pure, unadulterated rage. "You're disgusting!"

Her smile turned malicious. "Once you're gone, everything under your name will belong to me."

A chill ran down my spine. Chloe had made up her mind. She wasn't going to let me leave this hospital alive.

Summoning every last ounce of strength in me, I dragged myself out of bed, shoved her aside, and bolted for the door.

Unfortunately, I had severely overestimated my own body. I barely made it a few steps before my legs gave out, sending me crashing to the floor.

Chloe followed at an easy, unhurried pace, delivering a sharp kick to my ribs. When she realized I didn't even have the strength to get back up, she burst into a mocking laugh.

"Run. Go on. Weren't you so determined to escape? Letting you die just like that is too easy on you. Let's play a game instead. I heard there's a slum nearby, absolutely crawling with vagrants. How about I drop you off right in the middle of them?"

"You can't do this to me," I gasped, scrambling back in terror. "My father is—"

Before I could finish, she yanked my hair back, forcing my head up, and delivered two brutal slaps across my face.

"Your family is nothing but a pack of ungrateful parasites! Every time Daniel brought gifts over, they looked down their noses at him. If Daniel hadn't been helping them out all these years, do you think you'd ever have tasted what it's like to be a rich man's wife?"

My heart sank.

Daniel had been a penniless nobody back then. I was the one who emptied my savings to fund his startup.

My family had heavily opposed our relationship, which was why he rarely associated with them after the wedding. On the handful of occasions he did visit, he brought nothing but some fruit.

His supposed financial support was a total joke. If my dad hadn't secretly invested in his company, there was no way it would've gone public in just seven years.

Chloe had her bodyguards drop me off at the slum. She whipped out her phone, pointing it at me as she waved a bounty in front of the local vagrants circling us like vultures.

"Whoever puts on the best show gets 500,000 dollars."

In an instant, four or five vagrants surrounded me, the malice in their eyes making my stomach turn. I grabbed a rock, hurled it at them, and shouted at Chloe, "You're going to regret this!"

She didn't care in the slightest. In fact, she even started a video call with Daniel. The camera captured me at my most helpless, and Daniel laughed as if the sight delighted him.

"Chloe, you're too nice," he said. "She killed our baby. She deserves to rot in a prison cell."

Chloe sighed. "Olivia has history with you, after all. I just wanted to do something kind for the sake of our future children. But she's too stubborn. If she would only grovel for forgiveness and admit her mistakes, I wouldn't want to hurt her either."

Daniel scoffed. "She's rotten to the core. I've been sick of her for a long time. Chloe, we'll just have to reschedule our wedding. This time, I promise to give you the most lavish ceremony imaginable."

The two of them ignored me, and whatever hope I had left died right then and there.

The moment she hung up, Chloe urged, "What are you all standing around for? Get to work, or you won't see a single dime!"

I lunged forward, knocking Chloe to the ground and wrapping my hands around her throat with all my might.

"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me!"

Panic finally broke through her composure as she choked and shrieked for help.

Just then, Daniel's furious voice rang out behind me.

"Olivia, you're dead meat!"

He picked up a rock, smashed it against my head, and kicked me aside.