Chapter 2

Kendall's POV

Talulah lost her shit. In the blink of an eye, she grabbed a bottle of liquor and smashed it against the corner of the table. Clutching the jagged half of the broken bottle by its neck, she charged at me. "You asked for this, you bitch!"

Kieran and his friends hurriedly stopped her. Yet, I was one step faster. The split second before the bottle came crashing down, I'd already pressed the tip of the fruit knife firmly against her lower abdomen.

Beneath the thin knitted dress was the warm, slightly rounded curve of her belly. Talulah went rigid. Cold sweat trickled down her face, and her hand began to tremble.

I took in her expression and couldn't help but want to smile. Wasn't she supposed to be a psycho?

Talulah was a lot like the old me. However, a knockoff was, and always would be, a knockoff.

I'd reined myself in for far too long around Kieran. It was no wonder he'd forgotten just how unhinged I could be.

"Kendall!" Kieran hurriedly pulled Talulah behind him. He placed his hand on her lower abdomen protectively. "Cut it out."

I cocked my brow. "Cut what out? Weren't you the one who allowed her to run her mouth right to my face? Since she dared to push my buttons, she has to pay the price, doesn't she?"

A prolonged silence ensued.

Kieran sighed, as though he didn't know what to do with me, and his tone softened. "I'll pay the price on her behalf."

The moment the words left his lips, he closed the distance between us. Inch by inch, the fruit knife sank deeper into his side.

In a heartbeat, blood spread across his pristine white shirt. I stared at the rapidly widening pool of crimson. It almost hurt to look at.

Yet, he acted as if he couldn't feel a thing. He smiled at me tenderly before raising his hand and caressing my cheek. "There. Are you happy now?"

"Have you lost your bloody mind, Kieran?" Talulah shrieked, rushing toward us. However, she was forcefully scooped up in his arms and carried away.

Talulah thrashed and cursed the entire way out. Her profanities and emotional voice drifted up from downstairs.

I lowered my gaze.

Talulah cursed and threatened to kill me while crying and checking Kieran's wound. Kieran, on the other hand, cautiously shielded her belly. The couple's figures embraced.

I silently curled my lips. The human heart was truly impossible to fathom.

Kieran and I used to be sworn enemies. He'd steal my project one day, and I'd blow up his company the next.

For the longest time, I genuinely thought he wanted me dead. Who would've thought he'd actually fallen in love with me? And now, he'd fallen out of love with me.

I gently clutched my chest, attempting to ignore the dull ache that was spreading through it. To make matters worse, in the last five years, I'd actually fallen in love with him, too.

…

That afternoon, I flipped my phone over and over again in my hands.

My lover, Jasper Slate, had been searching for me for the last five years. Kieran, however, had planted countless false leads, tricking him into going abroad.

Then, under the pretense of worrying that my enemies might come after me for revenge, Kieran had made sure I was under constant surveillance. He'd either personally kept an eye on me or sent someone to shadow me.

The microchip inside my phone could pinpoint my location. Every single call I made and message I sent was monitored. Even my attempts to upload a photo online were intercepted and blocked.

Kieran had locked me inside a gilded cage and welded the door shut with his own hands.

I was lost in thought when a friend request popped up on Facebook. The profile picture was a photo of Kieran and Talulah.

Talulah was snuggled up in his chest, her eyes crinkling into little crescents, against the backdrop of a sunset on some island.

After I accepted the request, she sent me a barrage of messages. First came several photos.

Kieran sat on the edge of the bed in the first photo, applying belly oil to Talulah's stomach. His eyes were filled with tenderness as he massaged the oil into her baby bump in gentle circles.

He stood at the stove in the kitchen in the second picture, wearing an apron. The counter was lined with mouthwatering, nutritious dishes for pregnant women.

I played the voice message and Talulah's triumphant voice came through. "I heard from his friends that he used to be madly in love with you and that you were someone he couldn't reach. So what? He still got tired of you in the end.

"I couldn't care less about who's the mistress or the wife. The one who holds his heart is the true victor. By the way, I've sent you a little gift. Make sure you sign for it when it arrives."

Just then, the doorbell rang. The package contained a divorce agreement. Kieran's name had already been written in the section for the husband's signature.

His handwriting was sharp and decisive. It was unmistakably his.

I stared at his name for a good while. Then, I laughed heartily.

Did she think I'd cling to him and refuse to let go? In reality, I couldn't wait to get the hell out of this marriage.

Without a second thought, I signed my name, snapped a photo, and sent it to Kieran. "Wishing you a happy new marriage."