Chapter 4

Kendall's POV

When he turned around and realized that I was nowhere to be found, Kieran was scared out of his wits. Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved Talulah aside and dived into the underwater depths.

The lake was freezing, but his body felt like a blazing furnace as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. After getting me safely onto the shore, he turned back to rescue Talulah. Unfortunately, he was too late.

The water was unbearably cold. By the time she was brought ashore, Talulah clutched her stomach. She was in so much pain that her whole body trembled.

Blood trickled down her white dress. When she was rushed to the hospital, her baby was already gone.

"I hate you, Kieran Steel! You killed our baby! This is all your fault, and that bitch's! Kill her and avenge our baby!" she wailed, sinking her nails into his flesh.

Kieran's eyes held a tenderness I'd never seen before. However, when he turned to look at me, his expression was stoic.

I smiled at him. "Are you crying? That's a first. I've never seen you shed a tear before.

"Why did you insist on saving me earlier? Now, everyone's disappointed."

His eyes instantly became bloodshot. For the very first time, he raised his hand as if he wanted to slap me.

His chest heaved violently as he growled, "Don't push your luck, Kendall! Don't think you can keep acting like a bitch just because I love you!"

His trembling hand hung in midair for a long while before he ultimately mashed his fist into the wall instead. "Get the hell out. I don't want to fucking see you right now!"

From then on, he never came home. He used to send me ten messages in a single minute, but now, my phone was as dead as a grave.

…

By the time Talulah was allowed out of confinement, their baby's grave had been completed. I was invited over by Kieran's assistant, Sam Smith.

The moment Talulah saw me, hatred blazed in her eyes. "Get down on your knees and beg my child for forgiveness!" she bellowed.

I arched my brow and looked at Kieran. This time, he didn't shield me unconditionally like he used to. In fact, his expression was grim as he walked up behind me.

My calf was kicked hard, and caught off guard, I dropped to my knees. His large hand clamped down on the back of my head, forcing it toward the ground without giving me a chance to resist.

He forced my head against the cold ground three times until my vision went black. Kieran's low, hoarse voice sounded above me. "Tal hasn't eaten or drunk anything in three days. She said she wouldn't until you came to beg for forgiveness. Kendall, you caused our baby's death. You brought this on yourself..."

Lying flat against the ground, I stared at the name engraved on the tombstone—Amber Steel. Kieran must've chosen it. He sure cared about his child.

Talulah sneered as she stood in front of me and raised her hand.

Kieran instinctively tried to stop her. She looked at him with teary eyes. "What, is your heart aching for her? What about our child, then? Who gave a damn about our child's pain?"

As soon as her words fell, her palm came crashing down against my cheek. My cheek went numb, and I tasted blood in my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that his hands had balled into fists, trembling uncontrollably.

However, that still wasn't enough. Kieran took us back home.

Talulah kicked open my bedroom door and surveyed the room as though she were inspecting her spoils of war. My wedding gown lay in shreds, hacked apart by her scissors, while dozens of my wedding rings glittered on her fingers.

Talulah wiggled her fingers, grinning triumphantly. "Kieran and I are going on our honeymoon. He has promised to give me another child. Now… tell me, who's the worthless one here?"

I kept my gaze lowered and remained silent throughout it all.

The front door slammed shut, and Talulah's laughter echoed from downstairs. "Come on, call me Mrs. Steel!"

Kieran's friends hesitantly said, "Y-Yes, Mrs. Steel…"

By the time I walked out to the balcony, their car had already disappeared into the distance.

Talulah turned around to taunt me, flipping me off. The diamonds on her fingers glittered brilliantly in the sunlight.

At long last, a smile from the bottom of my heart broke across my face. I leaned against the railing and waved goodbye.

Kieran couldn't seem to take his eyes off me in the rearview mirror. When he took in my reaction, his brows knitted together, and his foot unconsciously eased off the gas.

Talulah, however, took his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. In the end, he shifted his attention back to the road and drove farther and farther away from me.

After his vehicle left the city and merged onto the highway, Talulah suddenly exclaimed, "Holy shit! I lost my phone!"

Just then, one of Kieran's friends gasped. "Tal's livestreaming? Wait... Isn't that Kendall?"

I was leaning against the railing of our balcony at home on the screen. The wind tousled my hair, while the setting sun bathed me in a warm golden glow.

Nothing obstructed the sweeping view around me. I looked happier than I'd ever been.

Kieran had guarded my phone under lock and key. But that didn't mean I couldn't steal someone else's.

The passcode was Kieran's birthday. How predictable. If not for getting my hands on it, I wouldn't have let them lay a finger on me.

I cleared my throat and looked into the camera. "I miss you."

Laughter erupted inside the car that was speeding down the highway. "Kendall's something else. I can't believe she's actually using this trick to coax Kieran back."

Kieran stared at the screen. The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly as warmth spread through his eyes.

Yet, he maintained a straight face. "I'm not going back. This time, I need to teach her a lesson she'll never forget..."

Almost simultaneously, my laughter rang out from the phone. Tears of mirth spilled from my eyes.

I tilted my head slightly toward the camera and said softly, "I miss you… Jasper."

All it would take was the slightest hint from me, and he would find me. Jasper, my love.

The moment those words rolled off my tongue, a piercing screech of brakes rang out on the highway.