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Chapter 2

Author: Liora Z
After that night, Julian broke his routine.

He dropped his casino business. Came home on time every day.

That evening, I was on the terrace, sketching jewelry designs.

A glass of crimson liquid appeared beside my hand.

"Try it. I mixed it myself," Julian said, pulling up a chair.

A Bloody Mary. My old favorite.

The strong smell of tomato juice and vodka hit my nose. My stomach churned.

I didn't look up, just kept drawing the lines of the necklace.

"Take it away. The smell of tomato makes me sick." I turned to a new page. "Give it to Chloe."

CRACK!

The sound of shattering glass was piercing.

Julian had crushed the crystal glass with his bare hand.

Blood mixed with the red liquid, dripping through his fingers onto the carpet.

"How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?" he growled, fire in his eyes.

I stopped drawing and looked at his bleeding hand.

"Tastes change. Vodka burns too much now." My voice was calm. "Julian, those vows we made? They're expired."

He looked down, about to soften his tone, when hurried footsteps interrupted him.

Chloe's private nurse ran onto the terrace, looking panicked.

"Boss, Miss Chloe is having a severe migraine! She has a fever, she's convulsing! She's screaming for you!"

I immediately closed my sketchbook and dropped my pen.

"Go on," I urged him. "Hurry up and go."

But Julian didn't move. He stood frozen.

He stared into my eyes, his voice laced with ice.

"I'm not taking one step out that door without your permission."

He leaned in closer, looking at me.

"Valeria, I'm warning you. This is your last chance to ask me to stay."

Looking at him putting on this act, I could only feel how pathetic it was.

Before, if Chloe shed a single tear, he would've run to her, trampling all over my dignity to get there.

Now he was here, playing the devoted lover.

"Go to her," I said, looking him straight in the eye without a shred of hesitation. "And get out of my sight."

Julian's chest heaved.

He clenched his jaw, turned, and walked away, his leather shoes grinding on the broken glass.

"Well played, Valeria."

The door slammed behind him.

Watching him storm off, I closed my eyes. My mind went back to our anniversary last year.

I had a high fever that night. I was kneeling at the entrance.

I grabbed the leg of his trousers, begging him to stay with me.

He kicked me away without a second thought.

"Don't compete with a dying woman, Valeria. When did you become so pathetic?"

Those were his exact words.

Night fell. Julian didn't come back.

But the door opened.

Chloe strolled in and sat right on the sofa across from me.

Her face showed no sign of a fever or convulsions. Only a venom she couldn't hide.

"Why haven't you packed your bags and gotten the hell out of my house?" she sneered, admiring her new manicure.

I looked at her and laughed. "That depends. You think you'll live long enough to take my place?"

The smile vanished from Chloe's face.

She leaned forward, a cruel glint in her eyes.

"You really think that was just a simple sedative?"

"The dose. If it had been off by a hair, you would've been brain-dead."

She watched me, a smirk returning to her lips.

"And there's another secret. I'm sure you don't know this one."

"Your bloodwork before they put you under? You were four weeks pregnant."

My mind went blank. The blood in my veins felt like it had turned to ice.

Chloe savored my reaction, her voice growing lighter, more triumphant.

"I bought the private doctor a long time ago. He never gave Julian your pregnancy report."

"But he was in such a hurry for our wedding... He didn't hesitate for a second. He signed the consent form. The one with the highest risks. Even if he didn't know, it doesn't matter. In the end, the husband you love so much? He's the one who killed your baby!"

My stomach twisted into knots. A sharp pain tore through me.

My baby.

Julian, without even knowing, had killed my child with his own hand.

In that instant, my sanity shattered.

I grabbed the heavy porcelain coffee pot from the table and smashed it over her head.

"Ah!"

The pot broke. Chloe screamed, clutching her head as blood streamed through her fingers.

I lunged, pinning her to the sofa.

"You can both go to hell, you goddamn animals!"

I grabbed the sharpest piece of porcelain from the floor and pressed it to her throat.

The shard broke her skin. Blood welled up.

"You'll pay with your life!" I stared at her, my wrist pushing down.

"Help! No... Valeria, I'm sorry, please don't kill me!" Chloe's face was white. She shrieked, begging for her life.

Just as the shard was about to pierce her artery, a furious roar came from the doorway.

"Drop it! Now!"

Julian stood at the door, his eyes wide with rage. "Valeria, are you insane?!"
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