Chapter 3

The sharp bite of ice dug into my knees.

Carter only glanced back once.

Then he scooped Chloe into his arms and rushed toward the private lounge.

Julian and a few regulars gathered in a circle around me.

None of them reached down to help.

One held up a phone to record the blood pooling on the floor.

Another snapped a photo of the torn, soaked IVF report.

Julian let out a low chuckle.

"She really blew up her own game this time."

I pressed my weight against the edge of the table to push myself up.

A horrific warmth trickled down my legs.

With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone to text my friend and doctor, Sarah.

My fingers shook so violently that I mistyped three times.

I finally managed to type five words. “Abdominal pain. Pick me up.”

When Chloe emerged from the lounge, Carter's suit jacket was wrapped around her shoulders.

The wedding ring was still on her finger.

Her eyes were red and watery.

"It was just a dip in my blood sugar," she whimpered.

"Evelyn lunged at me just now. I almost fell."

Carter didn't correct her.

He walked over and snatched my phone. "Nobody is causing any more drama tonight.

"First thing tomorrow, we nullify the divorce papers and pretend this never happened."

Seven years ago, he saved his number as my priority emergency contact.

He promised that no matter when I called, he would be there in seconds.

Tires screeched outside the venue.

Carter’s mother stepped through the door.

She took one look at Chloe wrapped in her son's jacket.

Then her eyes shifted down to the blood on my dress.

Her brows pulled together into a tight scowl.

"Apologize to Chloe first."

I raised my head to meet her gaze.

"Apologize?"

She set her luxury handbag on the table.

"You're a lawyer, Evelyn. You know how brutal public opinion can be.

"The mortgage on your late mother's house, the annual fees for her burial plot, your ongoing medical bills, they're all linked to the Jackson family accounts.

"If you make a scene, everyone loses."

My stomach turned.

My mother's old house was the only place left I still considered home.

I paid the cemetery fees every year with my own money.

Yet the Jacksons treated those expenses like a leash around my neck.

Carter put his hand on my shoulder.

His voice was still smooth, still gentle.

"Evelyn, you've always been the reasonable one. Let us drop Chloe off at home first.

"We'll talk about the baby once we get back."

I caught a faint smear of lipstick near the corner of his mouth.

The sleeve of Chloe’s jacket brushed against his arm.

My phone screen remained pitch black in his pocket.

I reached out and snatched the phone straight from his hand.

They assumed I was giving in.

Carter let out a long sigh of relief.

I turned and walked out the door.

But I didn't head for the Jackson family car.

Rain poured down, soaking me to the bone as I walked barefoot.

The sharp pain was grounding.

I didn't stop.

Sarah's SUV swerved violently to the curb.

She sprinted out, grabbed my arm and went pale the moment she saw my skirt.

"Get in!"

I sank into the passenger seat before she spoke again.

"Chloe just posted on Instagram."

She handed me her phone.

The picture showed Chloe holding up the ring on her finger.

The caption read. “You can only lose to the one you truly loved.”

I handed the phone back to Sarah.

"Take me to the hospital."

Sarah slammed on the gas.

As we rounded the corner, a black sedan cut across the lane, blocking our path.

Carter walked up through the pouring rain.

He knocked hard on the window.

"Get out of the car!"

I rolled the window down an inch and slammed a copy of the finalized divorce agreement straight against his chest.

Rain poured through the crack.

His face drained of all color under the glare of the headlights.