Chapter 7

The guard forced Summer's head down against the cold stone step, scraping her scalp against its rough surface.

It hurt like hell.

Summer screamed, but he showed no mercy. Every time she tried to plead with Logan, he slammed her head down again.

"Logan, I'm not lying! You can—"

Her forehead struck the stone again.

"Check my hospital records—"

Another blow cut her off.

"Please, stop! Please—"

The guard slammed her head against the stone again.

Something in Logan's expression softened. He started to reach for her, but Vivian caught his arm.

"She's supposed to keep praying for our baby until she's really sorry. You can't just let her off now. You're not seriously feeling sorry for her, are you?"

Logan's hand hovered in midair for a moment before he finally lowered it.

He ordered quietly, "Keep going. She needs to pay for what she's done!"

The guards kept slamming Summer's head against the stone, over and over, until she lost count. Her forehead was scraped raw and bleeding, and she could barely hold herself up.

Even so, she summoned the last of her strength to look up at Vivian, a mocking smile on her lips.

"Drop the act, Vivian. You've always looked down on us for being bastards, and now you're having one yourself! And once that baby's born, it'll have you for a mother. People will look down on it for the rest of its life!"

The color drained from Vivian's face. Summer had clearly struck a nerve.

"Logan, are you seriously going to let her talk to me like that?"

Logan's expression hardened.

"Harder! She hasn't suffered nearly enough!"

The guard tightened his grip on Summer's head and slammed it against the stone again.

Summer blacked out.

Then one of the guards suddenly cried out, "Mr. Cartwright! Th-there's blood all over her pants!"

…

The sharp smell of antiseptic woke Summer.

Logan sat beside her hospital bed, holding her hand. He seemed relieved when she opened her eyes.

"Summer, you're awake. Vivian thought something was seriously wrong, but then she realized you'd just gotten your period. You bled through your pants, that's all.

"You didn't finish your prayers. Vivian felt sorry for you because you weren't feeling well, so she said you could finish the rest another day."

Her period?

Summer began to shake uncontrollably. The pain confirmed her worst fear.

She'd lost her baby.

When they were still deeply in love, Logan wanted a baby with her more than anything. He even prayed for one every day.

But when she'd finally gotten pregnant, a client had pressured her into drinking more than a bottle of liquor to close a major deal. She'd lost the baby soon afterward.

She still remembered the pain of the D&C.

Logan's eyes had been red and swollen from crying. Despite his towering height, he'd curled up outside the operating room and sobbed all night.

And now he'd killed their second child, the baby who might have been her last chance to become a mother.

Summer grabbed at her hair and screamed.

Panic flashed in Logan's eyes as he gripped her shoulders.

"Summer, what's wrong?"

"Get out! Get out, Logan! I hate you!"

She lashed out at him, slapping him repeatedly and clawing at his face.

The pain in her head was so severe that she nearly blacked out several times. The doctor had warned her to avoid getting too worked up, but she couldn't control herself.

Logan waved off the bodyguards behind him, stopping them from interfering. Then, looking almost resigned, he pulled out a document and flipped to the last page.

Summer stared at the papers in a daze, but as he flipped through them, the words "Divorce Agreement" caught her eye.

So he'd been prepared for this all along.

Logan spoke in a soothing voice, as though trying to reason with a child.

"Summer, just sign the papers. I know you've been emotional lately because you're on your period. I'll buy you another mansion to make up for it. Look, I know you're upset about me helping Vivian, but she's still your half-sister.

"If the Siegels get back on their feet, you'll benefit, too. Besides, Vivian's the legitimate daughter here. Not you. So quit being so stubborn. I'm doing this for your own good."

Summer pretended she hadn't noticed the words "Divorce Agreement." She picked up the pen and signed without a word.

Her calm reaction caught Logan off guard. Something about it unsettled him, though he couldn't quite figure out why.

But the moment his phone buzzed with a message from Vivian, his face lit up. After giving Summer a few more instructions, he hurried out.

Summer didn't stay in bed for long. That night, she used her phone to track Logan down.

As she approached a private room, she heard Logan talking to his childhood friend, Eric Pyle.

"Logan, did you seriously trick Summer into signing divorce papers so you could marry Vivian?"

Logan blew a smoke ring, then spoke quietly.

"It's just temporary. I'm trying to calm Vivian down. She's been crying and throwing fits because she doesn't want the baby born out of wedlock. I have to marry her. Once the baby's born, I'll marry Summer again."

Eric looked stunned. "Vivian bullied you back in school! What the hell are you thinking?"

Logan shook his head, a bitter smile crossing his face.

"What can I say? Back in school, I couldn't take my eyes off Vivian. I wanted her from the moment I saw her. But I was just a bastard to her. She wouldn't even give me the time of day.

"Then I realized the only time she'd pay attention to me was when I stood up for Summer, the girl she was always bullying. After the Siegels lost everything, I found Vivian waiting tables at a restaurant.

"She'd burned herself, and some customers were humiliating her while she cried. I got her out of there and gave her some money, but then I humiliated her myself.

"I thought I'd finally gotten my chance to get even. But when I saw her crying and doing everything I told her without putting up a fight, I didn't feel good about it. I just felt sorry for her.

"Summer loves me, but as long as I'm with her, people will always see me as a bastard. With Vivian, I finally feel like I've left all that behind."

Eric drew a sharp breath. "What if Summer finds out someday? Aren't you worried she'll leave you for someone else?"

"Summer?"

Logan seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then a confident smile spread across his face.

"She loves me more than anything. Even if she finds out, I'll just sweet-talk her into forgiving me. Besides, I made her do the drinking for me back then. That's how she lost our first baby.

"She still blames herself for it, so there's no way she'd ever leave me."