Chapter 4

Joe sent Angela a link to a burner X account.

Angela felt her blood freeze in her veins when she read the contents that the account had posted over the years.

This burner account was Cathy's personal venting space. It was filled with all sorts of her unfiltered confessions and innermost thoughts.

"March 12th. I'm now working as my best friend's boyfriend's personal assistant. Why is she so damn annoying and insisting that I work for her boyfriend? Does she not know that I like Daryl too? And yet, she still did this so that I'd be forced to watch them act lovey-dovey at the office all day. Ugh!"

"May 5th. I'd just broken up with my ex, and the first thing Angela did was to show off her oh-so-perfect relationship with Daryl by feeding him steak. They're so damn disgusting.

"She's always been like this since we were kids, acting so perfect in front of teachers and parents with me as her unpaid supporting character. She stole all the love and attention that should have been mine. She makes me so uncomfortable."

"June 2nd. It rained today, and her boyfriend offered to drive me home. I said I was cold, and he put his coat around my shoulders. I could see the desire in his eyes."

"July 4th. The power suddenly went off at the office, and I was so startled that I jumped right into his arms. But our lips met by accident when I looked up at him. He froze for a bit but didn't push me off."

"August 7th. We slept together. I knew he never really loved Angela that much. He just thinks she makes a suitable housewife. I guess my best friend is a little pitiful after all. I mean, we did grow up together…"

Angela only realized just how much Cathy had misunderstood her over the years after reading all her thoughts.

When Cathy lost her job, Angela had begged Daryl to give her a high-paying job at his office. When Cathy broke up with her ex, Angela offered to treat her to a big meal to distract her and get her mind off things.

She never thought that her patience, maturity, and forbearance would be taken maliciously by Cathy like this.

She held a hand to her stomach, feeling the tears pooling in her eyes once again.

She suffered from extremely low progesterone levels, which made it very difficult for her to conceive. This baby was basically a miracle that she wanted to attribute to Daryl praying fervently at churches and temples for a long time.

But now, she suddenly didn't know what to do with the miracle growing inside her after having so eagerly anticipated its arrival for years.

A sudden sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen again.

Unable to get hold of Daryl, Angela had no choice but to drive herself to the hospital. However, the car had only just turned a corner in the neighborhood when a car suddenly lost control at the intersection and rammed right into her.

The deafening crash nearly shattered her eardrums. She instinctively shielded her belly with her arms and was nearly thrown out of the car.

An excruciating pain seared up her stomach. Then, the world turned black for her.

…

The first thing Angela saw when she opened her eyes was Daryl staring at her, his eyes bloodshot.

"Angie! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The crash hadn't been fatal. Angela had only passed out from shock and not from the few bruises along her limbs. Fortunately, the baby wasn't harmed at all.

Daryl gripped her hands tightly. It was almost as though he was worried he'd lose her any second.

"Mr. Carson immediately rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard that you were in a car crash," his assistant, Wilfred Peterson, said in a quiet voice. "He got grazed by a motorbike on the way but didn't even stop to pursue the matter and continued rushing over to you."

Angela then realized that Daryl was covered in injuries. His right arm was bandaged, and his knee was also scraped.

"My injuries don't matter. They're just minor ones," Daryl said, waving his hand impatiently. His eyes still held the same concern and tenderness as they had during his first few years of courting Angela. "My fiancee and baby are more important to me than anything else in the world."

Angela dug her nails into her palms, using the pain to keep herself awake. "I remember the license plate on the car. I'm going to file a police report."

"Absolutely," Daryl agreed without hesitation. He then said in a domineering tone, "I don't care whether it was an accident or not. Whoever dares to lay a finger on my fiancee must pay the price for their actions!"

However, when Angela recited the plate number to him, his expression dropped, and panic flashed in his eyes.

"Just leave this to me, Angie. You don't have to bother about it anymore."

Angela's heart sank. "Why not? I'm going to report them to the police myself!"

"I said, leave this to me," Daryl said firmly, leaving no room for argument. When he saw Angela's face turning pale, he softened his tone and added, "You're pregnant, Angie. You shouldn't have to bother yourself with cumbersome tasks like this. Just leave it all to me."

Just then, his phone rang.

Daryl answered the call and spoke for a while. Then, he turned and looked at Angela apologetically. "Sorry, Angie. It's another work call. I need to go over and handle some things. I'll be right back."

Angela grabbed his wrist. "Can't you stay? I still feel very uncomfortable…"

Daryl frowned slightly as he firmly removed her hand from his wrist. "Don't be unreasonable, Angie. I have very important matters to tend to."

The moment he left the hospital room, Angie pulled out the IV needle from the back of her hand and silently went after him.

Cathy's figure suddenly whizzed past the emergency exit at the end of the hallway.

Daryl angrily pinned her against the wall. "Are you out of your mind? Who gave you permission to hire someone to crash into her?"

"You're the one who made me do this," Cathy wailed. "I was just jealous, okay? Why can Angie give birth to her baby, but mine can only be aborted? This isn't fair! If I'm forced to lose my baby, then she doesn't get to keep hers either!"

Daryl's face was cold and grim, but a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

"I will settle things out of court with the driver, and that will be the end of this incident. But we can't see each other after this anymore."

"You're lying!" Cathy screamed, her tears dripping onto the floor as she sobbed pitifully. "You know you love me! Why can't you just admit it and tell her the truth? Break up with her and be with me instead!"

"That's enough, Cathy! Angela is my future wife, and it is my duty to marry her!"

Daryl tried to pull her away from him, but his tone was soft and weak, and it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself instead.

Cathy refused to let up and continued pressing. "Would you have married me if you met me first?"

Angela froze when she heard that. After what felt like an eternity, she saw Daryl's lips moving.

"I would."

His expression when he said it broke Angela's heart.

She had never seen him look so conflicted in her life. His eyes were filled with lust and passion for Cathy, but he simply let his arms hang down loosely by his side.

So, he cared about Cathy so much that he wouldn't hesitate to cover up for her even if she'd just committed a crime.

Angela suddenly remembered the time she had accidentally lost an unimportant document at home, and Daryl had given her the cold shoulder for an entire week. It wasn't until she broke down and signed an oath swearing she'd never do anything like that again that he finally stopped ignoring her.

The difference in Daryl's attitude toward someone he loved and someone he didn't was just too great.

Angela couldn't bear to listen to Cathy's incessant sobbing anymore. She turned on her heels and stumbled away.

…

Daryl didn't return home until very late that night. As soon as he returned, he went up to Angela and hugged her from behind.

"Why did you come straight home without telling me? You made me worry for nothing. You've been naughty."

Angela could smell Cathy's sweet perfume on his body and instinctively pushed him away.

"Let's break up, Daryl Carson."