Chapter 2

When I woke again, I was in the hospital.

There was only a single nurse in the ward.

“You’re at risk of a miscarriage, so you can’t be agitated in any way. The doctor has prescribed you some medications to help stabilize the pregnancy. Have your family pick it up when they arrive.”

But I had no family.

My mother had died years ago, and my dad had run off to escape his debts. Even my husband, who had once claimed to love me, was accompanying his mistress to a prenatal appointment.

I slowly climbed out of bed to collect the medications myself.

When I passed by the VIP area on the third floor, a familiar voice drifted through a partially open door.

I stopped.

Through the gap, I could see Oscar sitting by the bedside, gently feeding Camilla some soup.

Camilla rested a hand on her belly and looked up at him with tearful eyes. “Are you really going to leave me alone during this time, Oscar? What if the baby misses its daddy?”

Oscar affectionately tapped the tip of her nose. “Don’t be silly. How could I ever leave you here alone?

“I put a GPS tracker on Luna’s phone. Once she calms down, I’ll come and spend time with you.”

Camilla gave a coy pout and threw herself into his arms.

I could hear their sounds of passion coming from inside, and my insides felt like they had been scooped out.

A breeze blew past, chilling me to the bone.

I took out my phone and called a hidden number.

“I’ll go with you to Summer Bay as you wanted, but you have to fake my death.”

“I can do that.”

After ending the call, I looked through the doorway at the two figures entwined inside.

Oscar, if you refuse to believe that I truly want a divorce, then congratulations.

You’re about to become a widower.

When Oscar came home in the evening, he saw that my dinner was a plain bowl of oatmeal.

He frowned, picked it up, and poured it into the trash.

“How can you eat just that when you’re pregnant?”

He took off his coat and went into the kitchen.

Oil sizzled in the pan, and the aroma of cooking food soon drifted through the house..

Warm yellow light bathed him, making him seem like he was made of gold.

If I had not overheard his conversation with Camilla, I would have believed that he had learned his lesson and was truly coming back home to me.

In a daze, he finished cooking dinner, filling the table with various dishes.

Oscar put a huge slice of salmon onto my plate. “Have more salmon. It’s filled with vitamins.”

My fingers tightened on my fork, my knuckles going white. “I’m allergic to fish, Oscar.”

It was Camilla who enjoyed eating fish.

The room plunged into silence in an instant.

Oscar stiffened, and his expression shifted.

He picked up my plate and dumped it into the trash.

Then he went to the fridge to take out some mango juice. He twisted the cap and started to down the juice.

I was shocked. I lunged forward to snatch it away. “What are you doing? You’re allergic to mangoes!”

He avoided my hold and finished the entire bottle of mango juice.

A few seconds later, a startling rash appeared on his neck.

He loosened his tie as his breathing sped up. “It’s my fault for forgetting you’re allergic to fish. It has nothing to do with Cammie. I’ve been punished, so don’t go and bother her.”

Tears gathered in my eyes all of a sudden.

My voice shook as I asked, “Are you willing to die for Camilla, Oscar?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. His voice even took on a hint of pleading. “My little moon, I’m begging you. Let Camilla off.”

When he used that nickname, I was frozen to the spot.

When Hester had forced Mom into a corner, I was standing on the edge of the balcony trying to find her.

Oscar did not tell me to come down and only stood on the balcony with me.

He had said, “Luna, you are the moonlight in my life. Without you, I could not survive alone.”

That nickname meant too much to me. It represented the eleven love-filled years of our relationship.

I recalled the wonder of our first kiss, the pain of that meeting in the clinic, the magic of our wedding night…

At that moment, he was using that nickname to beg me to spare another woman.

I grimaced, my heart feeling lonelier than it had been when I was crying.

“Alright, I’ll let you both off.”

I took two steps back and went back into the bedroom.