Chapter 5

That evening, Zoe heard a door slam downstairs. When she turned around, Yale was standing there, his face twisted with rage.

He advanced on her, seized her by the throat, and slapped her hard across the face. Then he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Zoe Carter, how dare you? How could you do something like this?"

Zoe clawed at his arm, struggling to break his grip before kicking him in the stomach.

"I didn't do anything. She threw herself down those stairs," she shot back with a mocking look.

Yale straightened and grabbed a fistful of her hair, dragging her to her feet and pinning her against the railing at the top of the stairs.

"Look where you're standing! Natalie is terrified of heights. She trembles just standing near the edge of a step. Why the hell would she throw herself down the stairs? Besides, she's carrying my child!"

Zoe gave a derisive laugh at the conviction on his face and met his gaze without a trace of fear.

He still had no idea that the woman he treasured so dearly was carrying another man's child.

Yale caught sight of the blood at the corner of her mouth and the determination in her eyes. For a moment, an unexpected ache stirred in his chest, and his voice softened slightly.

"You should be grateful Natalie and the baby are both fine. Otherwise..."

His phone rang before he could finish. His expression immediately turned grave, and he hurried toward the door, his shoulder slamming hard into Zoe as he passed.

Caught off guard, she lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs. Every step sent another jolt of pain through her body, and when she finally hit the floor, she felt the impact in every bone.

Her forehead, knees, and elbows were scraped and bleeding. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth.

Yale froze briefly at the sight. Then, after listening to the instructions coming through his phone, he grabbed her by the back of the neck, shoved her into his car, and drove her to Natalie's hospital room.

"This is all your fault! Natalie is now showing signs of severe post-traumatic stress disorder because of you. You're going to apologize to her and do whatever it takes to earn her forgiveness. Otherwise, you know what will happen."

Zoe said nothing, watching the trees slip past her window.

The moment Natalie saw the red handprint on Zoe's cheek, a smug smile flashed across her face. Then she turned to Yale, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Yale, I'm okay. It's all my fault. I'm so useless. I can't even do something as simple as picking up some documents for you."

With that, she collapsed limply into his arms. Where he couldn't see, she raised an eyebrow at Zoe in silent provocation.

"Natalie, stop blaming yourself for everything. Zoe is the one who's letting her jealousy get out of control. I brought her here today to apologize to you."

Yale gave Zoe a cold look, silently ordering her to comply.

"Jealous?" Zoe let out a bitter laugh. "Yale Tanner, you're not worth being jealous over. And Natalie, you know exactly what happened today."

Yale strode toward her and pressed down hard on her shoulders, trying to force her to bow her head and apologize. Zoe fought against him, refusing to surrender the pride that had always been part of who she was.

Then he kicked her hard behind the knees.

Her legs buckled, and she dropped to the floor, forced to kneel before the woman who had destroyed her marriage.

Zoe trembled uncontrollably, her eyes burning with such hatred and murderous rage that Natalie shuddered.

Yale saw the fear in Natalie's eyes, and his anger flared again. He shoved Zoe away and roared, "Look what you've done! Natalie's terrified of you! Get out! Get the hell out!"

The force of the shove sent pain tearing through Zoe's already battered body. Every limb ached from her fall down the stairs, and blood continued to seep from her wounds.

Seeing her pale, stubborn face and the blood covering her body, Yale felt his heart sink. He was about to step forward and help her up when Natalie caught his arm and gazed at him pitifully.

"Yale, I'm hurting. Can you blow on it and make it better?"

Concern immediately filled his eyes. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb and murmured, "Of course. I'll blow on it for you."

The tender scene before her was almost unbearable to watch. Without another moment's hesitation, Zoe forced herself to her feet and left.

The post exposing Yale and Natalie's affair should be reaching the top of the trending charts any minute now.

And it was time for her to get ready to leave Gerton amid the chaos.

Zoe had barely stepped outside the hospital when she heard the roar of an approaching engine. She turned her head, but before she could react, a car slammed into her, sending her flying.

She landed hard on the pavement several yards away, blood seeping from her injuries.

Fighting to lift her head, Zoe looked through the car window and found herself staring into a face she would never forget.