Chapter 2

"This… The doctor said my pregnancy was unstable, so Justin gave me this bracelet to keep me safe. If you don't like it, Maxine, I'll give it back to you," Clara said softly, fingers already moving to take off the bracelet.

"Enough!" Justin barked, immediately stopping her, his voice full of distress.

"It's just a bracelet, Maxine. When did you become so petty?"

Just a bracelet?

Even after three years, even after telling myself I'd let everything go, those words cut deep, stirring up a bitter pain I thought I'd buried.

That emerald bracelet wasn't just jewelry—it was the only thing my parents had left me. It was the Preston family heirloom, blessed by a priest.

Back when I'd fallen ill with a strange, inexplicable disease, no doctor—local or abroad—could find the cause.

My parents had been desperate. They cried for days before finally taking the bracelet to a cathedral.

They climbed all 3000 steps from the base of the mountain to the cathedral at its peak, praying at every single step, just to have it blessed.

On their way back, a semi-truck plowed straight into them. My parents died instantly.

When I woke up, all I had left were two urns filled with their ashes.

I had cried myself unconscious in front of their memorials. In my despair, I'd slammed my head against the table, wanting it all to end.

At the very last moment, Justin had pulled me into his arms.

"Maxine! Your parents died for you. If you die too, then their deaths will mean nothing! I swear, I'll never leave you. You still have me, Maxine."

The memory burned. Thinking of that, I grabbed Clara's wrist tightly. "Give it back!"

"Ah! That hurts…"

Clara's face went pale as she bit down on her lip, her voice dripping with wounded grievance. "Maxine, I'll give it back. I wouldn't dare keep anything that belongs to the Prestons."

She made it sound like she was the one being wronged.

All I wanted was my bracelet back, but before I could grab it, Clara let go.

The bracelet slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a sharp, ringing crack.

It shattered instantly.

The world went silent, and all I could hear was my ragged breathing. The sound of that bracelet breaking felt like a sledgehammer slamming into my chest, splintering my heart into pieces.

Clara shrank against Justin's chest, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to, I just got scared when you lunged at me, Maxine."

I became like a wild animal, tears blurring my vision as I rushed toward her. "Give me back my bracelet!"

Before I could reach her, Justin shoved me hard to the ground.

"Name your price, and I'll pay for it. Stop making a scene over something so insignificant. Don't upset Clara anymore, alright?"

The hard floor scraped my wrists and legs raw, the sting burning deep.

I pressed my lips together, saying nothing, and began gathering the shattered pieces of my bracelet from the floor.

"Maxine, let me help you," Clara said softly.

She leaned down close, her whisper like venom in my ear. "Did you really believe your parents died because of that bracelet? God, Maxine, you're so naive."

My eyes went wide, rage consuming me. My mind buzzed as I grabbed her by the collar, my bloodshot gaze boring into her. "What do you mean by that? Say it!"

Before she could answer, Justin's foot slammed into me. A metallic taste flooded my mouth, and I spat out a mouthful of blood. It splattered across the floor like crimson flowers blooming on cold concrete.

"Justin, don't hurt Maxine. She's just jealous that I'm carrying your child, and that's why she lashed out at me. You two are the ones who truly belong together. This is my fault. I'll get rid of the baby and leave you… That way, everything can go back to how it was."

Clara trembled like a terrified little rabbit, her whole body shaking.

A chill ran through me. All the things I'd never questioned before suddenly felt suspicious.

"Justin, back then—"

Before I could finish, she cut me off.

"Justin, my stomach… It hurts so bad…"

Justin's heart ached instantly. He scooped Clara into his arms without hesitation and rushed toward the host family's private doctor.

Before leaving, he shot me a cold glance. "Lock her up."

A group of security guards immediately surrounded me. It was outrageous.

I'd lost all patience. "How dare you! Do you even know the consequences of crossing me?"

The words had barely left my mouth before the onlookers burst into mocking laughter.

"Everyone knows the Prestons went bankrupt ages ago. She's still talking big? What a joke."

"She's just a discarded wife. Still thinks she's that high-and-mighty Preston heiress from Regentia? Pathetic."

"Exactly! Everyone knows Mr. Garner is the new darling of Regentia. She should be the one apologizing."

I let out a cold, bitter laugh. If I hadn't handed over all the Preston family's resources to Justin back then, he'd be nothing today.

However, no one here believed me. To them, I was just a desperate woman bluffing for attention, and to please Justin, they threw me into a filthy bathroom.

It reeked of smoke. My body was already weak from coughing up blood earlier, and now the nausea and pain hit me all over again until everything went black.

I didn't know how long I was out before I heard the creak of the door opening.

"You're here!"