Chapter 5 When He Finally Cared

"I can't believe you're capable of making such lies just to get attention!"

"I'm not lying! She really…" I practically crawled toward him, trying to grab the hem of his trousers. "Tristan, please. Take me to the hospital…"

"Enough!" he snapped. "I don't have time to indulge you or your melodramatic performance!"

With that, he turned around without hesitation and got back into the car.

The door slammed shut, and the black Rolls-Royce sped away before my tear-blurred eyes.

…

I had no idea how I managed to get to the hospital, but in the morgue, I clung to my grandmother's body and cried until my entire body convulsed.

No matter how hard I cried, I would never hear her gentle voice calling me Sylvia again.

During the days I endured my grief and arranged my grandmother's modest funeral alone, Tristan was busy keeping Regina company.

As I crouched in the funeral hall keeping vigil, a news alert appeared on my phone.

Tristan had made a high-profile appearance at a charity gala with Regina.

In the photos, his arm was wrapped around her waist, and his smile was gentle. Warm, in a way he had never once been with me.

As I carried my grandmother's urn through the cemetery, Regina posted a picture on social media of the limited-edition diamond bracelet he had given her.

The caption read, 'Thank you for loving me above everyone else, just as you always have.'

Even my father, who had never contacted me before, called to warn me.

"Sylvia, Mr. Chevalier paid off all my debts! I know I was wrong before… Look, Mr. Chevalier's heart still belongs to Regina after all. So, just divorce him and give him back to your sister, alright?"

I was dead inside at that point, so I answered with a flat "okay," and then hung up, ignoring his astonishment.

…

After taking care of everything related to my grandmother's funeral, I went straight to a private hospital.

"Have you made up your mind? You don't want the baby?" the doctor asked routinely.

After my father had drugged me and sent me to Tristan's bed, I had originally intended to leave without looking back.

But then my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and needed an astronomical amount of money for treatment.

With nowhere else to turn, I had agreed to Donna's demand: I would give the Chevalier family a child in exchange for one hundred billion dollars and my freedom.

Now that my grandmother was gone, I no longer wanted the child I had conceived through humiliation and endurance.

I signed the divorce papers and had them delivered to Chevalier Manor. Then, I bought the fastest available one-way ticket to a distant island.

…

While waiting at the airport, my phone suddenly vibrated.

For once, I received a message from Tristan.

'I passed by a jewelry store yesterday and saw a bracelet. It'll be your belated birthday present. I've already had my assistant transfer the medical expenses to you, so stop throwing a tantrum and come home. The house is a mess without you, and I'm not used to it.

'And… about the baby, we'll discuss it when you come home. If you can accept a divorce, I'll allow you to give birth to him. But as for me… I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings. I hope you understand.'

I forced a smile that looked worse than crying and calmly replied, 'You don't need to, Tristan. It's all too late now.'

I hit send.

Then I removed my SIM card, threw it into a trash can at the airport, and walked toward the boarding gate without looking back.

…

Tristan stood there irritably with the bracelet in his hand, waiting for a long time.

When the call finally came, even he did not realise that he had let out a breath of relief.

He answered eagerly, only to hear his assistant's panicked voice on the other end.

"We have a problem, sir! When I went to pay the medical expenses, the hospital told me that Mrs. Chevalier's grandmother had already passed away.

"And I also found out that Mrs. Chevalier terminated her pregnancy at the same hospital yesterday afternoon…"