Chapter 4

Night fell, and I simply left on foot.

In a daze, I remembered a night just like this two years ago. My phone had died, leaving me unable to call a ride, so I had to walk all the way home.

Unable to reach me, Louie spent two hours frantically searching for me.

The moment he saw me, he pulled me tightly into his arms, his voice trembling. "You scared me to death, Jess. I thought something had happened to you."

At the sight of my scraped, blistered heels, his eyes had turned red with anguish.

Yet now, even seeing the bleeding gash on my forehead left him entirely unmoved.

It felt as though a gaping hole had been torn open in my chest, aching until it went completely numb.

Halfway back, my vision went black, and I passed out cold.

When I woke up in a hospital bed, a nurse spoke to me gently. "You fainted from low blood sugar. A good Samaritan brought you here."

Only then did I remember I hadn't eaten a single bite all day yesterday.

I didn't even get a single spoonful of the seafood chowder I'd spent an hour simmering.

The nurse seemed to remember something and added, "You're over two months pregnant. You really need to watch your diet and take care of yourself."

I froze, reflexively looking down at my still-flat stomach.

I was actually pregnant…

I forced a stiff smile, not knowing what expression I was even supposed to make.

If this had been yesterday, I would have been overjoyed by the arrival of this baby.

But now…

Once I finished the IV drip, I left the hospital in a daze.

Not long after I got home, several men suddenly burst in and dragged me out.

Panicking, I thrashed against their grip. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Before long, I was brought to the cemetery, where I saw Louie standing in front of Mom's tombstone.

My heart instantly leaped into my throat. My voice trembled as I asked, "Louie, what are you doing?"

He turned around, his tone eerily calm. "What did you put in that seafood chowder? Why did Melanie have a severe stomach ache after drinking it? Jessica Stevens, you just never learn, do you?"

"What?"

I stood frozen in place, instinctively denying it. "I didn't do anything. You think I tampered with the food?"

Louie's gaze burned into me, cold as ice. "Still making excuses. You made it. Who else could it be? Did you find out Melanie was carrying my baby, so you intentionally tried to make her miscarry?"

Melanie was pregnant, too…

My hand instinctively went to my lower abdomen, my fingers curling.

"I didn't! I didn't even know she was pregnant!"

Louie stared at me coldly. A bodyguard beside him stepped forward, holding an urn in his hands.

"Jessica, don't force my hand."

My eyes widened in horror as I begged in a broken voice. "It really wasn't me! I didn't do anything! Please, don't…"

Louie frowned, his eyes laced with scrutiny and hesitation.

Noticing him waver, I was about to keep explaining when his phone suddenly rang.

After he picked up the call, his expression shifted drastically. When he turned back to me, his eyes held nothing but bone-chilling hostility.

"Jessica Stevens, how dare you tell her? It seems you really took my warning as a joke. Don't blame me for this, then!"

The next second, I watched helplessly as Mom's urn was slammed brutally onto the ground, shattering into pieces.

"No!" I screamed, my voice raw and agonizing, but I was still too late to stop it.

The ashes scattered wildly in the air. No matter how frantically I reached out, I couldn't catch them.

It felt like a dull blade slowly cutting through me, leaving me struggling to breathe. I collapsed helplessly onto the ground and sobbed in agony.

"Consider this your lesson. I expect there won't be a next time."