Chapter 3

The moment the cold water poured over me in the second-floor bathroom, I shivered violently. I staggered to my feet, only to be shoved hard to the floor by the maids surrounding me.

"How disgusting. Just looking at that filth on you makes me want to puke!"

"Ms. Swain said that cold water is the most effective way to wash away the dirt clinging to you."

"Don't act like you're some delicate little thing. It's not like you're a princess. Just deal with it!"

I fell onto the slippery floor, curling into a ball as agonizing pain spread from my lower abdomen to every part of my body. Bright red blood flowed from beneath me, only to be washed into the drain by the running water.

Leaning against the bathroom door, Tracy smiled with eyes full of icy hatred.

She jeered, "Colette, you're damn lucky. Even that car accident couldn't finish you off. By the way, was the voucher I specially saved for you useful? Do you think someone like you is fit to give birth to a child of the Harker family? Dream on, you bitch!"

She had done it on purpose!

My body alternated between feeling burning hot one moment and freezing cold the next. Darkness closed in, and I lost consciousness.

It felt like I had a very long dream. In it, Yannick walked past me again and again. Every time he passed by, he turned a blind eye to the blood pouring from my body.

I reached out to grab his sleeve while crying, "Yannick, I've lost everything. I have nothing left."

There wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes.

Looking condescendingly at me from above, he said each word slowly, "You brought this on yourself. Colette, you deserved it."

My outstretched hand jerked back as though it'd been burned.

The scene changed.

At our wedding, Yannick placed one million dollars in front of me and asked in an icy voice, "The money or me. Which do you choose?"

I closed my eyes and chose the money.

Yannick's eyes reddened. He threw bundle after bundle of cash onto my wedding dress.

In a trembling voice, he yelled, "Choose me! Why didn't you choose me, Colette? Why?"

But in the end, that one million dollars failed to save my mother, who was in the ICU.

It wasn't until much later that I learned Yannick was the heir to the Harkers, the richest family in Grisport.

He hated me for not choosing him. Even so, he stubbornly kept me by his side, humiliating and tormenting me relentlessly.

Tears slid down the corners of my eyes and rolled down my cheek. It went into my mouth, tasting bitter beyond words.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the bedroom.

The shrill ringtone of my phone rang out. I wiped away my tears and answered the call.

Amanda's gentle voice came through. "Coco, before you leave, remember to visit your mom and bring her a bouquet of lilies for me. She'll be happy to know you're coming to Afrondia to live with me."

After hanging up, I buried my face in my arms and broke down in tears. "Mom..."

The door opened, and a mocking laugh sounded.

Yannick looked down at me with a smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes. "Colette, you've been using your mom as an excuse for so long. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

There he went again. In his eyes, even my tears were nothing but an act.

If this had happened before, I would have tried to explain myself. I would have wanted nothing more than to tear out my heart and show him how sincere I was.

But now, I was just tired. The deep exhaustion that ran into my bones left me unwilling to say another word.

I looked up at him and replied, "I am now. So, you can—"

Before I could finish speaking, Yannick suddenly received a message.

He glanced at it, and his face fell dramatically. "Colette, have you lost your damn mind?"

Before I could react, a hard slap landed across my face.