Chapter 2

After saying that, Shane turned and walked away without another glance, holding Yasmine by the hand.

Lena tried to give chase, but her vision blurred as blood ran down from her hairline.

Just as she took a single step forward, she blacked out and collapsed.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital.

"You're finally awake," the nurse said. "How are you feeling? Aside from the surface injuries, you have a mild concussion and need some rest. Also… you're about six weeks pregnant."

Lena looked up, stunned. "What?"

"You're pregnant," the nurse repeated as she handed Lena the lab results. "Given your injuries, the pregnancy is unstable. I'd recommend staying a few days for observation."

The nurse left, leaving Lena alone in the ward.

She looked down at her stomach. It was still completely flat, showing no signs of life, yet a child was growing inside. This was her and Shane's baby.

Should she be happy? But the father had just told her to her face that he loved someone else.

Should she be sad? But this was her child, the last flesh and blood she had left in this world.

Lost and confused, Lena lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling until dawn.

It wasn't until late the next afternoon that the door opened.

Shane walked in.

He didn't ask how she was feeling or if she was in pain. His first words were, "Get an abortion."

His words felt like a knife straight to the heart. Lena snapped her head up and stared at him in disbelief.

"Yasmine is already hurting enough knowing we're married. If she finds out you're having my baby, she won't be able to handle it. The baby has to go. I've already set up the best doctor."

"Has to go?" Lena's voice trembled with rage and agony.

She forced herself up and sat tall to cling to whatever pride and dignity she had left. "Get this straight, Shane! This baby is inside my body! You just donated a sperm. You don't get to decide if it lives or dies!"

Shane frowned. "Don't act up, Lena. We can't keep it. Yasmine—"

"Yasmine, Yasmine, Yasmine!" Lena finally snapped. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

"She's all you care about! What about me? What am I to you? What were these past three years for?"

The pillow hit Shane and dropped to the floor.

He didn't dodge. He just watched her with a chillingly calm gaze.

"What are you? My legal wife, my tool to satisfy my family, and someone I fulfill my duties to."

He paused on every single word. "That's all."

That was all.

It felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing Lena's heart, choking the breath out of her.

Right.

That was all. She should've known.

Moments later, doctors and nurses came in.

Shane said a few words to them. The doctor looked hesitant but nodded anyway.

"Shane! Don't you dare!"

Panicking, Lena thrashed to get off the bed, but the IV needle tugged painfully at her hand. "If you kill this baby, I will never forgive you! I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"

Shane looked at her. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second before turning cold again.

"I know you hold grudges," he said. "But this baby can't stay."

He gestured, and two nurses stepped forward to pin her down. As Lena fought back, the doctor prepped the instruments and gave her a sedative.

As the door closed, she heard him answer his phone. His voice was sickeningly gentle. "Yasmine? Yeah, I'm on my way."

Then everything went dark. Lena didn't know how she got through it.

After the procedure, she lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling without moving an inch.

She didn't react when the nurse changed her dressing.

She didn't react when the doctor checked on her.

She didn't react when her friends came to visit.

She was like an empty shell, a body that merely kept breathing.

A week later, Lena checked out of the hospital.

Shane didn't come to get her. She handled the paperwork herself and caught a cab home.

A maid saw her and asked cautiously, "Mrs. Steele, welcome back. Mr. Steele is—"

"Don't call me Mrs. Steele," Lena cut her off. "There is no Mrs. Steele in this house anymore."

She walked straight to the garage.

Shane loved cars. The garage was packed with over a dozen limited-edition supercars, each worth a fortune.

He treasured them, had them serviced regularly, and never let anyone touch them.

Lena walked in and picked up a fire axe from the corner.

The first swing hit the windshield, shattering it instantly.

The second hit the hood, denting the metal.

She continued delivering the third, fourth, and fifth hits. Like a madwoman, she hacked away at the cars over and over.

Glass shattered, paint chipped, and the luxury supercars turned into piles of scrap metal under her hands.

Terrified, the maids tried to stop her, but Lena's glare backed them off.

Her eyes, usually bright and lively, were now like a bottomless icy abyss that chilled them to the bone.

When the last car was destroyed, Lena threw the axe aside.

Standing in the middle of the ruined garage, she looked at her work and suddenly laughed.

Then the tears started rolling down.

Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Shane.