Chapter 3

The next time Tania woke up, it was because of some rough shaking.

She was in her bed, her mind slowly getting clearer, but her body was so limp she could not even open her eyes.

An unfamiliar perfume mixed with Samuel's usual cedar scent filled the air, making her feel nauseous.

Then she heard Samuel and Lucy's voices mixing together, "Samuel, be careful. She's still here..." Lucy whined playfully.

"Why worry? She took five times the normal amount of sleeping pills. She won't wake up," Samuel's voice was rough, "You get me way more than she ever did."

"So you'll only care about me from now on?"

"Of course. You're my Lulu..."

Tania could not make out the rest.

She lay there, feeling like a zombie, acutely aware of the bed shaking, the room filled with a mood she did not want to feel.

It hurt like needles piercing her heart.

So that was the "exciting thing" Samuel had in mind: being with another woman right in front of her.

Her eyes stayed shut, tears quietly rolling down her cheeks.

The last tiny flame of hope inside her heart went out.

Time passed, and as the drug's effects faded, Tania could finally move her fingers a bit.

She quietly opened her eyes and saw Lucy cuddled up in Samuel's arms, toying with his necklace.

"Samuel, can we check Tania's phone?”

"I just signed a deal that says I can't be caught up in any rumors with boys. If she snapped a photo and it gets out, I'll owe a fortune for breaking the deal."

"Do what you want."

Samuel's voice sounded like he did not care at all.

Tania's heart squeezed tight.

Her phone had super important info about the new medicine, and she could not let Lucy get her hands on it.

If that info got out, all of the hard work her team did for years would be for nothing.

She gritted her teeth and tried really hard to move her fingers, sneaking the phone under her pillow.

However, before she could hide it all the way, Lucy was already by the bed, grabbing for her arm.

"Give me the phone!"

Tania held on to the phone for dear life and would not let go.

Lucy did not think Tania, who had been drugged, would be so strong. She pulled hard, lost her balance, and stumbled toward the big window.

Tania could not let go in time and got pulled along, smashing into the glass.

"Crash —"

The loud sound of breaking glass filled the air, and Tania felt like she was floating as she fell backward.

As she fell, she covered her belly without thinking, but when she hit the bushes, her back hurt so bad, and something warm trickled down her legs.

Through blurry eyes, she saw Samuel by the window, holding onto Lucy's hand, looking all worried and sorry.

However, there she was, lying in the cold bushes, without even a glance from him.

Before everything went dark, Tania had just one thought: the baby was gone.

The baby she had not even told Samuel about was gone.

When she woke up, she was in the hospital.

Samuel sat next to her, his eyes red and puffy like he had been crying.

"Tania, you passed out right in the entryway the other day. I carried you to your room to rest, and somehow, you ended up falling out of the big window.”

"Good thing our house is only two stories high. The doctor says you're okay, just a few bumps and scratches. You'll be all better after resting for a few days."

Tania shut her eyes tight, not wanting to even look at him.

She knew he was lying, and was saying things that did not make sense because he thought she was too out of it yesterday to remember.

Falling from the second floor was not deadly, but the pain she felt was not just from a few "bumps and scratches."

She felt cold inside, knowing she could not wait any longer.

She had to get her lab work at the university sorted out fast and get herself away from this man.

Samuel would not agree to a divorce easily.

It would cause a fuss for the Ferguson family, and splitting up everything they owned would be a big headache.

However, Tania had a plan. She would stay away for a year, then ask for a divorce because they lived apart.

The Russells had top-notch lawyers, so she would not even have to show her face.

Samuel thought she was sleeping and quietly left the room.

From the hallway, Tania heard him on the phone.

"Mr. Harris, get that emerald jewelry set at the auction tonight, no matter the cost. It'll cheer Tania up," Samuel instructed the butler.

Tania let out an icy laugh.

He always thought gifts could fix everything.

However, he never understood that what she really wanted was not stuff like that at all.

When Samuel returned, Tania asked as if she did not really care, "Where's my phone? I need to check the lab's messages."

Samuel looked panicked for just a second, then looked away and said quickly, "Maybe you left it at home. I didn't see it. I'll help you look for it when we go back."

Tania's voice suddenly got louder, and she sounded like she was warning him, "Did Lucy take it? The files on my phone are super important. If you don't want her to get in trouble, you better give it back to me!"

However, when Samuel heard "Lucy," any guilt he felt disappeared.

He looked at Tania with suspicion in his eyes, "Why do you look so worried? Did you really take a secret video of Lulu?”

"Did you find out she signed with a big company, so you’re trying to make up a scandal to ruin her? Tania, I always thought you were sweet and smart. I can't believe you'd plan something against someone who never did anything to you!"

Tania held back her pain and sat up in her hospital bed, staring hard at Samuel, "I didn't take any secret video. My phone has important lab data. If Lucy messes with it, I'll make sure she pays big time!"

Samuel laughed at her, "Tania, you're just a regular student at Kingston University. Lulu is a fancy professor the school paid a lot to get. She wouldn't care about your data. Stop trying to scare me."

"I've had enough! Get me out of here!" Tania could not take it anymore.

Samuel looked annoyed but nodded, "Alright, I'll take care of it."

Right after he left, the doctor walked in with some test results, sounding a bit sad.

"Mrs. Ferguson, I'm sorry to say you've lost the baby, it was seven weeks along. Also, you really need to rest in bed for at least a month and avoid any heavy work."

Tania's fingers felt like ice as she took the report.

She crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash, her voice steady, "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

‘Maybe it was better this way,’ she thought.

No child should come into a world without their father’s love.