Chapter 2

The day I received news about Serena was my due date.

I woke up in pain in the middle of the night, instinctively reaching for Julian, only to find him on the balcony, talking on the phone.

He was coaxing someone on the other end, his voice soft and tender:

“I’ll come get you myself. Don’t worry, no one will dare say anything… Okay, I’m leaving now.”

The moment he turned, our eyes met.

I spoke calmly. “My stomach hurts a little. Can you take me to the hospital first?”

He paused briefly, then continued walking out.

“I’ll have the driver take you.”

As he neared the door, I called out to him again.

Julian’s gaze wasn't warm. “Something else?”

The tightening sensation in my abdomen made my voice tremble:

“Julian,” I said, “if you walk out that door today, we’re done.”

Julian’s expression instantly darkened. “What are you trying to pull now?”

“Scarlett, I’m just going to pick her up. Why are you so dramatic?”

He paused, then added, “Don’t forget, this marriage was originally hers, you snatched it.”

His words hit me like a bucket of ice water.

Two years of marriage, and while Julian didn’t necessarily love me, he never mistreated me.

It even made me believe he had moved on from Serena and wanted to build a life with me.

But now, I realized it was all just an illusion.

My abdomen tightened again, forcing me to bend over and gasp for air.

Serena’s cold voice came from Julian’s phone:

“If she doesn’t want me here, I’ll buy a ticket and go back right now.”

Julian’s face tightened. He spun around and hurried out. “Don’t be difficult, I’ll be there in a minute… Serena, don’t you dare leave…”

As he spoke, he was already out the door.

The door opened and closed, shutting away all his dominance and favoritism.

I leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, trying to ease the pain.

But the pain didn’t subside; instead, my stomach felt a heavy pull.

Then, a warm liquid trickled down my thighs.

Panicked, I dialed Julian’s number. The moment I spoke, I heard Julian’s chilling voice:

“How long are you going to keep this up?”

I said, my voice trembling, “I’m bleeding, the baby…”

“Enough!” he cut me off sharply, scoffing, “I thought you were different from them. I didn’t expect you to use such low-class tactics.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll talk when I get back.”

With that, he hung up.

Decisive and ruthless.

Before we got married, my adoptive parents had told me, “If you don’t want to marry him, then don’t. Your mom and dad will support you for life.”

Back then, I thought that with family interests binding us, Julian wouldn't be so cruel.

Later, I learned you can’t expect someone who never intended to love you seriously to put you first.

The idea of divorce started then.