Chapter 3

Dominic frowned. "What's with the long face? Whose fault is it that you couldn't protect your own child?"

"Bro, don't talk to Stella like that. I'm sure she didn't mean it!" Julian stepped in front of me.

"Just keep spoiling her," Dominic sneered.

"Stella is my fiancée; of course, I'll spoil her." Julian turned and gently stroked my head.

For a moment, I was dazed.

Julian had offered this kind of protection countless times before.

It had always been Dominic who played the bad guy, tormenting and scolding me, then Julian would step in to protect me.

But now that I thought about it, if Julian had truly protected me, how could Dominic, as his best friend, have been so brazen in scolding me every single time?

There could only be one reason: they had colluded all along, using this method to torment and get revenge.

Suddenly, I felt utterly sickened.

I forced a weak smile. "I'll go back to my own room to rest first."

I slept for a long time. In between, I knew Chloe and Julian had visited, but I didn't want to deal with them, so I kept pretending to be asleep.

It wasn't until I heard the clicking sound of a camera and various mocking laughs that I abruptly sat up.

"Who are you people?"

I pulled the blanket up to cover my body, my voice filled with panic.

Standing before me was a group of strangers, their intentions clearly malicious.

"Don't remember us?" They raised their eyebrows and laughed loudly. "We were classmates back in the day, and we often came to patronize you at the club!"

My brow twitched. I tremblingly reached for my phone, wanting to call someone for help.

Unexpectedly, a short-haired girl snatched it away. "Don't even think about calling Julian to save you. He belongs to Chloe!"

"You were sent by Chloe?" I asked, incredulous.

The short-haired girl slapped me hard across the face. "Pah, you little slut, you don't deserve to say Chloe's name!"

I forcefully threw back the covers, staring at my flat abdomen. "Had an induced termination, did you? Who told you to be so cheap, going to clubs to hook up with old men, and then stealing our Chloe's sweetheart!"

The others chimed in. "Serves you right for losing the baby!"

"No, I didn't." My face was deathly pale, and I shook my head desperately.

But the short-haired girl wasn't satisfied. She clenched her fist and punched my stomach several times.

"It's all your fault for making Chloe sad. Your womb deserves to rot, you'll never be able to have children!"

Pain surged through my entire body. I desperately tried to press the call bell, but at that moment, Chloe walked in.

She was wearing a white dress, elegant and beautiful. "Stop it, Stella is my sister! I won't allow you to bully her."

Chloe chased the group away. She walked to my bedside. "Are you okay? They were truly awful!"

I curled up, weakly saying, "How awful could they be without your orders?"

Chloe's eyes welled up with tears, looking hurt.

"Stella, I know you just lost your baby and then went through this, so you're emotional. But I truly know nothing about it; how could I ever do such a thing to you?"

"Seeing you like this breaks my heart. Stella, don't worry, I'll make sure you get justice."

As she spoke, she reached out to take my hand.

"Don't touch me!"

My throat was terribly dry. I used every ounce of remaining strength to slap Chloe's hand away.

Unbeknownst to me, Julian and Dominic walked in at that exact moment and witnessed the scene.

"How dare you lay a hand on Chloe!" Dominic slapped me furiously, then pulled Chloe behind him.

Julian also looked at me with a cold expression. "Stella, you disappoint me greatly. Chloe traveled all this way back to care for you, and you're so ungrateful."

My heart sank, my whole body trembling slightly. "She's the one who had people beat me first; that's why I wouldn't let her touch me."

I pointed to the bruises on my stomach. "If you don't believe me, you can check the security footage."

"Check what? Chloe would never do such a thing." Dominic gritted his teeth. "I think you just can't stand to see Chloe happy and don't want her to come back!"

With that, he took Chloe's hand and walked out resolutely.

Julian sighed. "Honestly, Stella. It's one thing to dislike Chloe. But to make up such a clumsy excuse… you have no idea how much Chloe cares about you."

He pulled out a box of pastries. "She just asked Dominic and me to buy your favorite crab paste pastries for you. How could she possibly have someone hit you?"

I gave a bitter laugh. I'm allergic to seafood; I've never eaten crab paste pastries.

So this was the man I'd loved for seven years. Not only did he not know what I was allergic to, but when trouble arose, he immediately sided with someone else.

I mustered what little strength I had left, got out of bed, and pulled Julian to the monitoring room. "See for yourself."

The screen displayed footage of me being beaten by a group of people, and the name "Chloe" mentioned in their mouths was clearly audible.