Chapter 2

The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, the cold night wind hit me, and I realized I was trembling from head to toe.

My lower belly felt entirely hollow, as though a piece of my flesh had been ripped out by the roots, aching so sharply I couldn't stand straight.

I crouched down by the curb, biting my lip raw to keep the sobs from spilling out.

My phone buzzed relentlessly.

I pulled it out—missed calls from my mother-in-law, Evelyn.

Taking a ragged breath, I swiped to answer.

"Maya! You miserable jinx! How dare you throw a scene like that?!" Evelyn’s shrill voice pierced through the speaker. "My son puts his life on the line every day saving people! Instead of showing some gratitude, you flip a table in front of his entire crew? You dragged our family name through the mud!"

"Listen to me right now—you get your ass back there and apologize to Ethan and Chloe! Chloe is my eldest daughter-in-law, and it’s Ethan’s duty to take care of his brother's widow! You're his wife, so why are you so narrow-minded? You can't even stand him helping a grieving woman?"

"And another thing—I heard the baby is gone. Fine! It was probably just a girl anyway! Why are you using that as an excuse to throw a tantrum? Heal up and get pregnant again! Stop walking around with that funeral face, it’s bad luck!"

My knuckles turned dead white around the phone, nails digging deep into my palm.

This was the woman I had called Mom for three years.

This was the in-law family I had catered to day in and day out.

In their eyes, my life—and the life of my child—wasn't worth as much as Ethan’s precious pride, or a single strand of Chloe’s hair.

"Evelyn, save your breath. I’m never coming back."

"Ethan and I are getting a divorce. And as for having another child... Ethan will never have children of his own for the rest of his life."

"What did you say? You little viper, who are you cursing?!" Evelyn shrieked, her voice dripping with venom. "As long as my Ethan is around, getting rid of a barren hen like you means he can easily marry a fresh young girl to carry on our family line!"

I tightened my grip on the phone, a cold, mocking smirk tugging at my lips.

"Is that so? There's one thing I forgot to mention. When we did our pre-marital screenings, Ethan was diagnosed with severe oligospermia. His odds of conceiving naturally were practically zero! I kept it a secret just to protect his fragile male ego. For three long years, I endured endless hormone injections just to conceive that one and only miracle."

"And your precious son, just to fawn over Chloe and preserve his heroic reputation, personally murdered the only biological child he will ever have!"

"My uterus is gone, so I can’t have kids anymore. But your Ethan? His bloodline ends right here with him!"

Without waiting for the screams and curses on the other end, I hung up and blocked her number.

I hailed a cab and headed straight to the house I shared with Ethan.

It was my house. I bought it in cash before our marriage, and the title was solely in my name.

Over the years, Ethan always claimed he needed to save his money for his nephew’s college fund. I was the one who carried every single household expense.

Looking back, I must have had water in my brain to ever believe his self-serving nonsense.

Stepping through the front door, looking around at the familiar furniture, all I felt was pure revulsion.

Chloe’s silk scarf was still draped over the couch from her last visit. Ethan had bought a massive Lego set for Chloe’s son that sat on the coffee table. And the room originally prepped as a nursery for my baby was piled high with Chloe’s clutter.

"Chloe’s apartment is cramped and has no storage. We have plenty of room, what’s the harm in helping out?"

That was what Ethan had told me back then.

How blind had I been not to see that this wasn't helping out—it was an outright invasion?

I marched into the master bedroom, dragged out two of the largest rolling suitcases I owned, and packed everything.

Ethan’s clothes, shoes, documents, awards... everything went straight into the bags.

I had also kept every single credit card statement showing his lavish gifts to Chloe. Perfect. We would settle those accounts in court.

Once his belongings were packed, I arranged an instant courier service and had the two bulky suitcases dropped right outside the door of Chloe’s rental apartment.

Since you two share such a heartbreaking, unbreakable bond, go lock yourselves together and stop tormenting innocent people!

After that, I reset the digital door lock code and booked a professional deep-cleaning crew to disinfect the entire apartment from top to bottom.

As for that couch, I had them drag it straight down to the dumpster.

Filthy.