Chapter 4

Her bloodcurdling scream shattered the stillness of the house.

Victoria crashed at the bottom of the stairs, tears bursting instantly.

"Damian, help me!"

"Chloe is trying to kill me!"

Damian's face twisted with pure fury.

He sprinted forward, scooping Victoria into his arms.

When he looked up at me, his gaze was colder than the ice bath from the night before.

I stood frozen at the top of the stairs, clutching my phone with shaking fingers.

My voice shook:

"Damian, it wasn't me."

"She threw herself down."

"I have a recording on my phone. She just admitted she staged the freezer incident, and she manipulated you into punishing me—"

"Just listen to it..."

Damian’s eyes darkened with terrifying rage.

He handed Victoria to her assistant, took the stairs two at a time, and ripped the phone from my grip.

My heart thudded against my ribs.

"Damian, listen to it! Please!"

He stared at me, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Chloe, how low can you sink? You even fabricate audio clips just to dodge accountability?"

I froze.

"I didn't—"

From the floor below, Victoria sobbed hysterically:

"Damian, I never said those things..."

"Has Chloe completely lost her mind?"

Damian tightened his fist around my phone.

The next second, he smashed it against the brick wall with all his strength.

*CRASH.*

The screen shattered into pieces, sparks and microchips scattering across the floor.

A deafening ring echoed in my ears.

He hadn't listened.

Not even for a single second.

The only evidence I had fought so desperately to protect.

The proof I thought would save my life.

To him, it wasn't even worth one glance.

Victoria clung to her assistant, trembling and weeping.

"Damian, it hurts so bad... Am I dying?"

Damian turned and lifted her into his arms.

At the front door, he stopped and looked back at me one last time.

"Chloe, I used to think you were just bitter and jealous."

"Now I see you're rotten to the core."

A sharp, tearing cramp suddenly ripped through my lower abdomen.

My hand flew to the banister. "Damian..."

He didn't stop.

I clutched my stomach, cold sweat bursting across my forehead as the agony doubled me over.

"My stomach... hurts..."

His back stiffened for half a second.

My knees gave out, and I sank onto the floor.

"Damian."

"Please."

It was the last time in my life I would ever beg him.

Yet he merely tightened his grip around Victoria, his tone dripping with disgust.

"Stop the act."

"Victoria is already in this state because of you, and you still think you can guilt-trip me into staying?"

The heavy oak door slammed shut.

The sound echoed through the hollow house like a death knell.

I knelt on the freezing hardwood, gasping for air as blinding pain shredded my insides.

Under the hem of my dress, dark red blood began to seep out, pooling across the floor.

As my vision faded to black, the shattered screen on the floor flickered.

The cloud backup notification buzzed softly.

Then, a pop-up from my lawyer flashed:

[Ms. Chloe, the files have synced to our secure server.]

[Do you authorize me to file the emergency divorce petition and the domestic abuse and personal injury lawsuit right now?]

With trembling, blood-soaked fingers, I reached out and tapped the screen.

[Submission Confirmed.]

I leaned against the wall, finally letting my eyes close.

Outside, the rain beat furiously against the glass.

Three years ago, on a rainy night just like this, Damian had run through the storm to bring me a bowl of hot wontons.

Today, he carried another woman out into the rain, leaving me and our unborn baby bleeding on the floor.

I took one last look at the closed door, whispering into the darkness:

"Damian Hayes."

"I don't want you anymore."