Chapter 2

My scream shattered the room like a bomb.

Julian, still clutching Lily, whipped his head around.

The fake tenderness on his face was gone, replaced by pure, defensive rage.

"Have you lost your mind, Chloe?! You're throwing my daughter out over a stupid vase?!"

"A stupid vase?"

My body shook with rage, tears hot against my eyes. "Julian, did you forget that was the only thing my mother left me? Did you fucking forget?!"

Seeing the tension rising, Melanie quickly stood up with Lily, stepping closer to Julian in her signature "peacemaker" pose.

"Julian, please, don't yell at her. Chloe is pregnant, it's only natural for her to be emotional..."

She turned to me, her eyes dripping with fake sympathy. "Chloe, I know how much that vase meant to you. This is entirely our fault. Please don't be mad. We'll pay whatever it takes. Just don't stress yourself out—think of the baby."

Every single word she spoke sounded like an apology, but they were actually fuel to the fire.

She was reminding Julian how "unstable" I was, while subtly hinting that I was using my pregnancy to manipulate him.

What a textbook green tea bitch.

My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.

Suddenly, a sharp, unbearable cramp clawed at my lower abdomen.

It felt like dozens of needles piercing me from the inside.

I let out a weak groan, my body involuntarily bending over as cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

A terrible wave of dread washed over me.

I felt a warm, wet sensation trickling down my thighs.

Terrified, my face turning white as paper, I reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed the hem of Julian's shirt.

"Julian... my... my stomach hurts..."

My voice was shaking, cracking with sheer panic.

"I'm bleeding... I think I'm bleeding..."

But Julian was currently wrapped up in Lily's dramatic wailing and Melanie's soft, soothing whispers.

When I grabbed his shirt, he flinched as if touched by something disgusting and frowned in annoyance.

Without even looking down at me, he snapped, "Chloe, can you stop acting?!"

"Are you really using this trick again? Just to kick Lily out? How low can you go?"

"You're actually cursing your own unborn child just to get your way? What is wrong with you?!"

His words felt like a red-hot iron branding my heart.

Acting?

Cursing my child?

In his eyes, my genuine agony and the danger to our baby were nothing but a cheap, jealous performance.

Standing beside him, Melanie held her daughter and murmured softly, dealing the final blow.

"Some people will do absolutely anything for attention."

"Don't be too hard on Chloe, Julian. She's probably just feeling insecure. I just feel bad for Lily. She's already so fragile. This must have terrified her."

I leaned heavily against the cold wall, the cramps in my abdomen coming in waves, each one sharper than the last.

I looked up at the three of them.

The man holding his crying daughter, the woman gently stroking his back.

They looked so perfect together. So unbreakable.

And there I was—a pregnant woman in excruciating pain, looking like an absolute fool, a lunatic intruding on their happy life.

Every word they threw at me felt like a toxic curse, tearing my soul apart.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it impossible to breathe.

So, this was it. My pain, my child—they meant absolutely nothing to him.

In that single moment, all my love, my lingering hopes, and even my anger evaporated, leaving behind a cold, hollow silence.

My heart was entirely dead.

Using the last of my strength, I pushed myself up against the wall and stood straight.

The pain in my back, the cramps in my stomach, the wetness between my legs—none of it mattered anymore.

I didn't look at them again.

I reached into my bag by the door, grabbed my car keys, and took the hospital go-bag I had packed weeks ago just in case of an emergency.

Every step I took was agonizing, but I walked toward the exit with absolute certainty.

Julian and Melanie both froze. They probably expected me to keep screaming and crying, not to walk away in silence.

Under their shocked stares, I opened the apartment door.

The cold draft from the hallway rushed in, clearing my head instantly.

I turned back, my face as calm as still water.

I looked past Melanie and her child, straight into Julian's eyes.

I spoke slowly, clearly, making sure he heard every single syllable.

"Julian. I hope the three of you are very happy in my house."

With that, I pulled the door shut, leaving behind the place I used to call home, along with my pathetic past.

From this moment on, Julian, you and I are completely over.