Chapter 2

Just outside the rescue room, separated by a single door, I heard Julian Thorne chuckle.

"Mrs. Thorne's uterus suffered severe trauma while protecting the boy. To save her life, we had no choice but to remove it."

The doctor's voice was terrified.

"Mr. Thorne, are you saying... Mrs. Thorne has already lost one child. By doing this, you're ensuring she can never be a mother again in this lifetime."

"Don't you think that's too cruel?"

Julian Thorne's tone remained calm.

"In this lifetime, I will only ever have one child: Leo."

"And as compensation, Scarlett Hayes will always be Mrs. Thorne."

"Proceed with the surgery quickly. I need to see Leo. He and Seraphina must need me desperately right now."

"Oh, and be careful during the procedure. My wife is sensitive to pain."

In a daze, Julian Thorne's footsteps faded further down the hallway.

My hands, clenched by my sides, were lacerated and bloody from my nails digging in. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face.

It turned out that the good husband and father my son and I had been so proud of was a lie.

The love he gave us was also a lie.

The only truth was the six-year deception he orchestrated.

Using a meticulously orchestrated car accident, he stole my son's heart.

As the anesthesia seeped into my veins, my consciousness blurred further.

I only felt the cold instruments ruthlessly invading my body, and the chill plunged me into one nightmare after another.

The dreams were pitch black. My son stood in the darkness, his usually beating chest hollow.

He reached out to me, crying:

"Mommy, Noah hurts so bad, Mommy..."

"Noah!"

I jolted awake from the nightmare, meeting Julian Thorne's concerned eyes.

"Honey, you're finally awake."

"Do you know how worried I was about losing you during these two days you were unconscious?"

He trembled as he embraced me.

"I've already lost our son. I can't lose you too."

My ear was pressed against Julian Thorne's chest, his frantic heartbeat seeming to confirm the truth of his words.

Julian Thorne continued:

"Honey, the doctor said the car accident damaged your uterus. We might not be able to have any more children."

"But it's okay. Having you is enough for me."

He spoke with such conviction.

If this were before, I would have felt lucky to have married such a good man.

But now, with my body scarred and 'incomplete,' his flawless acting sickened me.

I subtly pushed him away.

"Where's Noah? I need to see him."

Julian Thorne's expression faltered. He stroked my head, his voice low.

"I'm sorry, honey. I was afraid you'd be too heartbroken to see his body, so I already arranged for the cremation yesterday."

He wasn't afraid of me seeing Noah and getting upset; he was terrified I'd see the gaping hole where his heart used to be.

I suppressed the hatred in my eyes and looked at the crooked red string bracelet on Julian Thorne's wrist.

It was a gift from our son.

Before the accident, Julian Thorne often had trouble sleeping at night.

Noah had asked his school teacher to teach him how to make bracelets, then wove red string and some dried herbs, which he'd heard could help with sleep, and gave it to him.

Julian Thorne had looked at the clumsily made bracelet in shock, opening his mouth but unable to speak for a long time.

It wasn't until Noah called him "Daddy" again that he took the bracelet and carefully put it on his wrist.

He hugged our son and said, "Noah, thank you. Daddy loves it."

Now, it seemed that while Noah worried about Julian Thorne's insomnia, Julian's 'insomnia' was him meticulously planning the 'accident' that would take our son's life.

Julian Thorne followed my gaze and saw the bracelet too.

A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, and he quickly covered the bracelet with his sleeve.

"Honey, I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life, just like you, remembering our Noah."

I lowered my eyes and said nothing more.

My only solace in this moment, my one grim comfort, was that Noah had believed, until his very last breath, that Julian Thorne loved him.

But I couldn't let that make me forget that Julian was the one who killed my son.

Noah, Mommy will get revenge for you.

And I will leave this two-faced monster, this killer who destroyed us.

0