Chapter 0002

Mia glanced at Lucas Lloyd, who had just spoken. He was Hunter’s childhood friend, and the Lloyd family was one of the most prominent in Haven City.

Lucas had always looked down on Mia, viewing her as someone from a disgraced family. But despite his arrogance, he was nothing more than a pawn in Jenna’s hands, doing whatever she wanted. Wherever Jenna pointed, Lucas attacked, always targeting Mia.

With that thought, Mia smiled softly and said, “The Jenna you’re referring to is actually Hunter’s brother’s wife. If anyone overheard what you just said, they might assume something inappropriate is going on between them.”

Lucas had made his comment deliberately to provoke her, so Mia saw no reason to hold back.

She loved Hunter, but that didn’t mean she would lower herself to tolerate insults from his friends.

Jenna, who had been enjoying the moment, clenched her fists, her face twisting with anger at Mia’s words.

That wretched woman!

Though Jenna hated Mia to her core, she kept up her sweet smile. “Hunter and I grew up together. No one would think twice about me taking care of him. But you haven’t been paying enough attention to him. Just last month, his check-up revealed he has stomach issues.”

Her voice was a mix of innocence and accusation.

Mia didn’t get angry. Instead, her smile grew even brighter. “If that’s how it works, then shouldn’t your husband’s death be blamed on you for being bad luck?”

She had spent three years nursing Hunter’s stomach back to health. There was no way he had developed stomach issues. Jenna was spewing lies, and if she wanted to play dirty, Mia was more than ready to retaliate.

The moment Jenna heard the words "bad luck," she lost control. Her emotions flared, and she raised her hand to slap Mia.

Her mother-in-law had once accused her of being bad luck. Now Mia was throwing the same insult at her. How was it her fault if her husband was destined to die early?

But before she could strike, Mia caught her wrist, her gaze sharp. “Can’t win the argument, so you’re going to hit me? Who taught you that?”

Mia wasn’t some pushover anyone could step on.

“Let go! You’re hurting me!” Jenna’s face twisted in pain, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

Lucas rushed forward, ready to hit Mia, but Carter held him back. “Lucas, don’t do something you’ll regret!”

Lucas, unable to break free, shouted, “Mia, let her go!”

At the sound of the commotion, Hunter frowned, slowly opening his eyes and sitting up.

A flash of cunning crossed Jenna’s eyes as she saw Hunter awake. She grabbed Mia’s hand, shoved it against her chest and then dramatically stumbled backward.

Clutching her stomach, she fell to the ground, crying out, “Lucas, my stomach hurts so much!”

Carter froze, unsure of what was happening.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lucas broke free and rushed toward Jenna.

But Hunter got there first. He scooped Jenna up in his arms, then turned and glared at Mia. His voice was filled with fury. “If anything happens to Jenna, you’ll pay for it!”

Mia felt a sharp sting in her chest, the pain spreading slowly.

“Hunter, I fell by accident. It wasn’t her fault,” Jenna said, frowning as she tugged on Hunter’s sleeve, pouting. “You’re being too harsh. How can you accuse Mia without knowing the truth?”

“I saw her push you!” Hunter’s eyes were dark with anger.

“You saw wrong! It really wasn’t Mia. I tripped on my own!” Jenna quickly explained, her attempt to cover up only making things worse.

She knew perfectly well that from Hunter’s angle, it looked like Mia had pushed her.

Mia watched Jenna’s little performance, narrowed her eyes slightly, and gave a soft chuckle. “She’s already admitted she fell on her own. It wasn’t me who pushed her! Did you hear that, Hunter?”

Jenna was playing the innocent victim, trying to frame her, but Mia wasn’t about to take the blame that easily.

Jenna’s expression froze for a moment. “Hunter, my stomach hurts.”

Unable to outtalk Mia, Jenna quickly shifted the focus back to herself.

“Hold on, I’ll take you to the hospital,” Hunter said gently, picking Jenna up and walking away without even glancing at Mia.

As his figure disappeared into the dim light, Mia’s chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.

He was so cold toward her.

Nine years of love, and now it all felt pathetic and pitiful.

“Mrs. Jasper, are you okay? Do you want me to take you home?” Carter walked over, his face full of concern, clearly feeling a bit guilty.

He shouldn’t have called her in the first place.

“No, I’m fine. Thanks.” Mia brushed off her thoughts, looked up at him, and smiled slightly. “I heard your brother’s back?”

She just wanted to confirm if it was true.

“Yeah, he got back yesterday.”

“Okay, good to know. It’s late, let’s head home.” Mia waved him off and turned to leave.

As she drove onto the highway, she noticed a car with no license plate tailing her. Alarmed, she quickly dialed her emergency contact.

The call was answered almost immediately, and she could hear Jenna’s tearful voice on the other end. “Hunter, it hurts so much. I can’t do this anymore!”

“Don’t cry. You’ll be fine soon,” Hunter’s soothing voice replied.

Mia felt her heart shatter, the pain unbearable. Gritting her teeth, she screamed into the phone with all her strength, “Hunter, someone’s trying to kill me! Help me!”

“Hurry, Hunter! Go save Mia! I can handle myself,” Jenna urged between coughs.

“You can’t even get through a sentence without coughing, and you think you can take care of yourself? Just go to sleep. Don’t worry about things that aren’t your concern,” Hunter’s cold voice cut through, each word like a dagger.

Mia’s heart was in pieces, the pain suffocating her. Yet, she forced herself to keep going, her voice hoarse as she pleaded, “Hunter, I’m on Haven Highway. There’s a car following me, and they’re trying to kill me. Please, come save me!”

Hunter was Mia’s last lifeline, and she clung to it desperately.

“You’ve cried wolf too many times. It’s not just me who doesn’t believe you. Deep down, you don’t even believe yourself! Mia, you need to stop playing games.”

“Hunter, I’m serious! There really is a car after me! Please, come save me!”

“Then I’ll wait until you’re dead. I’ll pick up your body and give you a grand funeral as Mrs. Jasper. Stop calling me.”

With those cold words, Hunter hung up.

Listening to the dial tone, Mia felt her last hope slip away, her heart sinking into despair.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang.

The sound jolted Mia out of her daze, and she realized her car was veering toward the guardrail. She frantically yanked the steering wheel, but the car behind her slammed into her again.

The car shook violently.

Panicked, Mia didn’t know who she had called in her desperation. The next moment, her best friend, Summer Scott, was yelling through the phone, “Mia! Where are you? Say something!”

Tears streamed down Mia’s face as she bit her lip hard to stay conscious. “I’m… I’m on Haven Highway.”

With all her strength, she forced out the words before everything went black and she lost consciousness.

She had a long, vivid dream.

In it, she was fourteen again, reliving the moment she first met Hunter Jasper.

One glance, and it felt like an eternity.

That was when she fell into the abyss.

When she woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital bed, with a worried Summer sitting beside her.

“Mia, you’re awake!” Summer’s voice was filled with relief. “And guess what, Mia? You’re pregnant! I’m going to be a godmother!”

Mia instinctively placed her hand on her stomach. After a pause, she whispered, “Summer, I’ve decided to divorce Hunter, but I’m keeping the baby.”

From the moment she found out, she never once thought of giving up the child.

Summer stared at her in shock. “You’re saying… you’re divorcing Hunter?”

No one knew how much Mia loved Hunter better than Summer did.

And now Mia was saying she wanted a divorce. Summer could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Mia forced a bitter smile. “Jenna’s pregnant too. Hunter wants her to keep the baby.”

Hunter’s older brother had died in a car accident a year ago, so there was no way Jenna’s baby could be his.

When Summer heard this, her eyes filled with rage, and she trembled with anger. “That piece of trash, Hunter. Running around with that woman was bad enough, but now he’s knocked her up too? I swear, I want to kill both of them!”

Mia’s heart ached, but she gently squeezed Summer’s hand, trying to calm her. “Think of it this way. I’m pregnant, and after the divorce, I’ll marry someone else. Just imagine how satisfying it’ll be when Hunter’s son calls another man ‘Dad.’”

Summer couldn’t help but laugh through her tears at Mia’s words.

Just then, Mia’s phone rang. Seeing Hunter’s name on the screen, she immediately declined the call.

But soon enough, the phone rang again.

Frowning, Mia picked it up and answered, “What do you want?”