Chapter 3

"Summer, don't you feel ashamed? Get out of here!"

With a self-mocking smirk, I grabbed the coat and rushed to the restroom.

Back in high school, there was a time when Jennifer's period leaked through her white pants during gym class, causing an uproar of laughter among the boys.

Lucian had been furious then. He took on more than ten guys in a fight, earning his reputation as a reckless fighter in school.

Everyone knew that the one person in school no one could afford to offend wasn't Lucian—it was Jennifer.

If Jennifer had been the one embarrassed today, he certainly would have stepped up to defend her.

As I reminisced, I let out a bitter laugh and ordered a delivery of sanitary supplies.

I must have waited for some time before Jennifer walked into the restroom, touching up her makeup while chatting on the phone.

"Jenny, since you're dating Mr. Jacobe, did he ever notice your genital warts? Who was the doctor who treated you? Introduce us sometime!"

Jennifer boasted, "That idiot is completely fooled by me. How would he ever find out? I'll send you the doctor's contact information later.

"I'm glad I gave birth to Nyles back then. My body is already wrecked from my active sex life. I can't have any more children. But Lucian thinks it's just an aftereffect from giving birth to Nyles. He feels so guilty that he deposits five million into my account every month—"

I muted the call with the delivery person and silently recorded Jennifer's conversation.

I now knew exactly what gift to get them on their wedding day a week later.

…

Since I was about to leave for good, I took the time to sort through my belongings.

I didn't own many bags or pieces of jewelry. And even if I did, I bought most of them myself.

That said, the real estate and office buildings were another story. Though there were quite a few, they were all under Nyles' name. None of them had anything to do with me.

The money Lucian refused to spend on me and our lost children was generously given to Jennifer and her son.

At first, I wanted to pack everything and take them with me. But after a second thought, I realized that these things weren't worth much. As it would be a hassle to bring them with me, I decided to leave them all behind.

Lucian finally came home two days later. We both tacitly avoided mentioning the "accident" at the auction.

He briefly asked about my health before excitedly sharing some news.

"Nyles won first place in the national children's piano competition. My parents are hosting a banquet for him. Let's go celebrate together."

I didn't refuse. Since things hadn't completely fallen apart yet, and I was still Nyles' mother in name, I was expected to attend.

What I didn't expect was that Jennifer would be there too.

She performed a duet with Nyles, winning thunderous applause. The admiration in Nyles' eyes as he looked at her was dazzling. But the moment he saw me, his expression dimmed.

"Mom," he called out reluctantly.

Hearing him call me "Mom" made my nose sting. My own children never even had the chance to speak. They never even got to see this world.

"I have something to say to you in private," Jennifer said.

With Nyles following leisurely behind us, Jennifer weaved through the crowd and led me upstairs.

"You liked Luce's post, didn't you?" Jennifer asked. "Since you've seen them, you must know by now that Nyles is my son. Lucian deliberately got you drunk on your wedding night.

"While you were passed out, we did it four times on your bed. Your body, your face, and even your wedding dress—you were covered in our fluids. Who knows, you might have even swallowed some."

I thought I was already numb to their cruelty, but hearing this made my stomach churn violently.

I braced myself against the wall, dry-heaving.

Disgusting. This was absolutely disgusting.

Jennifer crossed her arms and gloated, "Let's cut to the chase. Lucian loves me and wants to marry me. But he never dared to confront you and kick you out. Men always want to have their cake and eat it too. But I refuse to share. So tell me—who do you think he values more? You, or me and my son?"

I didn't care what Lucian thought. I was leaving them for good soon anyway.

I turned to go, but before I could take a step, Lucian and a group of people slowly walked up the stairs.

Before I could react, Jennifer and Nyles suddenly screamed, pulling me down the stairs with them.

"Ahh! Mom, don't do it!"

As I tumbled to the bottom, pain shot through every inch of my body. It felt as if my bones had shattered on impact. I tried to get up, but before I could, Lucian kicked me in the stomach while he rushed forward to scoop Jennifer into his arms without a second glance at me.

"Are you okay?" he urged.

"I... I'm so scared. Summer was jealous that Nyles likes me, and she actually pushed the child. I tried to pull Nyles back, but I couldn't hold on..."

Nyles had already fainted. His grandparents were frantic, urgently calling for the driver to come in. Seeing the commotion, the guests quickly dispersed.

Lucian was holding Jennifer, while the two elders held Nyles.

I lay on the cold floor, clutching my stomach, grabbing onto Lucian's pant leg.

"Lucian, I'm bleeding too. My stomach hurts so much... Can you take me with you?"

Lucian's mother shot me a look of disgust. "Where's the blood? You're such an actress. And you dare to harm my grandson! What kind of mother are you? Any random woman would be better than you. Why don't you just die?"

In Lucian's arms, Jennifer let out a soft whimper of discomfort.

Lucian, filled with distress, kissed the small, fingernail-sized wound on her forehead. Then, he coldly ordered, "Lock Mrs. Jacobe in the freezer. She should calm down and reflect on herself. Do not let her out without my permission."

"Lucian, no! I'm not acting! I might actually die if you lock me in the freezer..."

As I was born prematurely, I had been weak since birth, and my body was sensitive to the cold. Even though my family had pampered me, no amount of nourishment ever seemed to help.

I had already risked my life giving birth to one child and had to undergo an induced abortion for another. If I was thrown into the freezer now, I wouldn't survive.

But Lucian only held Jennifer, who looked pleased with herself, and rushed outside, completely ignoring my pleas.

After I was left in the freezer, my teeth chattered from the cold. The blood flowing from me grew colder and colder, until my stomach became so numb I could no longer feel the pain.

I could no longer bear it. Trembling, I crawled to the door and shakily picked up the intercom.

"Tell Lucian I know I was wrong... Please, tell him to let me out first… It's so cold... I can't hold on much longer..."

The housekeeper hesitated before saying he would contact Lucian. However, he didn't let me out when he returned.

"Mrs. Jacobe, Mr. Jacobe said you've only been in there for two hours. That's not enough to calm Ms. Slutter down. You'll be let out tomorrow."

Tomorrow, huh?

Leaning against the wall, I slid down weakly to the floor. I could feel life slipping away from me at an alarming rate.

I didn't think I would make it until tomorrow.