Chapter 2 Revenge Begins

The ward's door creaked open, and my in-laws came rushing in. I had taken snapshots of the chat history and saved it, and I put her phone back in its spot.

My mother-in-law grabbed my collar and thumped my chest, cursing, "Give me my daughter back! She just got pregnant! Why couldn't you just control yourself, you animal?"

Her husband stopped her and took me out to the corridor. Solemnly, he said, "George, I know you're young and lively, but Queenie's my daughter, and I cherish her very much. You can't just abuse her like this. We're all very angry at you. How are you going to make it up to us?"

He proposed, "How about you get Jack a car? About 500 thousand or so should be enough. We'll let this slide if you do that."

Jack was my wife's brother. He had graduated trade school for years but had been leeching off his parents. I sneered. Ever since I married my wife, her family kept coming up with excuses to leech off me instead.

They asked me to get them the latest electronics, the newest sneakers, and the best things they could come up with. They even wanted me to fork over money so their son could have nice dates.

I looked at him, inscrutable. "I don't have that kind of money."

Before my father-in-law could do anything, my mother-in-law snapped, "You're just going to pump and dump my daughter, huh? Queenie's a good girl, and you ruined her! You ruined her baby! You're an animal! You can't even keep your lust in check!"

She plopped down onto the ground and cried crocodile tears, "You killed my daughter's baby! You're inhuman! You can't even hold back when your wife's pregnant! You killed her child!"

Everyone looked at us, but then Jack stuck his head out of the door. "Stop it, Mom. Queenie's awake."

We went into the ward and saw Queenie Rivera, pale but awake and in bed. She looked disheveled. The moment she saw me, she cried. "I'm sorry, honey. I just found out that our baby is…"

"Tell me the truth. What happened?" I asked sternly, right before her parents.

She looked aggrieved. "This is all my fault. I didn't know alternative medicine was off the table during pregnancy. I've been feeling sluggish lately, so I booked an acupuncture session with my friend, but that session was for bruises. When I got back, I felt unwell, and then… the baby's gone."

I looked at her darkly. At first, I was furious. I couldn't accept this betrayal, but then, I felt disappointment set in, and then I lost all hope. All these years spent on her, wasted. Still, I would get my revenge before the divorce.

Queenie's mother hugged her and cried, grumbling about how careless she was. Her father looked at me kindly. "This is a misunderstanding, George. Don't take it to heart. You're still young. You can have more children down the line."

I didn't berate Queenie, since I wanted to keep the peace for now. Thinking that this had blown over, Queenie went into recovery without worries, and she was discharged soon enough.

On the day of her discharge, she refused my offer to pick her up and only came back home late at night.

I was in a sour mood and drank a little that night. When she came back, I was already asleep. She seemed exhausted. After a shower, she came to bed and fell asleep once her head hit the pillow.

Once I was sure she had fallen asleep, I opened my eyes.