Chapter 2

The next message I received from Vincent arrived late one evening.

"Come over and take care of Chloe. She's pregnant with my child."

I stared at the words on the screen, my mind going completely blank for a moment.

Right above his text was the screenshot of my divorce petition.

I chose to ignore him, just like he had always done to me.

Not long after, my front door was kicked off its hinges by Vincent's bodyguards.

They grabbed me by the arms, dragging me all the way to the penthouse where Vincent and Chloe lived.

Every single corner was packed with the designer collectible figurines Chloe loved.

Even the walls were covered in the pastel pink wallpaper Vincent used to despise—yet he had put it up with his own hands just to please her.

I suddenly wondered when the last time Vincent had stepped foot into our actual home was.

I couldn't even remember.

All I remembered was that every time he came back, he was blackout drunk. He never cared if I was willing or not; he just dragged me straight to the bedroom.

It wasn't lovemaking. It was assault, a sheer outlet to vent his stress and disgust.

His gentleness was never meant for me.

Or rather, it was no longer mine to have.

Vincent sat on the leather sofa, his designer dress shoes gleaming under the lights.

He sat there like a king on a throne, not even bothering to look me in the eye.

"You've been pregnant so many times, you have more experience than any nanny."

"From now on, you're in charge of Chloe's meals and daily routine."

Chloe came skipping out of the bedroom, and Vincent immediately stood up to catch her.

She leaped into his arms, and he caught her effortlessly.

Clinging to him like a koala, she glanced at me standing broken in the corner, her eyes dripping with mockery and triumph.

"Look at you. Pregnant, and you're still acting like a little girl."

Vincent carried Chloe to the sofa and gently set her down. He walked back to the bedroom to grab her plush slippers, then knelt down to kiss her soft, bare foot with sickening adoration.

"Put your slippers on, babe. If you catch a cold, I'm the one who has to worry sick taking care of you."

Chloe took his hand and swung it back and forth playfully. The sweet sight of them together was like acid burning my eyes.

I stood there like a sewer rat, forced to watch my husband fawn over his mistress.

"It's fine, Vince! Serena is going to be taking care of me from now on anyway."

She blinked at me with faux innocence.

Stepping forward, she took my cold hand and led me closer to Vincent.

"I'll be counting on you to look after me and the baby, Serena."

"Vincent is so excited for this little one. You can't be as careless as you were with your own babies, okay?"

Vincent scoffed coldly, though his eyes remained soft as he looked at Chloe.

"Careless? She's just trash. She trashed her own body so badly she loses every single kid she carries."

Chloe pouted playfully. "Don't be so mean to her, honey. It's not like she did it on purpose."

"Oh, by the way, Serena... how many babies have you actually lost?"