Chapter 3
Vivian froze, instinctively demanding:
"What do you mean?"
Derek panted, realizing there was no point in hiding it anymore. He confessed outright:
"Vivian, trust me. Chloe was just a distraction to me. To make sure she never got pregnant, I swapped out her prenatal supplements years ago. After taking those pills for so long, even if she goes to a specialist, they won't find a trace of evidence. She's completely infertile!"
"Rest assured, the only woman I love is you, and the only child I care about is ours."
Vivian fell silent, casting a covert glance toward the restroom door where I was hiding.
Her fury seemed to subside.
"Fine. I guess I'll believe you for now."
"I'm starving. Take me to lunch."
Their footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.
I leaned against the cold restroom tile, my hands and feet freezing, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.
I could barely comprehend what my ears had just heard.
Clinging to one last shred of desperate hope, I rushed to a nearby pharmacy and handed the bottle of supplements I took daily to the pharmacist.
The pharmacist tapped out a pill, inspected it closely, and looked up at me with a bewildered expression:
"Ma'am, this is levonorgestrel. It's high-dose emergency contraception."
"Given how many you have here... did someone play a sick prank and swap out your prenatal vitamins?"
I forced a faint smile, lacking even the strength to whisper a thank-you.
I walked out of the store like a hollow ghost.
Standing amidst the bustling traffic on the street, the past five years felt like one cruel, cosmic joke.
*Boom.*
Thunder cracked overhead, and a torrential downpour unleashed itself instantly.
I had no umbrella. I just staggered through the freezing rain, completely aimless.
I didn't want to go home. I didn't have a home anymore.
Pedestrians rushed past seeking shelter. A hurried stranger shoved past my shoulder without apologizing, vanishing into the gray curtain of rain.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the freezing, puddle-soaked pavement, lacking the energy to pull myself back up.
Burying my face in my hands, I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Rain mingled with tears, dripping into my mouth—salty, bitter, and cold.
After what felt like an eternity, I looked up. A familiar umbrella was shielding my head from the rain.
It was... my umbrella.
I looked at the suited bodyguard holding it over me.
Beside him, the window of a luxury sedan slowly rolled down.
Vivian leaned against the frame, looking at me:
"Stop crying. Even if you cry your eyes blind, that bastard Derek won't shed a single tear for you."
"Get in."
The bodyguard helped me into the backseat.
The car's heating was cranked high, slowly restoring warmth to my freezing limbs.
Vivian tossed me two dry towels. Once I had dried myself off, she spoke:
"Chloe, let me ask you one more time."
"Do you want to get revenge on Derek?"
I looked up at Vivian.
When our eyes met, I saw my own fierce resolve mirrored in hers.
"Yes."
That very night, I dragged my suitcase back to Derek's apartment.
Derek wasn't surprised in the slightest by my return. He offered a smug, triumphant grin and wrapped his arms around me:
"See? Life out there on your own isn't easy, is it? Isn't it better to stay by my side?"
"I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."
I smiled softly and wrapped my arms around him in return:
"Okay."
"I'll stay with you forever."
Derek tilted his red, swollen cheek toward me, whining:
"Look what I went through for you today. Vivian threw a fit and slapped me across the face."
"It's still throbbing."
Frowning with exaggerated concern, I gently guided him to the sofa.
Pulling out the first-aid kit, I dabbed an alcohol swab:
"Sit down. Close your eyes so the alcohol doesn't sting. Let me treat it."
"Vivian went way too far. How could she hit you so hard?"
*I only wish she had slapped you to death.*
Eyes closed, Derek held my hand, murmuring another practiced line of affection:
"It's fine. As long as it makes you feel bad for me."
"The slap was worth it."
I giggled coyly, gently applying the antiseptic to his face.
Too bad Derek's eyes were shut tight.
He couldn't see the chilling emptiness in my gaze—a void devoid of love, filled only with icy dead silence.
"Don't say that."
"Derek, I really love you so much."