Chapter 3

Hearing my words, disbelief washed over Ethan’s face.

I had always been submissive. He never imagined I would actually demand a divorce.

His raw instinct took over, and he blurted out:

"No. I won't allow it."

Beside him, Chloe’s shoulders slumped.

She put on her signature guilt-ridden face and spoke in a soft, self-sacrificing tone:

"It’s all my fault. I’m just too weak."

"Hazel must have had a reason to dislike me back then. I deserve to live with this trauma."

"I shouldn't have complained to you, Ethan. I shouldn't make Hazel angry again."

Before she even finished speaking, she raised her hand and slapped her own face hard.

She kept slapping herself, sobbing loudly.

"Hazel, I’ll slap myself ninety-nine times just like before. Please don't be mad at Ethan."

Ethan immediately grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

He gently touched her reddened cheek, his face filled with pain.

He turned and barked at Marcus:

"Go to the convenience store and get some ice! Hurry!"

Chloe began to shake violently, burying her head into Ethan's chest.

Her tears soaked his shirt as she screamed hysterically:

"No! No ice!"

"That’s what she used to hurt me... I can still feel the cold. I can't take it!"

At those words,

Ethan's gaze turned ice-cold as he glared at me.

"Do you hear that? Look at the mental scar you left on her!"

"I’ve been trying to make up for your sins, tolerating your behavior this entire time. When are you going to stop being so damn selfish?"

My body was weak and trembling. Watching them play their disgusting roles,

I forced myself to stand straight and repeated every single word clearly:

"I am not making a scene. Once the 30-day period is over, we are signing the papers. We are done."

Ethan’s face darkened completely. Completely ignoring my weak, post-surgery state,

He grabbed my arm violently.

He dragged me in front of Chloe, forcing me to bow my head.

"Apologize to Chloe right now. This isn't something you can just walk away from."

His words were like daggers to my heart.

"You hurt her so badly back then that she can never get pregnant. And I just had to rid you of three of your babies."

"If she forgives you, we can wipe the slate clean. We can go back to how we were."

I looked up into his cold, heartless eyes,

Then at Chloe, who was looking at me with a smirk. I let out a mocking laugh.

"Apologize to a pathological liar? Never."

Marcus and Tyler quickly stepped in to play peacemakers.

"Hazel, don't be so stubborn. Just say sorry and get it over with."

"Yeah, Hazel. Standing your ground like this is just putting Ethan in a tough spot."

"If you actually get a divorce, you have no family, no money. How are you even going to survive on your own?"

Every word they said favored Chloe.

They completely ignored the fact that I had just had a forced miscarriage and was standing here in a hospital gown, completely exhausted.

Ethan let go of my arm and wrapped his hand around Chloe’s waist.

He looked at me, completely confident that I had nowhere else to go.

"I know you don't actually want to leave me, Hazel."

"Your parents are dead. You have no savings. If you leave me, you won't even be able to afford rent."

He paused, offering what he thought was a generous compromise.

"Apologize to Chloe right now. I will let this go. I won't force you to get miscarriages anymore, and I will keep providing for you."

Chloe clung to him, her eyes gleaming with the triumph of a winner,

Waiting for me to break and beg.