Chapter 4

I reached out to touch her forehead. My heart went completely numb.

She was burning up.

I frantically scrolled through my phone contacts, my thumb stopping on a name I least wanted to bother.

But right now, I had no choice. I called, borrowed some money, picked up Chloe, and walked back to the front desk.

"Please, give me a room first. My daughter has a high fever."

The receptionist suddenly rolled her eyes.

"No wonder your cards were frozen. You're that adoptive daughter from the Harlow family who cheated on her husband."

I froze.

She looked me up and down, her words becoming more hostile.

"You're trash yourself, and you brought a bastard child here to embarrass us."

"Our hotel is a respectable establishment. Please leave. Don't dirty our lobby."

The other guests in the lobby turned to stare at me.

I wanted to explain, but I had no voice.

I could only hold Chloe close and run out of the hotel like a criminal.

On the cold, midnight street, the wind felt like knives cutting through my skin.

Delirious with fever, Chloe buried her face in my shoulder and murmured softly, "Daddy... please don't leave me..."

That one sentence tore my heart to shreds.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled out my phone and dialed Julian's number.

I called ten times. No one answered.

With trembling fingers, I sent him a Snapchat message.

"Chloe has a high fever. Can you please come?"

After what felt like an eternity, he replied.

"The kid isn't even mine. I don't have time to play happy family with you."

I stared at the cold text on the screen.

The city was loud and alive, but I couldn't even make a sound as tears flooded my face.

In the end, I took Chloe to the hospital alone.

The emergency room hallway was packed. Right after I got our ticket, I heard a familiar voice.

Julian was holding Audrey, guiding her into the examination room.

The nurse handed Julian an ultrasound sheet with a stern look on her face.

"Early pregnancy bleeding. There are signs of a threatened miscarriage."

"The first trimester is critical. As her husband, you need to be more careful. Don't stress the pregnant mother!"

Julian took the sheet, immediately pulling Audrey closer to his chest.

"Does it still hurt?"

Audrey shook her head, her eyes rimmed with red.

Julian frowned. "Don't go back to the Harlow house tonight. Stay at my place."

"I'll take care of you."

Audrey bit her lip and nodded, leaning entirely into his embrace.

I stood frozen in the hallway, feeling the blood drain from my face.

Years ago, when I was pregnant with Chloe, he had held me the exact same way.

Back then, my morning sickness was so bad I couldn't even keep water down.

He had canceled all his business trips to stay by my side for ten whole months.

He had said, "Gemma, you and our baby girl are my entire life!"

And now, he was the one who had labeled his "entire life" a bastard.

He was the one who had pushed Chloe and me into this living hell.

I wanted to laugh.

How could a man who loved you so deeply become so monstrously cruel when he stopped loving you?

Chloe was still burning up in my arms.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

I looked down. It was a message from Julian.

"Gemma, I'm done waiting. I'll see you in court in three days."

"Fine," I replied, my hands shaking as I forced down the overwhelming pain.

Once Chloe's fever subsided, I immediately took her back to the Vance mansion to retrieve our legal documents.

Before entering, I turned on the audio recorder on my phone and slipped it into my pocket.

I thought I was mentally prepared. But when I opened the door and saw Audrey sitting on the sofa wearing my silk pajamas, a wave of bitterness washed over me.

She didn't bother pretending anymore. She tilted her head and smiled at me like an innocent child.

"Gemma, you guys are getting divorced anyway, and you're no longer the lady of this house. You don't mind if I wear your clothes, right?"

I didn't answer. I just looked around.

In just two days, the home I had lived in for eight years was completely covered in Audrey's shadow.