Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

Carter had always wanted a child. I used to look forward to the day we would welcome a baby into the world.

But when the doctor told me the baby was gone, I actually felt a wave of relief.

I felt so selfish.

My best friend, Maya, held me tight, gently stroking my hair.

"It’s not your fault, Summer. It's those two toxic trash bags, Carter and Chloe. They killed your baby. The baby is in heaven now, and they will pay for this."

Carter hadn’t contacted me all night.

During the summer of my sophomore year in college, I didn't go home. My abusive father had tracked me down to campus and attacked me.

It was Carter who threw himself in front of me, took the blows, and helped me call the police.

With his bright, warm smile, he pulled me out of the darkness and gave me the courage to escape my father's control.

But I had only escaped one trap to fall into another—one named Carter Miller.

Just like he said, without him, I had no home to return to.

So every time we fought, I was always the first to bow my head and apologize.

But this time, Carter actually initiated the conversation. He sent me a message on Snapchat.

"Babe, still mad?"

Attached was a photo.

In a messy bedroom, he and Chloe were lying in bed together, their necks covered in dark hickeys.

It was clear how intense their night had been.

I didn't even need to ask. Chloe must have taken Carter's phone to send this to me.

I screenshotted the photo immediately.

"Thanks for sending me the evidence of your infidelity. And thanks for taking out the trash for me."

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Carter called me.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Chloe has depression! Stop harassing her! Do you want to drive her to suicide?"

Carter always used Chloe’s depression as a weapon to hurt me.

But six months ago, I was the one diagnosed with severe depression.

At the time, he had sneered, "You're such a copycat, Summer. Chloe gets diagnosed, and suddenly you have it too? You're disgusting."

Ever since Chloe came back into his life, he never believed a word I said.

Maya couldn't stand it anymore. She snatched the phone from my hand.

"You disgusting piece of trash! Summer miscarried because you pushed her! She just lost her baby while you two were busy hooking up! Aren't you afraid of getting hit by a car when you step outside?"

Carter instantly flared up. "A miscarriage? Are you seriously using a fake pregnancy to guilt-trip me now? How can you guys be so wicked as to curse a non-existent child? If you're telling the truth, why don't you bring the baby's corpse to show me!"

Who was the one actually cursing the child?

What did I do in my past life to deserve falling for such a monster?

My baby couldn't be born, probably because they didn't want me to stay tied to this pathetic man.

"I'll bring you the proof, Carter. The question is, do you actually have the guts to look at it?"

"Also, I told you yesterday I wanted a divorce. You didn't think I was joking, did you?"

"Oh, wait. A year ago, we only had a wedding ceremony. We never actually signed the papers at City Hall. We aren't even legally married."

"So I don't even need a divorce. I’m just dumping you. Go to hell!"

The other end of the line went dead silent, save for his heavy, ragged breathing.

After a long pause, Carter screamed, "Don't you dare come crawling back to me crying!"

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