Chapter 3

The whole room dissolved into chaos in an instant.

Narelle's face went white.

"Lunatic!"

The clan elders who, moments ago, had been shouting to put me under family punishment now leaned on their canes and ran faster than anyone else.

The guests surged toward the doors in a stampede, terrified that a second's delay would leave them sealed inside with me.

Candice was helped out by someone, her face pale, her eyes rimmed red.

She cradled her belly, her voice thin.

"Boris, my stomach hurts."

"I'm scared. Will you come to the hospital with me?"

Boris took a step toward her on instinct.

But he stopped almost at once.

His eyes fell on me.

In all that struggling and shoving just now, the incision from my abortion, only just done, had split open again.

Blood soaked into the hem of my dress bit by bit, running down my leg, pooling across the floor.

Boris's face changed in an instant. "You're bleeding."

He strode over and caught me by the arm.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

Every trace of color drained clean from Candice's face.

But I didn't move.

I only stared, hard, at the golden charm locket clutched in Candice's hand.

A few small words were engraved on the little plate.

Son of Boris Gilbert and Candice Fox — Rick Gilbert.

Something roared in my head.

Rick. Boris had spent three whole nights going through books for that name.

Back then he'd held me, his palm pressed to my belly, reading it to me over and over.

"Rick. A lifetime of peace and safety."

"Our child has to grow up safe and sound."

The tears came crashing down.

"Boris!

"That's the name you chose for our child!

"He was barely dead, and you handed his name to the baby you had with Candice?"

Boris's lips moved. "It's not what you think."

Candice hurried in too, red-eyed, explaining. "Don't misunderstand. I heard Boris mention the name, and I thought it had such a good meaning, so I only..."

"My child has no father. I just wanted him to have a good omen too."

Boris's throat worked, and at last he forced the words out.

"By then they'd already divined that our child couldn't be saved."

"The name was already chosen. It seemed such a waste to just..."

He avoided my eyes, his voice dropping lower and lower.

"Giving it to Candice's child, it's also a way to keep something of our own child alive."

I stood frozen for two seconds, then suddenly laughed out loud.

"Something to keep?"

"Weren't you the ones who said my child's fate was cursed, that he'd bring ruin on the Gilberts?"

"While he was alive, you were even afraid to let him near Candice in case he disturbed her blessed pregnancy."

"So how is it that once he's dead, you're not afraid his name brings bad luck anymore?"

"Or is it! That from the very moment you chose that name! The one you had in mind was Candice and the child in her belly!"

The words had barely left my mouth when Candice let out a scream, clutched her stomach, and collapsed.

The Gilberts fell into chaos in an instant.

Boris's face changed on the spot. He scooped her up and headed for the door.

I watched his back and said coldly,

"Boris, I want a divorce."

His steps hitched, but he didn't turn around.

"Your name has already been announced to the ancestors and entered into the Gilbert family registry."

"Until the clan strikes you off, you can't divorce me."

With that, he carried Candice out in a hurry.

Of course I knew the Gilbert rules.

The Gilberts prized the clan above all else. A daughter-in-law entering the registry required an announcement to the ancestors, and a divorce that struck her name off required opening the ancestral hall, with the clan elder's approval.

But so what.

Let the Gilberts have a thousand years of lineage. It still gave them no right to set a few worn-out registry pages above the law.

The next day I changed into a black dress, took the box, and went to the funeral home.

I set up a memorial for my child, arranged the flowers and the eternal lamp, and only wanted to see him off in peace, one last time.

But before he could even be laid to rest, the doors of the memorial room were kicked open.

Boris burst in with the clan elder and a crowd of Gilberts.

They overturned the offering table and rushed straight forward to throw back the coffin lid.

"Hand the child over."