Chapter 4

She hitched her skirt up high to her hip, revealing slightly flushed skin. With her tear-drenched eyes, she looked fragile, helpless, and completely innocent.

I let out a dry laugh. The acting was laughably bad. The faint redness on her upper thigh couldn't possibly have been caused by the soup that had splashed on the floor.

Yet Logan’s eyes were filled with nothing but panic for Amber’s "injuries." Seeing my smirk, he erupted in fury.

"Vivian Miller! Do you have a shred of empathy left in you?"

"Amber burned herself trying to do something nice for you, and you're standing there gloating?"

"Let's go! You're coming to the hospital with me right now to accompany Amber to the ER!"

He stormed over and grabbed my arm violently, pulling with enough force to dislocate my shoulder.

I fought back, but he was far stronger.

He dragged me across the floor, half-carrying and half-pulling me out to the car.

He drove like a madman, speeding through every yellow light. The moment he screeched to a halt outside the emergency room, he scooped Amber into his arms and sprinted inside.

I trailed behind, leaning heavily against the walls for support.

The violent jolts of the car ride had triggered agonizing cramps in my lower abdomen. By the time I finally reached the hallway, my legs were trembling so hard I could barely stand.

Logan, who had just demanded an emergency admission room for Amber, shot me a chilling glare.

"What are you acting for? Amber is hurt, and you're lagging behind like a princess. Can you stop being so damn dramatic?"

Cold sweat poured down my face from the sheer pain. I couldn't even process his insults; I just wanted to lean against the wall to catch my breath.

But before I could, he grabbed my wrist again and dragged me toward Amber’s room.

"Logan, let go of me! Please, it hurts so bad... Can't you see I can barely walk?"

I begged through choked sobs, desperately hoping for a shred of basic humanity from him.

He didn't care. He hauled me through the door, and with a vicious shove, hurled me forward. I lost my balance completely and crashed heavily onto the hard tile floor right beside Amber’s bed.

He pointed at Amber and barked at me,

"Apologize to her!"

"If you hadn't thrown a fit tonight, Amber would never have burned herself and ended up in the hospital. Take a hard look at yourself and apologize!"

Ignoring me as I curled up on the floor, convulsing in agony, Logan took Amber’s hand, his face full of tender devotion.

"Don't worry. I won't let anyone treat you unfairly."

From the bed, Amber whimpered softly, tears glistening on her eyelashes.

"I'm sorry, Logan... It's all my fault. I caused you two to fight. I always upset Vivian. Maybe I should just disappear so I never bother you two again..."

Hearing that, Logan’s anger flared violently. He glared down at me on the floor, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Vivian, apologize to her right now. I'm not going to say it again!"

I lay curled in a fetal position, clutching my stomach tightly, shaking uncontrollably. I didn't even have the strength to lift my head.

The blinding pain caused my vision to black out in waves. Cold sweat soaked through my clothes, pooling onto the linoleum beneath me.

Seeing me motionless on the floor, Logan assumed I was giving him the silent treatment. Enraged, he stepped forward and kicked me brutally in the thigh.

A strangled gasp escaped my throat. Darkness rushed into my vision, and I teetered on the verge of passing out.

Logan frowned in disgust.

"Stop faking it to get sympathy. I barely touched you! And I kicked your leg, not your stomach!"

"If you refuse to apologize, you deserve to feel the same pain Amber felt. Maybe then you'll realize how rotten you've been."

Without another word, he scooped Amber up bridal-style into a wheelchair.

"I'm taking Amber for her scans. Call an Uber home yourself. I don't have time to deal with you."

Without casting a single backward glance at his pregnant wife collapsed on the floor, he walked out of the room.

I was left lying on the freezing hospital tiles. A searing fire raged inside my belly, and my consciousness began to slip away.