Chapter 3

During the year we were happiest, Ethan once told me he wanted us to be buried in the vast, empty Mojave Desert, becoming the most beautiful legend of the wild.

At a time when we were far too young, we had already planned our final resting place.

But now...

When I arrived back at the villa, the entire house was glowing with flashing, colorful lights. I knew they were experimenting with a new "theme" again.

Numbly, I sat down on the cold concrete steps outside, my eyelids growing heavy.

Suddenly, a warm coat that didn't carry Ethan's scent was draped over my shoulders.

"Why are you sitting out here? Is Ethan acting up again?"

I looked up and realized the elegant man standing before me was Julian Vance, Ethan's uncle.

I gave him a faint, exhausted smile.

"Julian, can you help me expedite my visa?"

The man paused, his deep voice carrying a quiet sigh. "Okay."

The next morning, Chloe stood over my bed, her arms crossed.

She splashed a bucket of freezing water directly onto my face, her expression twisting into something ugly.

"Did you enjoy eavesdropping last night? Ethan and I tried so many new positions. He praised me so much that he gave me this jade bracelet. We even used it to..."

I snapped my head up, staring at her wrist. Tears instantly welled in my eyes.

My brother had skipped his own medical treatments to save up enough money to buy me that jade bracelet as a wedding gift.

To think they had desecrated it in such a disgusting way made my blood boil.

"Give it back to me..."

Chloe smirked, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "Want to play a game?"

Before I could react, she grabbed my hand, forced her own head into the toilet bowl, and began screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Help! Clara, please stop! I won't do it again!"

Ethan burst into the room. He grabbed me by my hair and shoved my head into the filled bathtub, holding me under until I was literally suffocating. Then, he gently pulled Chloe into his arms, treating her like a fragile glass doll.

Seeing him tenderly kissing Chloe, even as she was dripping with dirty toilet water, my eyes widened in sheer horror.

"Ethan, this bracelet must be really important to Clara. I don't want it if it's going to make her try to kill me," Chloe sobbed hysterically.

Ethan didn't say a word. He threw a venomous glare at me, scooped Chloe up, and rushed her to the hospital.

I held my stomach, vomiting up the bathwater I had swallowed, my eyes burning.

Not long after, Ethan’s bodyguards dragged me to the hospital clinic.

They forced charcoal and emetics down my throat, pumping my stomach over and over again.

They did it ten times, until I was throwing up nothing but bile and blood, finally passing out from the agony.

In the VIP room next door,

Ethan was telling Chloe stories to keep her entertained while she got an IV drip. Her giggles echoed down the hallway.

To comfort her after the "fright," he had ordered millions of dollars of jewelry to be brought directly to her hospital bed.

I closed my eyes. Years ago, Ethan had spent a whole year preparing special meals to cure my chronic stomach ulcers.

With this single day of torture, he had completely destroyed my stomach again.

Ethan walked into my room, his eyes scanning my pale face. His fists clenched tightly.

"Clara, don't think I won't ruin you. It’s just a cheap piece of jade. I can buy you a thousand of them."

I coughed, a splatter of blood staining my lips.

"Ethan, would you only be happy if I died?"

Ethan stiffened slightly at my words.

Then, he looked at my flat abdomen and sneered.

"Would you dare? You went through so much trouble to keep that baby. You wouldn't dare die."

Looking at the stubborn, heartless man in front of me, I realized words were completely useless.

Ignoring his rising anger, I ripped the feeding tube out of my nose and walked away.

Outside the hospital, Chloe smiled brightly and invited me into their car. Ethan held her hand tightly, never looking at me once.

The car was filled with the heavy scent of fresh orange peels. My severe allergy to citrus meant I couldn't breathe.

I reached to roll down the window, but Ethan snapped coldly, "Leave it. Chloe is pregnant. She can't be exposed to the cold wind."

My fingers trembled. I looked down at my phone, staring blankly at the screen.

Ethan’s expression darkened even further. Chloe let out a soft giggle.

"Don't be mad at me, Clara. I was feeling nauseous, so Ethan bought these oranges for me."

I didn't reply. I kept typing Snapchat messages to my moving coordinator, occasionally scratching at the hives breaking out all over my arms.

The moment the car stopped, I threw myself out and dry-heaved by the curb until I had no strength left.