Chapter 4

When my visa was finally approved, I felt a weight lift from my chest.

I cooked a massive table of Ethan's favorite dishes as a final farewell.

But while I was in my room taking a call from the movers, Chloe swept every single plate onto the floor.

Ethan didn't get angry. He just patiently comforted her.

I clutched my burning stomach, watching the mess.

Years ago, when my cooking was terrible, he wouldn't let a single bite go to waste.

I guess people really do change for the ones they love.

Numbly, I knelt down to pick up the broken shards. Even when the sharp ceramic sliced into my fingers, leaving them dripping with blood, I felt no pain.

Ethan’s brow furrowed deeply. He violently grabbed my wrist and yanked me up.

"Are you really this pathetic? Or did you finally realize that no one else wants a discarded woman, so you're begging for my attention?"

I looked him dead in the eye.

"Just sign the divorce papers."

Ethan’s face twisted in fury. Chloe stepped forward, pretending to help me up.

But before I could even move, she threw herself directly onto the sharp ceramic shards on the floor.

Ethan caught her in time, but in the process, he violently shoved me backward. I fell straight into the pile of broken glass.

With every breath I took, the shards dug deeper into my back, bringing a agonizing pain.

"Clara..." Ethan’s voice cracked with a sudden, rare panic.

But when Chloe let out a sharp cry of pain, he froze for a second, then scooped her up and ran out of the villa toward the hospital.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Every single servant in the villa had been sent by Ethan to the hospital to pray for Chloe. I lay there alone in my own blood.

When I finally woke up, Ethan was sitting by my bed, his eyes incredibly bloodshot.

"Do you finally know what pain feels like, Clara? Why must you be so vicious? I told you I would acknowledge your child. Why did you have to kill Chloe's baby?!"

I blanked out. So, Chloe’s baby was gone.

I wasn't surprised, nor did I care to explain.

In his mind, I was already the murderer.

Seeing my silence, he slammed his fist into the wall right beside my ear. "Clara, you are truly evil to the bone!"

Even though my heart was completely dead, tears still betrayed me, leaking from the corners of my eyes.

Ethan, have you ever realized how evil you have been to me?

To comfort Chloe, Ethan organized a massive charity auction in her honor.

By the time I recovered enough to be dragged there, the event was already in full swing.

Ethan sat with Chloe on his lap, drawing envious looks from the high-society crowd.

Meanwhile, I, his legal wife, was subjected to whispered jeers and mockery.

"My sweet Chloe, you can bid on whatever you want tonight. I even brought some rare spiritual artifacts for you."

The auction practically became Chloe's personal shopping spree. She threw triumphant, mocking looks at me.

I ignored her, keeping my head down as I scrolled through my phone. Ethan's face grew darker by the minute.

I had no idea why he was angry, nor did I care.

Suddenly, Chloe slid into the seat next to me, a sickening smile on her face.

"Clara, put your phone away. You're going to want to see the next item."

I looked up in confusion. Instantly, my mind went completely blank, and the blood in my veins turned to ice.

On the massive projector screen was a close-up of a small, polished white bead.

"Our next piece is a highly unique keepsake. A cremation pearl, crafted from the remains of a miscarried fetus, commissioned specially by Mr. Vance."

As the auctioneer's voice echoed, my hands shook violently. I dialed the hospital, only for the nurse to tell me that my baby’s body had been signed out by Ethan's assistant days ago.

I bolted upright, staring at Ethan, who sat there completely unbothered.

This wasn't a standard keepsake. This was my baby. My baby's bones, ground down and pressed into a bead for his mistress's amusement.

As the bidding started, I raised my paddle with a trembling hand, my voice breaking.

"Ten million!"

Ethan froze, a complex look flashing across his eyes.

Chloe’s eyes gleamed with malice. She squeezed out a few fake tears.

"Ethan... why is Clara trying to take this from me? Did you forget about our baby..."

Without a second thought, Ethan raised his paddle.

"Thirty million!"

"Forty million!" I screamed, cold sweat soaking my hospital gown.

Please, no. I beg you...

"Unlimited bid!" Ethan declared, shutting down the auction.

In an instant, my world shattered.

I ran to Ethan, dropping to my knees and grabbing his trousers, begging him like a dog.

"Ethan, please, I beg you, just give it to me. Don't you know? That’s our child... that's our baby..."

Ethan’s brow furrowed. He looked at me, then at Chloe, who was weeping softly.

Disgust washed over his face, and he violently kicked me away.

"Clara, your lies are getting pathetic. Your baby is perfectly fine at the clinic. To steal Chloe's spotlight, you'd even make up a lie like this. You are disgusting."

"No, it's not a lie! My baby died a week ago... please believe me..."

The wealthy guests began whispering, cursing me for ruining their evening.

Annoyed by the noise, Ethan waved his hand. "Throw her out."

He turned back to comfort a smiling Chloe, continuing his bidding.

But just as the auction was drawing to a close, the heavy doors were kicked open. A frantic clinic director ran in, his face pale with horror.

"Mr. Vance! There's been a massive mistake! The fetus we cremated... it wasn't the surrogate's child. It was swapped!"