Chapter 2

Familiar voices echoed from the hallway outside.

My mother-in-law had arrived.

"Which room is Chloe in? I heard her skin graft surgery was today, so I rushed over with some homemade organic collagen broth."

"Is it still warm? Don't let it get cold."

Ethan was with her.

My room was right in front of them, but their footsteps passed by without a single pause.

"Chloe, sweetie, I heard the surgery was a massive success. Let me see the incision."

"I personally simmered this premium broth for you. Drink it while it's hot."

"Are you feeling tired? I won't disturb your rest then. Make sure to sleep well and eat up so you can heal quickly."

"Call me tomorrow and tell me what you want to eat. I'll cook it myself."

On her way out, she stopped by my room. She stormed in, her face twisted in annoyance and condescension.

"What? The baby didn't survive again?"

"Useless trash. You can't do anything right!"

"If you can't even produce a healthy heir, you might as well pack your bags and get out of the Vance mansion. Stop wasting the title of Mrs. Vance!"

Once upon a time, my mother-in-law actually liked me.

But after one baby after another died, her attitude toward me turned completely hostile.

Looking at how she pampered Chloe, it was obvious she already viewed Chloe as her new daughter-in-law.

I closed my eyes, refusing to give her any reaction.

But her shrill voice kept drilling into my ears.

"How disrespectful! I'm speaking to you, and you dare close your eyes?"

"Get up and look at me when I'm talking!"

With that, she grabbed my arm and violently yanked me up from the pillows.

The freshly stitched incision on my abdomen tore open. Pain shot through my body, making me gasp and writhe in agony.

Ethan stood by the door, watching coldly. He didn't say a single word to defend me.

Eventually, a nurse couldn't watch anymore. She gently took Eleanor's arm and escorted her out.

The doctor hurried in to stop my bleeding.

Ethan just followed his mother out of the room.

I didn't even have the energy to feel sad anymore. I just wanted to heal fast. I couldn't let my physical condition delay my flight next week.

Just as the doctor finished bandaging my wound, Chloe walked in, proudly showing off her newly grafted arm.

She strutted in with a smug smirk on her face.

"Clara, weren't you dying to see your baby? Here, let me show you!"

She waved her arm right in front of my face.

My eyes burned with pure hatred. I wanted nothing more than to tear her apart.

"Clara, this is the sixth one. I heard... you can't have kids anymore? In that case, shouldn't you vacate the seat of Mrs. Vance?"

She ran her fingers delicately over her arm.

"I must say, this sixth one is incredibly soft. Ethan said this graft turned out the best. He even praised you, saying your body is great at producing good skin!"

"Actually, I was perfectly happy with the first graft. But I purposely told Ethan I hated it. I just wanted to see how many times you could get pregnant."

"Your babies' skin is so much softer than yours. But every time I make a tiny scratch on it, it ruins the graft. And whenever that happens, Ethan happily forces you to have another baby for me."

"Since you can't breed anymore, I guess I'll have to take extra care of this one. Whenever you miss your dead kids, you're welcome to come look at my arm."

My fury boiled over. I grabbed the water glass from the bedside table and hurled it straight at her face.

Ethan walked in just in time. He blocked the glass with his arm, pulling Chloe protectively into his chest.

His eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at me. "Clara, have you lost your mind? How dare you attack Chloe?"

"She came here out of the goodness of her heart to visit you! Not only are you ungrateful, but you physically assault her? You're insane!"

"You psycho, I am completely sick of you!"

Yes, I was insane! I was insane, and I was blind.

Otherwise, how could I have ever loved a monster like Ethan Vance?

"Ethan, you harvested my skin for Chloe, and you murdered my six babies! Do you honestly think I don't know?"

A flicker of guilt flashed through Ethan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold arrogance.

"So what if you know? If you hadn't scalded Chloe with hot water in the first place, would I have ever resorted to this?"

"Using your skin and the babies' skin to heal Chloe is an honor for both of you!"

He turned his head, his eyes immediately softening as he looked at Chloe with pure devotion.

"Are you okay, sweetheart? Did this psycho scare you?"

Chloe looked incredibly pitiful. Tears welled up in her eyes as she buried her face in Ethan's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Thank goodness you got here in time, Ethan... otherwise Clara would have killed me!"

"I just wanted to be nice and check on her. I never expected her to be so hostile and throw a glass at me."

"I feel so hurt, Ethan..."

Ethan glared at me with such venom, it looked like he wanted to strangle me to death right then and there.

My heart clenched in sheer agony from their disgusting display. My vision went black, and I passed out.

When I woke up again, the room was empty.