Chapter 3

The last bit of warmth in my heart died.

Perfect.

Eight years of nurturing, repaid with "she's just a worker."

Five years of keeping a low profile to build his confidence, repaid with "it's worthless."

"Ethan, did your dad ever tell you whose name is on the deed to this club?"

My voice was terrifyingly calm.

Ethan froze. He had clearly never thought about it.

Richard hadn't told him because Richard was too embarrassed to admit it.

Everything here—from the land to the buildings to the horses—was my pre-marital property.

"Dr. Evans is here!" someone yelled.

Dr. Evans, in his fifties, came running with his medical kit, followed by two assistants. He was the most senior vet at the club and Zephyr's personal doctor.

"Vivian, what happened to Zephyr?"

Dr. Evans knelt and carefully lifted Zephyr's injured hoof. His face instantly darkened.

"Are these... pushpins?"

He took a pair of forceps from his assistant, gripped the end of a pushpin, and slowly pulled it out.

Zephyr trembled in pain, but he didn't struggle. He just looked at me with his big, wet eyes and whimpered.

When the pin came out, blood splattered onto Dr. Evans' gloves.

It was a heavy-duty pushpin, nearly an inch long, driven entirely into the soft tissue.

"This is sick. Whoever did this wanted to ruin him," Dr. Evans said, his voice shaking with anger. "Vivian, if this had been any deeper, it would have hit the bone. He would have been crippled for life."

I took the bloody pin from him and turned to Clara.

"What do you have to say now?"

Clara shrank behind Ethan, still stubborn. "What does that have to do with me? Do you have proof? Without proof, this is defamation!"

"Ethan, say something!"

Ethan stood there like a statue, his face extremely grim.

"Enough!"

He finally snapped, grabbing Clara's wrist. "We're leaving!"

"Leaving?"

I stepped in front of them, blocking their path. "No one is leaving until the police arrive."

"Animal cruelty is a crime. And maliciously damaging high-value property is a felony."

"Ethan, you're twenty-one. It's time to face the consequences of your actions."

"You're calling the cops?"

Ethan laughed like I was insane, his eyes turning red. "Vivian, you're calling the cops on me over a stupid animal?"

"He's not a stupid animal. He's Zephyr."

I stared at him. "The horse you cried to ride when you were a kid."

"You said you wanted to be the best rider and win championships with him. Do you remember that?"

Ethan's pupils contracted.

His lips trembled, as if a painful memory had been triggered.

"Shut up!"

He screamed, his voice cracking with a hint of tears.

"Stop using the past to guilt-trip me!"

"You think I don't know? You were only nice to me because you couldn't have kids! You just wanted me as a trophy!"

"My dad told me everything. You're just a barren woman. What right do you have to act like my mother?"

His words felt like a knife plunging straight into my chest.

I swayed slightly, my fingers tightening into fists.

So, that was what Richard had told him.

Back then, the doctor said my body was too weak and I needed to recover for a few years before trying to get pregnant.

To protect Ethan's feelings, I voluntarily chose to delay having children so I could focus entirely on him.

But in Richard's mouth, it became "barren."

"Brilliant. Truly brilliant."

I took a deep breath, looking at his twisted, angry face. He felt like a total stranger.

When did the timid little boy who used to hide behind my back turn into this monster?

"You have a choice," I said, putting the pushpin into a plastic bag. "Either she gets on her knees, apologizes to Zephyr, and pays for all medical expenses, and I might consider a settlement."

"Or, we let the police handle it. Let the judge decide."

"In your dreams!" Clara shrieked. "Who do you think you are to make me kneel?"

"Who am I?"

I finally smiled and made a second call.

"Marcus, pull the security footage from Arena Two from fifteen minutes ago. Cast it onto the main screen in the courtyard."

"Also, have security lock down all exits. No one leaves until the police arrive."