Chapter 2

Phineas sat beside me, helplessly wiping away my tears.

This was the first time Phineas had ever truly faced my pain.

Instead of treating my heartbreak as a game.

This was bought with my daughter's life.

"Bess, I was wrong. I just wanted to see you cry."

"I really didn't mean to kill our daughter. You have to believe me, okay?"

His eyes were full of remorse.

I felt nothing, and I didn't care at all.

Because our daughter was never coming back.

I no longer had the heart to figure out whether this was an act.

"It's no use, Phineas."

"After our daughter's funeral, let's get a divorce."

The words had barely left my mouth.

Phineas's face went white as paper.

In the past, propped up by Godfrey's promise,

no matter how many women he found outside, I never made a scene.

I never once brought up divorce.

But this time, I was truly worn out.

"Honey, I'm begging you, don't leave me."

In his panic, Phineas dropped to his knees, all dignity forgotten.

He tried to pull me and our daughter into his arms,

and I slapped him to the floor.

Phineas wasn't even angry; he pressed his face against my hand and said,

"Honey, slap me again, make me realize I was wrong."

"Make me get rid of my terrible kink, so I never hurt you again."

He and Godfrey had been raised as heirs since childhood,

always carrying a certain arrogance, thinking highly of themselves, never willing to bow their heads.

Watching this, Myra's eyes flashed with instant jealousy.

"I remember there's a kind of anesthetic that can make a person seem as good as dead."

"Miss Fox, Phineas is about to inherit the family fortune."

"To make Godfrey feel guilty, to keep him thinking of you, you actually went so far as to harm your own daughter!"

The moment she finished, Phineas, who had been pleading in grief, suddenly froze.

Then understanding dawned:

"So it turns out Bess just loves me too much and deliberately lured me in."

"I was wondering too—it was only an anesthetic, how could our daughter have died!"

"But you went too far this time. This is our little game as husband and wife—how could you gamble with our daughter's life?"

Heh...

The words of rebuttal caught in my throat.

I just found it absurd.

Just then, Godfrey called:

"Phineas, don't give Bess a hard time, don't act like a child."

"Let her be laid to rest as soon as possible. The child is of Delgado blood. Don't lose our dignity."

Godfrey meant well, but Phineas's face went white in an instant.

Myra made no effort to hold back:

"Why is Godfrey so concerned about your wife?"

"Phineas, do you really think your wife wouldn't play both sides, cozying up to your brother behind your back?"

It was a blatant lie, and yet Phineas believed it.

He grabbed me by the throat.

Until I could barely breathe.

His obsession was the same as ever; he demanded to know whether I had betrayed him.

But this time, I didn't want to endure it, and I didn't want to beg.

I was nearly suffocating, and only when Godfrey rushed in did Phineas set me down.

"If you don't know how to cherish her, then let her go!"

Slap.

Godfrey struck Phineas across the face.

Phineas acted as if he'd caught them at something:

"Godfrey, you want to seize my inheritance, and now you want my woman too?!"

He pointed at the two of us, grief-stricken and furious.

"Our daughter was my life! I'd rather die myself than hurt her!"

I couldn't take it anymore.

Gritting my teeth, I spoke, word by word.

"Once I loved you the same way, loved you enough to give up everything."

"But this is how you treated me! You're not even as good as your brother."

Seeing the grief I couldn't hide.

Phineas panicked again.

He saw his brother turn his head away in dejection,

and remembered the pain of my ten months carrying her, the care I'd poured into raising her, and the way I used to watch for him to come home.

His reason finally came back:

"Honey, I wronged you, I'm sorry."

He hurried to explain:

"I just couldn't believe something happened to our daughter, and I can't imagine a life without you. I love you so much."

He shot a glare at his brother and Myra.

"What are you two still standing around for—one of you apologize, the other get out!"

Myra apologized grudgingly.

Godfrey stayed where he was.

"I want Godfrey to handle the child's funeral."

I insisted, ignoring Phineas's protests.

He was obsessive by nature, and I was afraid that if the funeral was left to him, it would only lead to more trouble.

"Miss Fox, please don't read too much into it, I didn't mean to."

She was the one who killed my child; there was no way I could forgive her.

I wanted her gone, but Phineas coaxed me, "There, don't be angry."

"Once the child's funeral is taken care of, I'll have Myra livestream herself kneeling in the family chapel as penance for seven days and seven nights, all right?"