Chapter 3

The next morning, furious pounding on the mahogany door jarred me awake.

Julian had rushed home. Fresh blood soaked through the white gauze wrapped around his forearm, irritated by the violence with which he shook the door handle.

He stood breathless on the threshold, clutching crumpled paper in his trembling fingers:

"You sent this divorce petition to Chloe?"

I took the papers, flipped straight to the final signature page, and saw his bold scrawl across the line.

I met his bloodshot eyes calmly:

"You already signed it. Why are you screaming?"

Julian snatched the papers back, his voice shaking with panic:

"She shoved only the last page in front of me, claiming it was an authorization form for her hospital fees! I didn't even read it!"

With a roar, he tore the contract to shreds and scattered the pieces into the air.

"You want a divorce? Over my dead body, Summer!"

He lunged forward and locked me in a suffocating embrace.

I fought against his chest, digging my teeth deep into the open wound on his injured arm.

The metallic taste of his blood filled my mouth before he cried out in pain and stumbled back.

I spat onto the floor, wiping my lip with utter disgust:

"So what do you expect from me, Julian?"

"Accept your side piece? Watch you two raise a baby and play house while you crawl into my bed at night?"

"How can you be so utterly shameless?!"

Julian went rigid, then began babbling desperately:

"I swear on my life, I won't touch her again! I'm cutting her off today!"

I crossed my arms.

"And the child? I refuse to play stepmother to your infidelity."

Julian pleaded without hesitation:

"Once it's born, I'll take full custody and hand the baby over to you! You will be its only mother!"

I let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

"I have no interest in raising a bastard. If you want to keep this marriage, drag your mistress to an abortion clinic and fire her on the spot."

Julian didn't hesitate for a second:

"Done! Anything you want! Just stop talking about leaving me, please, Summer!"

I tapped my screen, turning the phone toward him:

"Every single word you just uttered was recorded."

"And forwarded to Chloe Bailey."

Julian's face drained of all color. He bellowed in fury:

"Summer! How could you do that?! Don't you trust me at all?!"

I scoffed:

"Trusting a cheater's oath is like trusting a shark to turn vegan."

Right on cue, Julian's phone rang like a siren. It was Chloe, screaming hysterically over the speaker:

"Julian Hayes! If you don't want my baby, I'll take our child and jump off the bridge right now!"

The call abruptly cut off.

Julian looked shattered, torn between guilt toward me and terror for the child.

Finally, he shoved me aside and sprinted toward his sports car.

By the time I followed his GPS tracker to the suspension bridge spanning the icy river, Julian was locked in a desperate embrace with Chloe, kissing her tears away.

Seeing me approach, Julian tensed up instantly, shielding the sobbing woman behind his back.

He tried to keep his temper in check:

"Summer, what else do you want? Chloe is pregnant and emotionally fragile. I'm warning you, don't provoke her!"

"If she dies with my baby, you'll be charged with manslaughter!"

Chloe had tear tracks on her cheeks, but her eyes glittered with toxic malice.

Suddenly, she bolted toward me, grabbing my coat and hissing in my ear:

"A man's promises are worthless."

"Never listen to what they say. Watch what they do."

"Guess who he chooses when both of us are drowning?"

Before I could react, she yanked my coat and dragged us both over the rail into the freezing river.

The wind whipped past my ears alongside Chloe's theatrical scream:

"Julian! I'm carrying your heir! Watch us die if you have the guts!"

Splash!

The frigid water knocked the air out of my lungs.

Above the surface, Julian dove in without a second thought, thrashing through the currents toward us.

He hesitated for barely two seconds before his arms clamped tightly around Chloe.

"Summer, you're a champion swimmer! You can swim to the bank yourself! Chloe can't swim!"

Chloe rested her chin on his broad shoulder, looking over at me through the churning water with a smirk.

She mouthed silently:

I won.

I smiled right back through the icy mist.

Maybe we both won.

Her smirk froze, paranoia flickering across her face.

I didn't thrash. I didn't scream for help.

Julian was right—I was an excellent diver.

And a brilliant plan flashed in my mind: since a legal divorce was this complicated, why not stage my drowning and disappear forever?

I took a deep lungful of air and let my body sink into the murky depths, preparing to dive along the current and escape.

Yet, within ten seconds, a pair of frantic hands seized my collar and dragged me upward.

It was Julian.