Chapter 3

Our wedding photo still hung on the bedroom wall. A pair of ceramic dolls sat on the nightstand, and the closet was filled with matching outfits we used to wear.

For years, I had carefully maintained all of these things.

I always thought that as long as these items remained, the old Ethan would eventually return to me.

But looking at them now, they just seemed like a cruel joke.

Holding my stomach with one hand, I began to pack everything up, clearing them out piece by piece.

Seven years of marriage, five years of madness.

It took me exactly two hours to completely erase my presence from this room.

That night, I had a dream.

In the dream, the twenty-year-old Ethan looked at me with a sad but relieved smile.

He tapped my forehead gently. "Luna, it's time to let go of someone who doesn't love you anymore."

When I woke up, the bed beside me was cold and empty.

There was a sticky note on the dining table with Ethan's handwriting:

Breakfast is in the warming drawer. I have an illegal arms deal at the docks this morning. If you don't believe me, you can check up on me anytime.

I crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into the trash.

After eating breakfast, I opened my laptop and began organizing the assets under my name.

Real estate, stocks, funds, and the private savings I had quietly gathered over the years.

I listed every single cent clearly.

I had suffered from being broke, and I would never let my child experience that kind of pain.

While I was calculating, my phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a message from Chloe.

I have a little surprise for you, Elena~

Below the text was a link to a live stream.

I clicked on it. The moment the screen loaded, my blood ran cold.

The camera angle was from a high-angle surveillance view. The background was my own bedroom.

The person in the video was currently sitting at the desk, looking down at her laptop.

She was in the exact same posture I was in right now.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I whipped my head up and looked toward the direction of the camera angle.

Hidden inside the flower vase on the shelf was a tiny, blinking red light.

I rushed over, grabbed the vase, and slammed it hard onto the floor. The hidden camera popped out, and I immediately stomped on it, grinding it to pieces under my heel.

My phone buzzed again. There's more, Elena.

It was another link. This time, it was the bathroom.

In the video, I was completely naked, taking a shower right in front of the lens.

The live chat on the side was scrolling at a dizzying speed.

Damn, she's hot. Look at those curves. No wonder she gets so much action.

She's pregnant and still looks this edible?

Anyone got her contact info? How much for a night?

A loud buzzing sound went off in my head.

My brain felt like it was exploding.

I grabbed whatever was near me and began to smash the room in a frenzy.

The entire bedroom was turned into an absolute wreck.

Chloe's voice message played from my phone, filled with raw, mocking laughter:

"Oh my god, Elena, you look like a raging beast right now. It's hilarious."

"Ethan told me he hasn't touched you in three months."

"You must be so lonely, right? Your shower video got so many viewers last night. Maybe I should leak your phone number and address to help you find some playmates."

"Chloe!"

I grabbed my car keys and stormed out of the apartment.

The car roared to life like a wild beast, and I sped down the road toward Chloe's private villa.

Halfway there, Ethan's call came through. His voice was laced with anger and panic:

"Elena! Are you going after Chloe again?! Pull over and go home right now!"

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my hands shook. "Ethan, did you install those cameras in our room?"

He admitted it smoothly, his tone sounding completely justified:

"Yes, I did. Your emotional state is too unstable, Elena. I only did it to keep an eye on you for your own safety."

"For my safety?" I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face.

"Do you have any idea that Chloe used your cameras to stream me naked to the entire internet?"

"That's impossible. Chloe gets terrified just seeing you. She would never dare provoke you on her own."

"Elena, I am warning you. Turn the car around and go home right now. Do not go near Chloe."

Even though I knew he wouldn't believe me, hearing him defend her without a second of hesitation still felt like a physical stab to my heart.

The GPS navigation's mechanical voice rang out: Your destination is in five hundred yards.

Ethan's tone changed instantly, turning into a chilling, ruthless threat I had never heard from him before:

"Elena, you forced my hand."

Before I could even process what he meant by those words...

Out of my peripheral vision, a massive black armored SUV suddenly charged out from a side intersection.

BOOM!

The violent impact rammed straight into my driver's side, flipping my car into the air like a toy.

The airbags deployed in my face, and shards of glass rained down like a storm.

I was thrown violently against the door and then bounced back.

A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my lower abdomen. A warm, thick liquid began to flow down my thighs.