Chapter 3

3

Lindsey looked at me with disdain. “Fifty million? You sure have some nerve.”

“Turns out you are just another gold-digger after all.”

Still, she signed off on the amount.

When I stepped out of the club holding the check, the freezing night wind made me shiver violently.

Yet, I forced myself to smile.

I repeated in my head: Fifty million dollars for ten years. You made a profit.

So why were the tears still streaming uncontrollably down my face?

I walked home slowly, step by step.

I looked at the glittering skyline, soaking in every view.

I had lived here for ten years and grown accustomed to every corner.

In three days, I would never see it again.

A pang of reluctance still lingered in my chest.

When I arrived home, Paxton was unexpectedly sitting on the couch.

His face was dark with anger. “Summer, where are my things? Are you trying to kick me out?”

“What is the meaning of this?”

Without answering, I pulled out the divorce papers and laid them on the table.

“Sign this,” I said calmly.

“The baby is gone. Let us end this cleanly.”

Dead silence fell over the room.

Paxton’s eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at me in pure disbelief.

“Say that again? The baby is gone?”

He lunged forward, raised his hand, and slapped me across the face.

“Summer, what right do you have to get rid of our baby without my consent? I told you, I did nothing wrong!”

“How could you be so cruel! And you even want a divorce?”

Tears shimmered in his eyes.

It was as if I were the one who had committed an unforgivable sin.

I lost my balance and crashed to the floor, my face burning with agony.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Did he really think that as long as they had not slept together, he had done nothing wrong?

With fury and sorrow boiling inside me, I snapped in spite,

“Because I do not love you anymore, Paxton.”

“I traded you to Lindsey Frost for fifty million dollars. Sign the divorce papers. We are over.”

Paxton clenched his fists tightly.

He slammed his fist against the wooden coffee table beside me.

The force was so violent that his knuckles split open, dripping blood.

After a long silence, he finally choked out, “Fine. Since you want this so badly, I will give you what you want.”

Paxton signed the divorce agreement and slammed the front door as he stormed out.

Watching his retreating back, the last spark of light in my eyes died.

A sharp, tearing pain suddenly erupted in my lower abdomen.

I reached down and found my hands covered in blood.

In sheer panic, I used the last ounce of my strength to dial 911.

Then, darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed.

Paxton stood with his back to me, silently smoking by the window.

Hearing me stir, he quickly snubbed out the cigarette.

“Summer, what do you want to eat?”

His voice was calm again. “I will go grab it for you.”

I watched him in silence, wondering what game he was playing now.

“I have cut all ties with Lindsey,” Paxton stated casually. “Let us start over.”

“I broke your heart once, and you took away our baby. We are even now.”

If this had been the past, I might have forgiven him upon hearing those words.

But now, my eyes drifted to the hospital room door.

Lindsey was standing right outside, her expression dark and twisted.

I lowered my eyes. “I do not want to be with you anymore. This divorce is happening.”

“Please leave. I never want to see you again.”

Paxton was a proud man who rarely lowered his head to anyone.

In the past, I was always the one apologizing after every fight.

Hearing my firm refusal, his patience snapped. “Are you sure about this? Now is not the time to throw a tantrum.”

“I am giving you one last chance, or else…”

Before he could finish, Lindsey pushed the door open.

“Paxton!”

She put on a sweet, gentle smile and placed a thermos on my bedside table. “Summer, have some soup. I made it especially for you.”

“It is all my fault that you two had a misunderstanding. I came to apologize.”

Lindsey looked delicate and pitiful by nature.

Her deliberate act softened Paxton’s voice instantly. “Alright, it is not your fault.”

“Summer is just throwing a fit. That is why things got out of hand.”