Chapter 3

3

Vicious and cruel?

I hadn't done a single thing.

Before I could speak, a sharp, violent pain tore through my lower abdomen. Cold sweat instantly drenched my forehead, and my vision went black as my knees buckled.

Declan quickly noticed something was wrong.

His expression shifted, and he rushed over to catch my collapsing body, panic creeping into his voice.

"Clara? What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Seeing my bloodless face and the way I curled up in agony, he knit his brows and moved to scoop me into his arms.

"Hold on, I'm taking you to the ER right now!"

Just as he bent down to lift me, Maisie let out a weak, pitiful cry from behind him. "Ah… Declan, my stomach hurts so much…"

Declan froze instantly.

In the next second, he let go of me without hesitation, shoving me toward a nearby waiter and barking, "Catch her!"

He spun around, sprinted toward Maisie, and carefully lifted her into his arms, rushing toward the exit under the stunned gazes of the crowd.

Fighting the blinding pain, I let out a ragged, desperate scream.

"Declan Vance! If you walk out that door tonight, we are completely over!"

He paused for a fraction of a second, but then bolted out of the ballroom without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, I didn't even have the strength left to feel heartbroken.

I was rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis and taken straight into emergency surgery.

Once the anesthesia wore off, the nurse helped me out of bed for a short recovery walk.

As I struggled to reach the doorway, I looked through the hallway window and saw Declan carefully supporting Maisie out of the prenatal clinic.

His head was tilted down, listening to her intently with an adoring smile.

Maisie leaned against him, one hand cradling her tiny bump, looking radiant with happiness.

He didn't notice me behind the glass at all.

Maisie, however, did.

The corner of her mouth curved into a faint, mocking smirk of total victory.

Sure enough, she came to my room shortly after.

Dressed in a soft cashmere dress, her skin glowing, she looked like the complete opposite of my battered, pale state.

She placed a thermos gently on the nightstand, acting like a generous, graceful lady of the house.

"Clara, how are you feeling?"

"Declan… he was worried about you, but he was afraid you'd be angry if you saw him, so I came on his behalf."

I leaned back against the pillows, staring at her coldly.

"Thank him for me. It must be hard for you to run his errands with a baby bump. But remember this: as long as I'm alive, you will never be anything more than a dirty side piece who can't see the light of day."

Her smile stiffened before dissolving into an even more exaggerated look of sorrow.

"Clara, why do you have to be so harsh? I never wanted to steal Declan from you."

"I just feel sorry for you, lying here all alone in the hospital. And besides…"

She paused, dropping her voice to a soft, venomous whisper.

"Declan told me about what happened to you as a child, how the neighborhood men cornered and hurt you, leaving you with all those nightmares. I was just worried you'd have panic attacks alone in a hospital room."