Chapter 2

2

Lying on the cold operating table, two streaks of helpless tears escaped my eyes.

I prayed silently in my heart. "Little one, if there is a next life, I hope you find a family that isn't so broken."

The tiny embryo was soon removed. I struggled to open my eyes, but all I could see was a blurry shadow.

It was so small, not even fully formed yet.

To be honest, a bad fetal position isn't always impossible to fix.

But I figured it was better for this child to never enter this world than to have a father as pathetic as Gideon.

The nurse saw that I didn't even have a single person looking after me. Her gaze softened with deep sympathy.

She briefly explained the post-op care instructions and asked if she should call any of my family members.

But where was my family?

My parents had died in a car accident right before I got married.

And my husband? He was probably accompanying another woman to her prenatal check-up.

The rain started pouring outside the window.

I struggled to sit up and ordered a bowl of porridge through a delivery app.

The ward door swung open. It wasn't the delivery guy. It was Gideon.

His hair was soaked, and he looked like he had been caught in the downpour.

I looked at him in surprise, about to speak, but he cut me off with a roar of fury.

"Who gave you permission to get rid of my child? Who gave you the right to do this?!"

Seeing him throw such a tantrum made me feel strangely calm. In fact, I felt a surge of pure satisfaction.

"I thought you said I was just acting? Now that the baby is gone, can we finally get that divorce?"

I explained calmly, but Gideon was so agitated he lunged forward and grabbed me by the throat.

I gasped for air, unable to breathe. Gideon showed no sign of letting go.

"Lyra, I used to think you were just petty. But now I realize you're a cold-blooded snake! You killed our child just to get a divorce. What kind of human being does something so insane?!"

His words stung deep. How could he roll around with another woman on our anniversary, yet think I had no right to my own body?

I glared at him with everything I had. "From the moment I got pregnant, you never came to a single appointment. A father as irresponsible as you has no right to decide anything."

"Gideon Blackwood, you're a piece of shit!"

His grip on my neck tightened even more.

I closed my eyes, resigning myself to fate. Gideon was the heir to the Blackwood Empire. Killing a person, even his wife, would be easy for him to cover up.

Just when I thought I was going to die on that hospital bed, he let go.

"Since you want to play dirty, I'll give you exactly what you want."

Gideon pulled the signed divorce papers from his coat and slammed them into my face.

I felt the blood starting to seep from my surgical wound again as the papers hit me. My heart felt like it was being ripped open.

I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed at him.

"How do you have the nerve to say this to me? Gideon, when you were in bed with Tessa, when you were taking her to the doctor, did you think about me or the baby even once?"

Mentioning that topic finally caused his expression to flicker.

But there was no guilt. Only the embarrassed rage of a man whose dirty secrets had been dragged into the light.

"It's not what you think. Can you stop being so disgusting? You see filth everywhere because you're filthy inside."

"Then who were you with at the clinic yesterday? How do you explain the video Tessa sent me?! Why do you get to go crazy on me over and over again? Don't you think you're the one who pushed me to this?!"

"Lyra! Enough! That was an accident!"

I couldn't help but laugh until tears came out.

"I guess all your coldness and cruelty over the years was just an accident, too."