Chapter 4
The villa stayed brightly lit all night. Private doctors, nurses, and staff were coming and going, all focused on Leah.
Lying in bed, Marissa listened to the commotion outside.
She remembered how, three years ago, she had accidentally cut her finger while slicing fruit–Matt had panicked like she was gravely ill, called the private doctor in the middle of the night, and insisted on bandaging her himself.
“It’s just a small cut,” she had said back then, half laughing, half helpless.
But Matt had taken her hand, gently kissed the wound, and said, “To me, even a single strand of your hair is precious.”
Now, that same tenderness was reserved for another woman.
Marissa turned over and buried her face in the pillow. The fabric grew damp with tears, but she bit her lip, refusing to let herself make a sound.
Only when dawn broke did she quietly tell herself that once the tears were gone, it was time to let go.
The next morning, when Marissa came downstairs, she saw Matt at the dining table, gently coaxing Leah to eat.
“I really can’t eat this…” Leah whined sweetly.
“Just one more bite, okay?” Matt said, his voice filled with the same tenderness Marissa once knew. “It’s good for the baby.”
Marissa passed by them with a blank expression. Matt looked up and
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suddenly noticed the scab on her forehead. He quickly stood up.
“Marissa, what happened to your forehead?”
She curled her lips in a sarcastic smile. “Didn’t you push me yourself?”
Matt froze, then remembered what happened yesterday. Guilt flickered across his face.
“Sorry, I was too anxious yesterday… Let me take you to put some medicine on it.”
Marissa was about to refuse when Leah suddenly spoke up, “Mr. Holloway, I don’t have much appetite for this breakfast. I heard Ms. Spencer makes great oatmeal. Could she make some for me to try?”
Matt clearly froze, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously.
“Marissa…” he finally said, “Could you please?”
Marissa felt her heart being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.
Oatmeal–that word felt like a dull knife, cutting deep into her memories.
When Matt first took over the company, he got a stomach illness from too many business dinners. She felt so worried that she went straight to a nutritionist. The first time she made it, it stuck to the bottom and was bitterly salty, but he ate every last bite and held her, saying, “From now on, only make this for me, okay?”
Over time, she got better at making it and only made it for him. But now, he wanted her to make it for another woman.
Marissa suddenly laughed, a bitter, sarcastic curve to her lips. She realized that no matter how sincere a promise sounds, time eventually wears it down.
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Without a word, she walked into the kitchen and skillfully cooked it. The hot steam stung her eyes, but not a single tear fell.
The oatmeal was ready quickly, filling the air with its aroma. Marissa served a bowl and placed it in front of Leah, then turned to leave.
“Marissa…” Matt called out instinctively, his voice tinged with guilt.
But Leah immediately grabbed Matt’s sleeve. “Mr. Holloway, this oatmeal is too hot…”
Matt’s attention shifted instantly as he bent down to help Leah cool the oatmeal.
“Forget it,” he told himself. They’d remarry in a month, and he’d make it up to her then.
Late at night, just as Marissa had fallen asleep, the door was suddenly kicked open.
She opened her eyes to see Matt’s bodyguards standing in the doorway.
“Sorry, Mrs. Holloway. Mr. Holloway wants us to take you to the hospital.” Before she could react, they grabbed her arms and pulled her
out of bed.
The hospital corridor was glaringly white. Matt stood outside the operating room, his face dark and grim.
When he saw her, his eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
“Why did you poison the oatmeal?”
Marissa was confused. “What?”
“I’ve told you many times–I don’t like Leah,” Matt said, his voice barely containing his anger. “Once the baby is born, we can go back to how
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things were. Why can’t you just hang on a little longer?”
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Marissa finally understood–Leah had been poisoned, and Matt suspected her.
“It wasn’t me,” she said, her voice trembling. “Why do you accuse me the moment something happens to her?”
“She only ate your oatmeal today!” Matt snapped, raising his voice. “How can I trust you?”
A sharp pain gripped Marissa’s chest as she opened her mouth to speak.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and his parents rushed in.
Smack!
A sharp slap landed hard on Marissa’s cheek. She stumbled backward, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
“You wicked woman!” Ava Holloway, Matt’s mother, cursed, “Not only can’t you give us a grandchild, now you’re trying to kill my grandson!”
Cayden Holloway, Matt’s father, was furious too. “Using such a cruel method calls for punishment by family rules! Make her stay on her knees at the family hall!”
Matt frowned, about to speak.
“If you don’t punish her now, next time she’ll dare to strangle your child!” Ava cut him off.
Matt stayed silent.
He lit a cigarette, leaned against the wall, and watched coldly as his wife was dragged away.
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At that moment, Marissa felt a pain that tore through her heart.
