sure Chapter 30
I thought the worst was over. I had bandaged myself up from the fall earlier–arms scraped, knees bruised, ribs aching but at least I had a few hours of sleep. I told myself to rest. That I just needed silence. Peace.\
But peace never lived in this house. Because before dawn, I was yanked out of bed.
My back hit the floor with a sickening thud and a sharp stab of pain shot up my spine. I gasped, vision swimming, and tried to sit up–but the weight of the fall made my body tremble.
A giggle. A high–pitched laugh filled the room.&
I blinked up to see him–the child. Nathan. The same child who hit my head with a can earlier. The one they all adored like some royal bloodline. He was now bouncing on my bed as if it were his.
“I want to sleep here!” he squealed, throwing pillows around like it was a game.”
“This is my bed,” I said through clenched teeth. I tried to make my voice kind–he was just a child, wasn’t he? But then again… he was the reason I was bleeding. He was the reason I was sleeping alone. He was the son of the two people who betrayed
me.<
Still, I tried again. “Go back to your room, sweetheart.”
wwww
But he ignored me, dancing in circles, shouting and shrieking. Until his little feet slammed into the stand that held my father’s last remaining gift to me–an antique ceramic vase he crafted before he died.
It shattered.
I froze.
The shards scattered across the wooden floor like echoes of my heart. And without thinking, I grabbed Nathan’s arm. “Do you know what you’ve done?” I hissed. “That was the last thing I had from my father!”
The boy blinked at me, stunned, before bursting into tears.
Footsteps thundered outside, and then Candice barged in. Her eyes widened when she saw me holding Nathan’s wrist. “What did you do?! You hurt my son!”
“I didn’t–he broke something important-“}
“You know we’re trying to adjust, Samantha! We know you hate that we’re here but this–this is a child! How could you?!“”
“I didn’t even-” I stammered, but it was too late.
Jackson appeared in the doorway. His eyes didn’t scan the broken vase. Or the blood on my hand. No, they locked on
Nathan’s tears.
Then his palm cracked across my cheek.
! stumbled back, breath stolen, eyes wide. Jackson had never laid a hand on me. Never raised his voice in violence. But
now…?
“You slapped me?” I whispered. “Because of him?”
“He’s not just any kid!” Jackson growled. “He’s my heir! I’m adopting him. He’ll carry my name.“}
I let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh. “Adopting? Really? And what’s the truth, Jackson? He’s yours, isn’t he?”
He didn’t say yes.”
But he didn’t deny it either.
Instead, his silence lingered–loud, heavy, confirming everything without needing words. His jaw tightened. His gaze dropped to the floor for just a second, and that was all I needed. The truth was already etched in every glance, every unspoken word, every time he touched that child like he was his.
And just like that, my heart broke all over again.”
I remembered the ultrasound photo I used to carry in my purse. The name we had chosen together. The way I used to press my hand to my belly and imagine the soft coos, the tiny feet, the bedtime stories. Our daughter.&
Gone. Ripped from me.
And now here he was, parading his son in front of me–the child born from lies and betrayal–claiming he’d carry his name like some badge of honor, while mine never even got to breathe.
He stepped closer, his voice colder now. “I will not let you hurt him. You can’t even carry a child anymore. Don’t take your jealousy out on an innocent-%
Jealousy?
My knees buckled slightly, but I stood tall. What he didn’t know–what he would never understand–was that I wasn’t jealous.
I was grieving.X
And he was the one who buried my future.X
11:00 AM
“Jealousy?!” My voice cracked. “I didn’t choose to be kidnapped! I didn’t choose to be butchered–you made sure of that!“}
“Watch your mouth,” he warned, then grabbed a fistful of my hair. “Apologize to Candice. Now.“}
“No-”
“Apologize!“&
He pushed me down into the broken vase shards. Pain tore through my knees. I bit my lip until I tasted blood.\
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Candice stepped forward and reached for me with a gentle smile. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”
洲
But as she leaned down, she whispered into my ear, “Now you know. Nathan and I… we aren’t nothing in this house. So maybe it’s time you disappear quietly.“}
I met her eyes. My voice barely a breath. “Don’t worry. I will.“\
I turned to leave, but Candice let out a fake gasp and flung herself backward–slamming into the floor with a scream.”
“Jackson!” she wailed. “She pushed me!“}
And of course, he came running. Not to me. Never to me.<
He checked her arms for bruises, cursed me under his breath, and stormed out with her in his arms while I bled on the glass alone.
But I didn’t cry.
couldn’t.
couldn’t. I had no tears left.
Later that night, a notification blinked on my phone. A new email from the lawyer I contacted.
The divorce is filed. Just needs his signature.
stared at it for a long while. And then I printed it.”
I found Jackson in the lounge, sitting beside Candice, who was draped in silk and sipping wine like she hadn’t just ruined my life. He kissed the back of her hand like they were in some fairytale.”
“I need you to sign this,” I said calmly.”
He looked up, annoyed. “Don’t you know how to knock? After everything you did to her?“\
“I just need your signature,” I repeated. “It’s about the hospital. From when… when we lost the baby.“”
He rolled his eyes, snatched the pen from my hand, and scribbled his name without reading it. “Now go.“”
