Derek's eyes flooded with heartache. He chased after her, pulled her into the car, and spent ages comforting her before finally turning back to dump all his fury on me.
"Grace, go out there and kneel and apologize to Chloe!"
I stared at him coldly, refusing to back down.
"Derek, you cheated and left your brain in Chloe's uterus too, didn't you? I'm the legal wife and she's the mistress—why should I apologize to her?"
He was so furious he laughed, his eyes vicious. "Fine. Then don't blame me for making you live like a widow for the rest of your life."
After that fight, Derek moved out and openly started his shameless cohabiting life with Chloe.
Every single day after that, Chloe was constantly showing off Derek's favoritism toward her.
A string of photos hit my phone—pictures of them posing in front of a new villa.
"I got wronged, and he stood up to his parents for me. He even bought a villa just to hide me away, so no one can hurt me."
"His phone's photo album is full of me too, hehe. No room for any other woman."
"The nursery's ready too. He said he only wants the baby I give birth to. As for that other one, he'll just treat it like raising a dog."
My eyes burned, but there were no tears left to fall.
In eight years of marriage, I had already cried enough tears for Derek Gentry.
From now on, never again.
That afternoon, I took a cab to the hospital and scheduled an abortion.
The moment my body touched the cold operating table, an inexplicable sorrow rose in my chest.
"Ms. Chapman, are you ready?"
The doctor confirmed again and again, worried I would regret it.
"Mm. Start as soon as possible. Every minute, every second—I want to end this suffocating marriage as soon as possible."
When the anesthetic entered my veins, I felt so tired, so tired, like I was sinking into a very long dream.
In the dream, I was seventeen again. Derek was waiting for me downstairs at the dorm, then foolishly handed me the hot milk he'd been keeping warm, hidden against his chest.
Then it was the winter after graduation. The first snowfall came, and all the roads were blocked.
Derek and I walked hand in hand to City Hall.
He bought roses from an elderly couple and patted his chest, promising me that in this life, he would grow old with only me.
Back then, life was hard, but it was sweet enough.
A few years later, he went from having nothing to building a business empire with his bare hands, fulfilling his promise and giving me a wealthy life.
And later, he cheated.
A sharp wave of pain yanked me back to reality.
When I opened my eyes, the procedure was over.
I asked the doctor to give me back the embryo that hadn't had time to develop.
Originally, it had a chance to come into this world, but Derek destroyed that.
"Baby, Mom loves you very much. But Mom has to learn to love herself first."
The moment I got home, Derek's call came through.
"Chloe said your pearl necklace is really pretty, so I let her take it to wear. But the quality was too lousy—she barely touched it and it fell apart. She feels really guilty and wants to apologize."
"If it's convenient, come to the riverside villa. And make a fruit cake and bring it over too. Today's Chloe's birthday—she likes it."
Shock hit me first, and I rushed to the vanity to rummage through it. Sure enough, the necklace was gone.
That was Mom's keepsake. The last thing she left me.
"Hello? Grace, are you listening?"
Derek's voice was impatient.
My anger surged, and my usual meekness vanished. I shouted at him, "Derek, you bastard—do you have any conscience at all? That was my pearl necklace, the last thing my mom left me to remember her by. What right do you have to give it to Chloe?"
Even through the phone, I could feel his dark expression—not a trace of apology.
"Grace Chapman, who do you think you're giving attitude to? It's just a string of worthless beads. I'll transfer money to your card later—buy another one."
"If you have time to throw a fit, you might as well get to the kitchen and make that cake."
I was so furious my legs gave out. I crumpled to the floor, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the divorce agreement—already signed.
"Fine. I'll make it right now. But you have to agree to one thing."
