By the time I woke up the next day, Simon had already gone.
When I opened the door, I was greeted by Kelly’s smug face.
The second she saw me, her eyes filled with disdain. “Why are you still here? Didn’t you say you were leaving? You already know Simon loves me now. Why are you still clinging on like some pathetic parasite?”
I had not slept well the night before and so I did not have the energy to argue with her. Instead, I turned away and started making breakfast, while ignoring her completely.
She lifted her hand to show off a massive diamond ring. “This was custom-made in Roman by Simon just for me. It’s worth several million dollars. Have you ever seen something this nice? Oh, wait ... you probably don’t know, huh? All those luxury goods Simon gave you were fake. Every last one of them. Then again, fake goods are perfect for trash like you.”
“I’m officially the Payton Family’s daughter-in-law now. If you had even a shred of sense, you’d get down on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. Maybe if I’m feeling generous, I’ll let you off the hook.”
Her words grew nastier and nastier and finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped, “Are you done? Then get the hell out!”
Thinking she was about to become the young mistress of the Payton Family, Kelly was so full of herself that she couldn’t tolerate the insult. She raised her hand to slap me, but I blocked it. She stumbled back a few steps and fell hard to the floor.
“Do you think you’ve won, Jane?” she hissed as she rose from the floor, venom flashing in her eyes. “Let me tell you something... you won’t be smiling for long. When that thing in your belly is born, it’s going to call me mommy. And if you don’t start kissing up to me now, I swear I’ll make sure that bastard child suffers!”
At those words, cold fury flashed through me. Without hesitation, I slapped her hard across the face.
Kelly stared at me in disbelief, clutching her cheek. Then, in a fit of rage, she charged at me.
Caught off guard, I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs from the entryway. My head slammed against the ground and pain exploded instantly.
At that moment, Simon’s furious voice rang out from the doorway. “Janey! Are you okay?” He turned sharply to Kelly. “Are you insane? How dare you push her down the stairs?”
He rushed over, scooping me into his arms without giving Kelly another glance and carried me outside.
Behind us, Kelly’s voice rang out, full of disbelief. “Simon! How could you yell at me for that cheap woman? She hit me first! I was just—”
“Enough!” Simon cut her off coldly. “She’s pregnant. No matter what happened, you should never have laid a hand on her.”
Without another word, he rushed me to the hospital.
As soon as the doctor finished the initial check-up, Simon anxiously asked, “Doctor, is the baby okay?”
The doctor hesitated, clearly puzzled, but before he could speak, I quickly interrupted, “I’m fine. The baby’s fine too. There’s no need for further examination.”
I couldn’t let Simon know I had already terminated the pregnancy. If he found out, there was no telling how mad he would get—and escaping from him would be so much harder.
Simon still looked worried, but I sounded so certain that he didn’t press the doctor further. Instead, he insisted I stay for a few days for observation. Since I didn’t have the strength to argue, I just agreed.
He gently kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back tenderly. “You really scared me just now. Just stay here for a few days, okay? Listen to the doctors, get some good rest. Be good, alright?”
I nodded faintly, a hint of irony flashing across my face.
Simon stayed beside me until late into the night. I eventually drifted off to sleep from sheer exhaustion.
However, sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up thirsty. As I got up to drink some water, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Simon and Kelly on the hallway.
“Baby, none of it’s real. I’m only pretending to be nice so she’ll keep the baby. I don’t actually care about her at all. You have to believe me—after all, you’re the real lady of the Payton Family.”
Quietly, I finished drinking my water without making a sound and slipped back into bed.
Simon’s voice remained gentle as he kept coaxing Kelly. “As soon as she gives birth, I promise she’ll disappear from your life forever. Don’t be mad, okay?”
Kelly’s voice came through sweet and coy. “I knew you loved me the most. That cheap woman could never take you away from me.”
I lay back down on the hospital bed before Simon returned, my eyes wide open.
I did not sleep a wink the rest of the night.
