Clara forced herself to calm down. Ivy wanted her to lose control, to bleed out in anger and end up dead along with the baby.
She would never let Ivy have what she wanted.
"You don't actually think he still cares about you, do you? Believe it or not, all it takes is one word from me, and he'll drop you without hesitation and come running to me."
The moment the message was sent, a call came through on Ethan's end.
"There's a fight in the west side? Useless idiots. You can't handle anything without me. I'm on my way."
He rushed over right after that, panic written all over his face.
"Honey, something serious is going down on the west side again. That place is always a mess. If I don't step in, it'll turn ugly fast. I'll go handle it and come back. Wait for me."
Without waiting for Clara's response, he hurried off.
A message from Ivy arrived almost immediately.
"Clara, it's time you faced reality. Between you and me, he'll always choose me. He's the underworld king now. Who in the whole city would dare cause trouble under his watch? He's just using it as an excuse to see me. I sent him one half-naked photo, and he couldn't wait."
Clara wiped away her tears, leaving nothing but coldness in her eyes.
Hours passed, and Ethan still hadn't returned.
Her phone kept vibrating as Ivy sent her photo after photo of the two of them in bed.
Clara let out a series of cold laughs. Ivy really didn't need to go this far.
A ruined man like that was no longer worth keeping.
"Clara, take a good look. See what you've driven him to. He really has it hard just trying to get some satisfaction."
Clara packed her things and burned everything she couldn't take with her, leaving nothing behind.
Standing at the door with her suitcase, she dialed one of her father's men.
"Send Ethan a very special gift for me."
This time, she would make Ethan understand what real pain meant.
After fooling around with Ivy all night, Ethan finally fell asleep.
Near dawn, he jolted awake, checked the time, and widened his eyes.
It was already six in the morning.
Throughout their years of marriage, he had always been by Clara's side by ten every night without fail.
If he was even a minute late, Clara would call.
But tonight, Clara hadn't called even once.
That was how it ended with him spending the entire night fooling around with Ivy, and even staying over at her place.
Unease surged through Ethan as he sat up in a panic, reaching for his phone to call Clara.
At that moment, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, hot breath brushing against his ear.
"Stay with me a little longer. You wore me out last night. You have to spend more time with me today."
She teasingly extended her index finger and traced slow circles across Ethan's chest.
"Not today. It's my wedding anniversary with Clara. I need to be with her."
Ivy curled her lips in faint displeasure, said nothing, let out a soft laugh, and slipped under the covers.
Ethan's breathing grew heavier, his eyes reddened and filled with raw desire.
He seized Ivy by the hair with one hand and bit down hard on his lower lip.
After a long while, he finally released, gasping for breath.
Ivy licked the corner of her lips, slipped a finger into her mouth, her eyes brimming with provocation.
"Are you sure you want to push me away?"
The smile at the corner of Ethan's mouth deepened as he picked up his phone and sent Clara a perfunctory message.
"I'm preparing a wedding anniversary surprise for you. I'll come see you later."
With a sharp, impatient movement, he caged her beneath his body and drove into her.
On the cabinet by the bed sat the anniversary gift he had prepared for Clara, knocked into the trash by his rough movements.
He frowned briefly, casting a fleeting glance at the gift box before sinking back into the stimulation Ivy gave him, pushing everything else from his mind.
Clara was always so understanding. She wouldn't mind him arriving late.
What he hadn't expected was how violently his desire surged this time, stripping him of reason, making him want to lose himself completely in Ivy.
He completely forgot about Clara.
Ivy nestled against him, breathing in a deliberately seductive rhythm.
Today, she had to keep Ethan here.
She had got involved with him while still so young, wasting her best years. Why should she only ever be a mistress?
She refused to be just one of the many women around Asterfall's underworld king.
She wanted to be his only one.
She wanted Ethan to openly keep her by his side, respected by everyone under him, just like Clara once was.
She refused to lose to an old woman.
While Ethan was immersed in the stimulation Ivy gave him, the unease in his chest only grew heavier.
After another four or five hours, noon was fast approaching.
He had to go home to see Clara.
He snapped back to his senses and pulled away. "Get some rest. I'm leaving."
Ivy grabbed his hand in dissatisfaction. "I just want you to stay with me today. I'm begging you."
She pouted, her eyes red-rimmed, but received not a shred of sympathy from Ethan.
Ethan shook her off irritably. "You need to know your place. No one is allowed to interfere with my wedding anniversary with Clara today."
He did not spare Ivy a single glance as he walked away.
All that remained was Ivy hurling a cup from the table, smashing it against the hospital room door in fury.
The next second, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Everything is settled now. Clara won't want you anymore. You can only be mine."
She walked over and took out the hidden pinhole camera.
She wanted to see just how much Clara could endure, whether she could still remain Mrs. Grayson after seeing all this.
