I shuddered violently, nearly suffocating from the cold.
That moment shattered the last trace of hope in my heart.
To him, I was never a wife—only a tool to please Vivian.
Vivian covered her mouth in feigned concern. “Darling, let it go. She’s already like a drowned rat.”
Daniel squeezed her hand, his eyes dripping with indulgence. “You’re just too soft-hearted. That’s why she bullies you. Did she think about you climbing the stairs in this heat while she sat in the elevator?”
Water streamed off my clothes, pooling at my feet before freezing into a thin sheet of ice.
My body shook uncontrollably, my jaw aching from the chattering of my teeth.
Suddenly, sharp pain twisted in my belly. The baby inside thrashed desperately, each contraction so intense my vision blurred.
“Daniel…” I begged with the last of my strength, my voice breaking. “The doctor said the baby isn’t stable… please… let me go to the hospital…”
Vivian’s eyes filled with tears as she tugged Daniel’s sleeve. “She’s still the wife of the chairman. She should see a doctor if she feels unwell. Not like me—I stumbled and hurt myself on the stairs and didn’t dare tell you.”
“Wife of the chairman?” Daniel sneered, his eyes slicing into me like knives.
“Without me, Emma Carter is nothing! I acknowledge her, she’s my wife. If I don’t, she’s just trash!”
The words stabbed into my chest like an icicle.
Back when he was just a poor graduate, I had defied my family, taken our marriage license, and married him.
In the early days of his startup, when he struggled with orders, I ran across the city negotiating deals, helping him build his company step by step.
On the day the company went public, he hugged me in tears, swearing I was the one he’d always be most grateful to.
And now?
He was tired of the wife who shared his hardships, and showered affection on his assistant instead.
Yet I still carried his child!
“Daniel… please…” I clutched my belly, barely able to stand, tears streaming down with the icy water.
“Baby Sam… he can’t hold on much longer…”
One of the guards glanced at my pale face and hesitated. “Mr. Miller, she really looks bad. And the baby is yours—”
Smack! Daniel’s slap cracked across the guard’s face.
“You care about her so much? You sleeping with her too?!”
The guard bowed his head quickly. “No, sir.”
Daniel roared louder, glaring at me. “Stop using the baby to threaten me! Who knows if that child is even mine!”
“What did you say?” I jerked my head up, stunned.
“Vivian told me,” Daniel scoffed. “You’ve been going to a hotel every week with the driver dropping you off. Who knows what you were doing there!”
“I didn’t!” I shook all over.
“I was negotiating deals for you! Mr. Brown only meets clients at the hotel café—don’t you remember?”
“Stop lying!” he cut me off violently. “Apologize to Vivian right now, or I’ll never let you go to the hospital.”
Vivian rubbed her eyes, pretending to cry. “Don’t be so hard on her, darling. I can endure a little injustice. I only nearly fell on the stairs—that’s all…”
Daniel immediately took off his coat, wrapping it around her, then turned his murderous glare back to me. “I gave you a chance. You chose to waste it.”
