Vivica's POV
Looking at the photos, he amusingly said, “Vivica, are you some kind of delusional fangirl? Where’d you get these? Who did you pay to Photoshop my face into all of them?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the room burst into jeers.
The shame was suffocating.
When he hid his marriage to Delilah, I swallowed that. When he turned my birthday into their wedding party, I endured that too.
But I never imagined he’d humiliate me in front of everyone like this.
Delilah smirked. “Vivica, do you like Owen? If you admit it, I can hand him over to you.”
Owen frowned, annoyed. “Don’t start causing trouble with her. I’ve always treated Vivica like a little sister. Everyone knows that. If she likes these photos so much, we can have someone Photoshop a few more.”
Clearly, he was punishing me for breaking up with him by denying everything we ever had.
Even so, his words sliced right through me.
I dug my nails into my palm to keep my tears from falling.
Satisfied, Delilah laughed, “Owen, you can’t be so cruel. She’s still a girl. Don’t hurt her feelings too much. What if she runs off like I did back then? You’d have to coax her back.”
But Owen clearly didn’t believe I’d ever leave, as he replied, “She won’t go anywhere. She’ll cling to her brother or come crawling back to me. Give her three days, and she’ll beg me to reinstate her.”
Before, it was true. Whenever we fought, it never lasted more than thirty-six hours. I was always the first to apologize, always the one to go back to him.
But the woman standing here today wasn’t the girl who loved him anymore.
When would he finally realize that?
The taunts around me faded into background noise. I was numb.
When the IT staff finally left, I looked straight at Owen. “Mr. Chase, it’s proven that I didn’t leak anything. Don’t you think you owe me an apology?”
But people immediately exploded.
“Is she insane? She wants Mr. Chase to apologize?”
“Her face must be made of steel. She should be thanking him for letting her walk out.”
“There’s just no proof. Doesn’t mean she didn’t do it.”
Owen frowned, irritated. “I followed protocol. Checking your computer before you leave is standard procedure. And you think I should apologize? Vivica, are you crazy, or am I?”
My voice stayed calm. “There are over three hundred photos on that computer. You know exactly where they came from. It’s been five years. Wanting an apology isn’t too much, is it?”
His expression tightened—complex, conflicted.
Before he could speak, Delilah stepped forward, smiling sweetly. “Today was my and Owen’s oversight. If it bothers you, I’ll apologize.”
As soon as she finished, she suddenly started coughing.
Owen immediately rushed to her side, holding her up, scolding her at the same time, “Why are you apologizing? This has nothing to do with you. Where does it hurt?”
Then he turned that cold, disgusted look toward me as if I were some vicious criminal. “Vivica, if you’re angry, direct it at me. She’s a patient. Why are you upsetting her on purpose?”
But Delilah shook her head gently. “I’m fine. She’s young. I’ll go talk to her.”
Vivica's POV
As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled her arm free from Owen and walked straight toward me. But I caught the proud little smile in her eyes the moment she turned.
Before I could even figure out what she was planning, she suddenly threw herself to the ground.
The entire office fell silent.
Everyone saw it. Everyone knew she fell on her own.
Everyone except Owen.
He rushed over like a madman and shoved me away with both hands. As a result, I stumbled backward and crashed into the desk behind me. A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, and my face went pale.
But Owen didn’t spare me a single glance.
“Vivica,” he said coldly, “you'd better pray Delilah is okay. Otherwise, I’ll make your life worse than death.”
The man I loved for five years was threatening me like that for Delilah.
Any last bit of hope I had inside me vanished completely.
Then, a scream suddenly erupted from the crowd.
I looked down and saw my blood trickling down my legs.
Before everything went dark, Elliot came running toward me, face tight with panic. He scooped me up, his hands trembling. “Don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Third Person's POV
While Owen carried Delilah into the emergency room, he received Elliot’s call.
For the first time ever, Elliot snapped at him. “Owen, I’ll deal with you later for what you did to Vivica. For now, get over here. The baby is gone.”
