“But, aren’t you afraid Grace will find out and turn against you?” Bonnie asked softly, a trace of worry in her voice.
Chris let out a cold laugh.
“Grace is an idiot. I’ll just coax her a little when I get back and she’ll be my obedient dog again.” His voice was calm, almost casual.
“I’ll create trouble to make Donovan’s stock price crash. Then I’ll trick her into transferring all her shares to me at a cheap price.” He paused, then continued coldly.
“Once the Lowe International swallows all of Donovan’s assets, I’ll kick her out and marry you.”
Bonnie leaned against his chest and pondered.
“But by then Grace will lose everything she has. She might cling to you like a lifeline and refuse to divorce you no matter what. What will you do then?”
Chris sneered. There was clear killing intent in his eyes.
“You don’t need to worry about that.” He lowered his voice slightly. “One week from now, at the Lowe family’s investment banquet for the new shopping center, I’ve already prepared a guy for her.”
His tone was cruelly calm.
“All my people have to do is slip roofies into her wine. Once the drug takes effect, I’ll arrange for everyone to catch her cheating in public.”
He chuckled.
“She will be the one with the affair. Her reputation will be completely destroyed. Then I will take her to court, making sure she doesn’t walk away with a single cent of my assets or any chance of getting them back.”
Chris’s smile grew colder.
“I'm the kind of person who likes to nip things in the bud.” He paused before adding casually, “I happened to hear that her father was recently diagnosed with heart disease. It'll be like killing two birds with one stone. If the old man dies during the incident, who do you think will stop our plan?”
Cold, salty tears slid slowly down my cheeks.
I stood there, watching helplessly as the two people on the balcony kissed each other and walked back inside together. My whole body felt stiff. It was as if my soul had been ripped out of me. Numbly, I got into the car and drove home. Outside the window, the scenery rushed past in a blur. But my mind was already quietly thinking about my next move.
Chris believed his plan was flawless. He believed I was nothing more than a foolish, naive rich girl. But there was something he didn’t know.
When we first got married, his company had been in a critical growth stage. To help him get through that difficult period, I anonymously bought a large amount of Lowe International shares through the board of directors. The shareholders of Lowe International were actually under my command.
As for the trap he prepared for the banquet, since everything was set, I might as well move it to the woman he loved most. Let Bonnie taste it for me.
Once my plan was formed, I opened my phone with trembling fingers and called my father.
“Dad… I was wrong about him.” I forced the words out.
“I agree to divorce Chris. In a week, I’ll come home and accept the arranged marriage you prepared for me.”
“Didn’t you love him so much you insisted on marrying him?” My dad said sternly. “Why do you suddenly want a divorce?”
I clenched my teeth and let out a bitter laugh.
“For the sake of his first love, he murdered our daughter.” My voice trembled, but it was firm. “I’m going to make him pay for it. When he feels the most proud of himself… I’ll send him to prison.”
There was silence on the phone.
“Whatever happens, your family will always have your back.” His voice answered. “That bastard betrayed your love. He’ll soon realize what he’s lost.”
After hanging up, determination filled my eyes.
One week from now, Chris planned to destroy me at the Lowe Family’s investment banquet.
But I wouldn’t let him succeed.
When I got home, I held a grand funeral for my child, waiting in the mourning hall for an entire day and night. Only then did Chris return. The moment he saw me, he suddenly dropped to his knees, slapping himself hard across the face.
“I’m sorry, Grace. It’s my fault. I was too busy work that I failed to protected you.” He looked at me with guilt.
“If you’re angry, you can hit me. Just don’t let it hurt yourself.”
He hesitated before adding, “We can have another child in the future.”
I almost laughed from anger hearing that. If I hadn’t heard what he said to Bonnie at the villa, I might really have been fooled by him.
Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.
“Another child?” My voice trembled. “Chris, do you know how much I suffered just to get pregnant with this one?!”
He could feel heartbroken because Bonnie was afraid of the pain from drawing blood. But all the pain I had endured over the years, he acted like it meant nothing. Maybe that was the difference between loving someone and not loving them.
Chris lowered his head so I couldn’t see his expression.
All I heard was his quiet voice.
“I’m sorry, Grace… I was too busy with work and lost track of things…”
Another apology.
But the words I’m sorry were the most useless compensation in the world.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” My voice is trembling. “I was lying in the operating room at my most desperate moment, waiting for you to come.”
I stared at him. “Were you really busy, you couldn’t come, or was it the woman you kept outside refusing to donate her blood?”
Chris fell silent.
Looking at the silent man in front of me, my chest twisted painfully. I should have realized it long ago. Ever since I got pregnant, Chris had openly made Bonnie his side woman.
If a light bulb as much as broke in her apartment, he would rush over in the middle of the night to fix it himself. If she got sick, he would let me go to prenatal checkups alone while he ran to visit her.
But because I loved him, I believed his clumsy lies again and again.
Tears covered my face. And suddenly, Chris stood up and gently wiped my tears, a look of pity on his face.
“Alright, Grace. Don’t be angry, okay? I’ve prepared gifts for you. Lots. Will you take a look and see if there’s anything you like?”
His assistant handed him a tablet. Chris shoved it into my hands. On the screen was his recent shopping list. Limited-edition luxury handbags. An emerald diamond ring as big as a pigeon egg.
But none of those items interest me.
Until a pregnancy guidebook caught my eye. I glanced at the purchase date. And instantly realized it was meant for the child in Bonnie’s belly.
At that moment, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Bonnie. She had sent me a picture. It was a pregnancy test report. I carefully read every word on it. Only after I finished did she slowly withdraw the image.
Then a message appeared.
Bonnie: [Sorry, Grace. Wrong number. I meant to send it to Chris.]
Another message followed.
Bonnie: [Our baby is very healthy. I know you just lost your child. Will hearing this make you sad? But you love Chris so much. You should be happy that he finally has an heir, right?]
Another message came.
Bonnie: [By the way, can you not be too clingy with him today? He needs to go with me for a prenatal checkup later. With him beside me, I definitely won’t be as jinxed as you and get into a car accident.]
My body froze. I was trembling slightly all over. Next to me, Chris hung up his phone. Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead.
“Something just came up at the company,” he said. “If there’s anything you want to buy, just use my account. I’ll go handle this first and I’ll be right back to keep you company.”
I watched his back as he left with his assistant.
Finally, the dam broke—my tears couldn’t stop flowing.
After letting my emotions out, I called my lawyer. “Let's begin.”
I would slowly take control of the entire Lowe International. The transfer would be finished by the day of the banquet. On the day he believed he had finally closed the net after years of planning, I would send him the most devastating blow. For the sake of his first love, he took away my daughter’s heartbeat. So I would take back everything he owned, piece by piece.
This was not only punishment for betrayal. It was justice.
The justice I would seek as a mother for my child.
