4: 4
A shudder ripped through me. I turned, and there was Stan in a black overcoat, standing in the doorway with no expression at all.
The cold of the street still clung to him. His eyes were dark and unreadable, not a flicker of feeling in them, but the pressure of him flooded the room in an instant.
The noise sent Stanley collapsing straight to the floor, the ring box tumbling out of his hand into the puddle.
Then he froze, and a second later scrambled up, arms flung wide, trembling as he planted himself in front of me.
"Mr. Maddox! Whatever you want to do, do it to me. Just don't hurt her!" His voice shook. "This was all my idea!"
Stanley's eyes went red-rimmed.
"She's been so cold and neglected under your roof. She just needed someone to love her! Yes, she used your money to buy me expensive gifts, but I never cared about the money. If it comes to it, I'll go sell my own blood to pay back every cent she spent on me. Please, just let us be together!"
My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
No—are you insane? When did I ever spend money on you? I never even bought you a fifty-cent bag of spicy chips!
The prompts floating in the air exploded at once: 【AHHH the fake-nice act is thick! He's doing it on purpose to set off the ex-husband! Heroine's in danger!!】
Stan didn't say a word. He came at me, seized my wrist, and yanked me hard toward him.
"Hey! Stan, are you out of your mind? Let go of me! I've already signed the divorce papers!"
Tears sprang up from the pain. I fought him, wrenching at my arm with everything I had, but he was too strong, his grip crushing down to the bone.
Stanley didn't help. He dropped back to his knees on purpose, buried his head in his arms, and sobbed.
"Don't worry about me! Just apologize to Mr. Maddox, please. As long as you're safe, I'd rather step aside…"
That was when Carmen rushed forward, threw her arms around Stan's arm, and cried out in a rush.
"Mr. Maddox, don't hurt Mona! She's carrying Stanley's baby now. The baby's innocent! For the sake of the child, please, let the three of them go and start their own family!"
My mind went blank. I couldn't move.
"What? Carmen, what garbage are you talking about? When was I ever pregnant? I've never even touched his hand."
Stanley lifted his head, his face set with resolve as he looked at me.
"Mona, don't hide it anymore. Even if Mr. Maddox beats me to death today, I'll protect you and our child!"
Carmen's eyes reddened again. She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her bag, snapped it open, and thrust it in front of Stan. My name was printed right there on it.
"Mona, have you forgotten? I went with you to the hospital yesterday for the ultrasound. This is the lab report. It says it plainly. You can be as scared of Mr. Maddox as you like, but you can't gamble with your own flesh and blood."
Stan's eyes locked onto the report. His chest heaved twice, hard.
Then he let go of my hand, only to clamp it around my throat and slam me back against the wardrobe door behind me.
"How could you not believe me? Your money…"
My throat closed up. I gaped, fighting for air, my face burning red.
"Fine, Ramona. You took a full ten million from me, then turned around and used my money to keep another man—and even got yourself pregnant."
"Money's what you love most, isn't it? Then I'll make sure you never get to spend another cent. Take your money to hell."
His teeth were clenched, his grip snapping tighter, and real suffocation flooded my head, the edges of my vision going black.
I clawed at his wrist, nails digging into his flesh, and with the last of my strength forced out a single sentence.
In that instant, every face in the room changed color.
