Chapter 5

The second I hit send, my phone rang. Tristan was calling back before two seconds had even passed. His voice was shaking—frantic and breathless, as if he had just sprinted a marathon.

"Rose, don't lie to me."

"I know I messed up. I know leaving you at the estate hurt you, but Vivienne was unconscious. It was a matter of life or death."

"You're so kind, you'll forgive me, right?"

I dug my nails into my palms until I drew blood, a cold laugh bubbling up in my throat. I had been too kind. That was exactly why I had been lied to, over and over again, for two entire years. I forced the words out, sharp and mocking, each one laced with venom.

"Still lying to me, Tristan? You didn't bring her to the hospital because it was life or death."

"You brought her because you love her. You were so terrified for her that you completely forgot I even existed."

"You're such a hypocrite. If you love her, just say it. Why lie?"

"And this baby? You were planning to give it to Vivienne anyway. Now you have your wish. Aren't you happy?"

My taunts left him completely silent on the other end of the line. He couldn't manage a single word. All I could hear was his ragged, panicked breathing, growing heavier by the second. I was about to end the call when he finally spoke, his voice broken and trembling.

"Rose, it's not what you think. I'm on my way right now. I'll explain everything, I promise."

I hung up directly in his face.

As I walked out of the exam room, I spotted Tristan rushing through the hospital lobby, wild-eyed and frantic. He was so distraught that he tripped over his own feet, slamming his head into a metal guardrail. He simply couldn't wrap his head around it. He couldn't believe I had actually terminated the pregnancy. He kept muttering to himself, over and over again, like a broken record.

"No. No way. Rose loves this baby. She'd never do this. She'd never kill our baby."

I froze for a split second before ducking behind a pillar, completely out of his sight. Seconds later, I heard an enraged scream erupt from the exam room. Tristan had the doctor by the collar, slamming him hard against the wall.

"Why?! Why did you abort my baby?! You knew how important this baby was to me! How dare you do this without my permission?!"

The doctor sighed in defeat.

"Ms. Mercer knew everything. She knew you planned to steal the baby and give it to Ms. Vance. I had no choice."

He held out a small glass jar to Tristan, sealed tight and filled with a clear, pungent liquid.

"Ms. Mercer left this for you. She said it's a gift for you and Ms. Vance. She had it preserved in formaldehyde."

Tristan froze. His hands shook so violently that the jar rattled as he took it. Inside the clear glass, suspended in formaldehyde, was the tiny form of a fetus, its small limbs still distinctly visible. For a long time, he just stared at it, unblinking, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tears filled his eyes, and his entire body trembled.

"She... she knew everything?"

"Where is she? Where did she go?"

The doctor nodded, handing him the falsified stillbirth reports and the rest of the paperwork.

"Ms. Mercer left the hospital ten minutes ago."

Before the doctor could even finish speaking, Tristan was sprinting out of the hospital.

I was already back at the house by then. I packed only a few changes of clothes and my legal documents, leaving absolutely everything else behind. In two years of marriage, I had barely bought anything for myself. All the clothes, the jewelry, the furniture—all of it had been purchased by Tristan. I left a signed divorce settlement agreement on the kitchen table, placing my wedding ring neatly on top of it. Then, I rolled my suitcase out the door and boarded a flight out of the country. If I had it my way, I would never set foot in that city again.