Chapter 3

He shoved me violently into the passenger seat. A wave of agonizing cramps ripped through my lower belly, causing my vision to go pitch black. It took several seconds to catch my breath.

Starting the engine, Julian said in an icy voice, "Nora, you crossed the line!

"Chloe was just playing a little joke on you, and you went ahead and leaked the wedding video online? She's just a kid! How is she supposed to face the world now?!"

I didn't bother defending myself. Instead, I let out a dry, raspy laugh. "So she actually knows what shame is?"

Only then did he finally notice how paper-white my face was. "What's wrong with you? Your stomach again?"

He smoothly retrieved a bottle of painkillers from the console and held it out to me. "There's warm water in the thermos. Take your pills."

A wave of dizziness washed over me.

Keeping stomach medication and warm water in his car—these were habits he had formed entirely for me.

He once told me that since I had no one else in the world, he had to take care of me twice as well.

Now, the habits remained, but we were no longer us.

My eyes burned, but I pressed my lips tightly together and refused to take the pills.

He cast an irritated glare at me and tossed the medication back into the compartment. "Fine, don't take it. Just don't touch anything in the car. Chloe will be furious if she finds out.

"Nora, you're a grown woman. Why do you still throw tantrums like a spoiled teenager? It's pathetic."

I stayed silent, curling into myself and pressing my arms tightly against my lower abdomen.

When we arrived at Chloe's apartment, Julian warned me, "Don't cause a scene.

"Make her feel better, and I'll agree to whatever terms you want for the divorce."

I curled my lips into a bitter smirk.

The moment we stepped inside, Chloe dramatically dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching her belly in tears. "I'm so sorry, Nora! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have been so impulsive and ruined your wedding!

"You can hit me or scream at me, just please call off the cyberbullies! People were pointing fingers at me when I went out today... I'm terrified..."

Julian instantly rushed forward and pulled her into a protective embrace. When he turned back to me, his tone was freezing. "Clear her name, Nora.

"Post a statement saying the leaked video was an AI deepfake you made out of petty jealousy because Chloe is younger and prettier than you."

It was beyond absurd.

Gritting my teeth, I said, "Hundreds of guests saw it with their own eyes yesterday—"

Julian cut me off. "Leave that to me. Those were all my family and business associates. I'll handle them."

Perhaps noticing how deathly pale I looked, his tone softened slightly. "Nora, I know you're just acting out because you're jealous.

"Look, I don't even have to divorce you. When Chloe gives birth, you can raise the baby. It won't be any different from having our own child."

Pushed past my breaking point, I shouted, "In your dreams!"

Julian froze. "What did you say?"

My words came out in a furious rush. "I will never clear her name! Chloe Sparks deserves every single insult she gets! She's a homewrecking whore, and she deserves to rot!"

Slap!

Enraged, Julian's face turned livid, and his hand struck across my face with brutal force.

Before he could say another word, Chloe tugged at his sleeve, her face contorting in agony. "Julian... my stomach hurts so much...

"The baby... it hurts..."

Panicking, he scooped Chloe up into his arms. "Don't be scared, baby. I'm taking you to the ER right now!"

As he rushed past, he cast a venomous glare over his shoulder. "Nora, I will make you pay for this."

The pain in my abdomen flared up viciously. Yelling at them had drained the last ounce of my strength. Unable to stay upright, I slowly slid down the wall onto the cold hardwood floor.

It took me a long time to recover enough to reach for my phone. Remembering his parting threat, a heavy dread sank into my stomach.

Sure enough, social media was entirely inundated with smears against me.