Chapter 2

Anya POV

My body trembled. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Ethan had never been so out of control.

For an older woman and a girl?

What was their relationship?

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me, and I clutched my mouth, dry-heaving for what felt like an eternity.

It was then that I realized.

During our honeymoon, I'd forgotten to use protection.

Could I be pregnant?

A surge of joy rose in my heart. I looked up, just about to tell Ethan the good news.

My eyes snapped open in shock as I saw the scene before me!

It felt like a sour, bitter wad of cotton was stuck in my throat, choking off any words.

The woman stood on tiptoe and kissed Ethan's lips.

"Thank you, Ethan."

Ethan turned his head, letting her kiss his cheek.

"Serena, I'll always have your back."

I looked at Ethan, deeply embracing the woman, and a chill ran through me.

It was a mix of absurdity and a sickening feeling that I should have known.

"Ethan, you've cheated again."

I should have known.

I couldn't keep a playboy.

He was too affectionate.

He loved too many people.

I forced myself to ignore my physical discomfort, about to turn and leave for the hospital for a check-up, when a warm gush suddenly flowed between my legs.

Looking down, fresh blood stained the snow through my dress.

A violent cramp instantly swept through my entire body. My vision went black, and I collapsed helplessly into the roadside grass.

When I woke up again, I was in a cold hospital bed.

The doctor regretfully told me that I had lost the baby due to a natural miscarriage, attributing it to cold exposure and emotional distress.

I stayed in the hospital for three days. During those three days, Ethan didn't call once.

After losing the baby, my heart turned to ashes. I found a lawyer, drafted the divorce papers, and brought them home.

The house was eerily silent.

Suddenly, the door opened.

A drunk Ethan was helped inside by Serena Hayes, who was dressed in a professional women's suit.

She saw me, her gaze slightly startled.

"Are you Ethan's wife? He's had too much to drink; I just brought him home."

I looked at her coldly.

Just as I had looked at countless other mistresses who had challenged me.

"Who are you? When did you get involved with him?"

Serena gently set Ethan down and told me a poignant story.

In college, Ethan had fallen in love with his lecturer, Serena.

But due to practical reasons, they broke up not long after they started dating.

Later, they both married and went their separate ways.

Recently, Serena had been abused by her husband, who even nearly beat their eight-year-old child to death.

Serena was forced to call Ethan for help.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have gotten involved with Ethan."

"He saw I had no job and a child to raise, so he made me his administrative assistant."

She knelt, her face full of shame.

Her obvious gray hairs made her look different from all the young, beautiful models and actresses Ethan had cheated with in the past.

Serena appeared simple and pitiful.

I watched her coldly, feeling the hollow ache in my abdomen where my child used to be, my heart clenching into a tight knot.

Ethan opened his eyes and saw the scene. He immediately stood up and rushed over.

"Enough!"

He tenderly picked up Serena, looking at me with cold eyes.

"What are you trying to do? I haven't cheated with Serena, and you're not allowed to slander her!"

A furious blaze ignited within me.

Slap!

I slapped Ethan hard.

I was about to hit him again when Serena, rushing over, stopped me.

She pushed me fiercely.

"I won't let you hurt Ethan!"

She was like a protective lioness, shielding him firmly.

Ethan's gaze softened, becoming complex, as he looked at her.

"Serena, why are you still protecting me like you used to?"

Caught off guard by her push, I stumbled and fell to the floor, my back hitting a sharp corner of the table with a piercing pain.

Clutching my aching back, I struggled to stand.

I maintained my composure and threw the divorce papers at him.

"Ethan, we're getting a divorce!"

Ethan picked up the agreement, signed it without even looking, and tossed it back.

"So, has your family, the Reeds, thought about how they're going to get me to remarry you again?"

He simply didn't believe I could truly divorce him.

The previous two reconciliations had proven one thing:

The Blackwood and Reed families were inseparable.