Chapter 3

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

"Ms. Miller, thank goodness your housekeeper found you and got you here in time. We had to perform an emergency D&C. You need to rest."

The doctor looked at my chart, her brow deeply furrowed.

"Also," she lowered her voice gently, "your body was already quite weak, making it hard to conceive. After this trauma... it's highly unlikely you'll ever be able to get pregnant again."

I clutched the hospital sheets, my chest tight with agonizing pain.

The little life I hadn't even had the chance to welcome had turned into a nightmare before it even started.

The doctor hesitated. "Where is your husband? I need to speak with him."

I shook my head silently.

I had tried calling him three times earlier, but his phone was completely switched off.

That evening, I discharged myself and went home.

The moment I stepped through the door, Peaches broke free from her leash and lunged straight into me.

Chloe gasped, feigning shock as she covered her mouth.

"Oh my gosh, Stella, I am so sorry!"

"I was just training Peaches to guard the house. I didn't expect you to walk in."

I leaned heavily against the wall, gasping from the sudden wave of pain.

My unhealed surgical wound felt like it was tearing open, and a sharp, stabbing sensation ripped through my abdomen.

Ethan didn't even look at me. He just patted Chloe's head.

"It was the dog's fault, not yours. Don't worry about it."

White dog hair was flying everywhere in the living room.

Ethan used to be an extreme clean-freak. He used to force me to keep Peaches locked in a crate.

"If I find a single dog hair in this house, she's gone," he used to threaten.

Now, the house was a mess, and he didn't seem to care at all.

Ethan looked at me, frowning.

"You spilled ketchup all over the floor and didn't even bother to clean it up. Chloe almost slipped. Where have you been anyway?"

Looking down at the bloodstains on the floor—the blood he assumed was ketchup—I clutched my stomach.

"None of your business."

His face stiffened, but he quickly cleared his throat.

"Chloe wanted to film some TikToks at home. I've been busy shooting and editing for her, so I couldn't check on you."

While my father's case was driving me to the brink of insanity, and while I was losing our child, he was at home editing TikToks for Chloe.

He used to tell me he hated video editing and didn't have the time to learn.

Yet now, he was staying up all night to edit every single frame of Chloe's videos.

I didn't argue. I didn't shout. I just slowly, painfully dragged myself to the bedroom to grab my father's legal files.

Ethan followed me inside.

"If it can wait, the court date can be pushed to next week. I'll have time then."

I didn't even look up. "It can't wait."

There were only two days left.

If the deadline passed, my dad would have to spend another three years in prison.

With his heart condition, three years was a death sentence.

Ethan's face hardened.

"Can you stop being so difficult for once?"

"Chloe is young and depends on me. I'm her brother; is it so wrong for me to take care of her?"

My voice cracked. "My father is an old man in a prison cell. He needs to be taken care of too!"

Ethan completely lost his patience.

"To be honest, since he's so old, staying in prison might actually be quieter for him. It saves us a lot of trouble."

I froze.

Before he could even realize the cruelty of his words, I grabbed my things and turned to leave.

Chloe stepped in front of me, raising three fingers playfully.

"Stella, I swear, next week I won't bother you guys even if the sky falls. Even if Ethan insists on staying with me, I'll turn him down."

I let out a bitter laugh. "No need."

"I refuse to believe that in this entire city, I can't find a single lawyer who isn't intimidated by you, Ethan."

I turned and walked away.

"Stella Miller!" Ethan yelled after me, but I didn't look back.

As I stepped into the elevator, my phone rang. It was Officer Carter, my contact at the prison.

"Stella... the man who framed your father just added another five years to his sentence through false testimonies. Your father... he just had a massive heart attack!"