Chapter 3

Blake’s body stiffened. He instinctively pushed Avril’s head into his embrace.

The next second, he reached out and violently knocked my phone away.

“Lester, what the hell are you doing?”

I didn't move, my gaze fixed on his wrist.

Where his veins bulged, there was a newly tattooed, obscure string of letters.

I instantly felt dizzy, and the image of that grinning man flashed before my eyes again.

He had an identical tattoo.

That wrist had once choked my neck, tracing every inch of my skin over and over.

I bit down on my teeth, my voice trembling violently.

“Blake, what is that?”

Blake glanced at his wrist and curled his lips into a smirk.

“Avril said you like men with tattoos on their wrists.”

I snapped my head up, meeting Avril’s challenging gaze.

The tightly strung wire in my mind suddenly snapped.

I grabbed the knife from the table and held it against Avril’s throat.

My hand was shaking, and I couldn't stop sobbing.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

You deliberately made Blake get a tattoo identical to Johnny’s, just to sicken me.

Avril’s face changed, but she still looked up and met my eyes.

“It’s just a tattoo, what’s the big deal?”

I was on the verge of collapsing, and my hands involuntarily tightened.

Blood welled up, but Avril smiled.

A sudden, powerful force shoved me away, and the slap across my face made my cheek burn.

“Lester, are you crazy?”

My eyes were blurry with tears, meeting Blake’s furious gaze.

“Yes, I’m crazy!”

Saying that, I struggled to my feet, laughing through my tears, bending at the waist.

“Do you know why Avril made you get this tattoo?”

Just as I was about to speak, Avril suddenly cried out in pain, and blood flowed from beneath her.

Blake’s face drastically changed. He no longer cared about my words.

He quickly scooped Avril into his arms, using his elbow to forcefully hit my chest, pushing me out of the way.

Blake stared at me coldly.

“If anything happens to the baby, I won’t let you off.”

He strode away, not sparing me another glance.

I fell to the ground, drained of strength, my heart feeling as if it had been ripped in half.

But my tears had long since dried up.

I stumbled out of there, feeling dazed. As soon as I stepped outside, my vision went black, and I completely lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital room.

The nurse taking care of me said I’d had a miscarriage.

She called my family, but no one answered.

“No one’s here to look after you. What will you do?”

I lay in bed, tears soaking the pillow. My parents were hundreds of miles away.

In this city, Blake and Avril were the only people close enough to be considered family.

But neither of them showed up.

I only received photos from Avril.

They were embracing and kissing intimately, carelessly.

I tormented myself, looking at the photos over and over.

Jealousy and hatred burned inside me relentlessly.

How could those two be happy while trampling on my pain?

I wouldn't accept it. I sent the old pregnancy test results, which I'd kept for a long time, to Blake.

He didn’t reply. It wasn't until late afternoon that he pushed open my hospital room door.

His gaze was heavy, falling on my lower abdomen.

“When did you find out?”

I curled my lips into a sarcastic smile.

“The day Avril was trying on wedding dresses. I wanted to tell you then.”

He didn't speak, just lit one cigarette after another.

Smoke shrouded his eyes, hiding his conflicted expression.

After a long time, I heard his almost indifferent voice.

“Just get rid of it.”

“My child can only be born from a clean body.”

“Avril and I have discussed it. Our child will only call you Mom.”

All the blood in my body turned to ice. I mechanically looked up and met his gaze.

He walked to the bedside, taking my hand and squeezing it in his palm.

“Isn’t this good? We still both love you.”

My stomach churned instantly. I violently pushed him away and leaned over the bed, vomiting.

He frowned, his voice turning cold.

“I’ve already scheduled your abortion procedure.”

As his words fell, a doctor pushed open the door.

They forcibly grabbed my arms.

I couldn’t fight back, tears streamed down my cheeks and splattered on the floor.

“Blake, I’m asking you one last time. Do you really not want this baby?”

His eyes seemed to hold a flicker of reluctance, but his voice was a resolute, definite refusal.

“Lester, don’t make a scene.”

I suddenly laughed, shaking off their grip like a madwoman.

Under everyone’s stunned gaze, I resolutely climbed out the window.