Chapter 4

Jane's POV

My stomach had been upset for several days. I couldn't eat anything.

At first, I thought it was because Gabriel and Claire's affair made me sick.

Later, when my period was late, I hurried to the hospital for a checkup.

"You're pregnant, about four weeks."

The doctor told me.

My mind went blank.

"We used protection every time. How could I be pregnant?"

The doctor explained.

"Contraceptive measures aren't one hundred percent effective. There are occasional accidents."

I stood there frozen, unable to believe I was pregnant with Gabriel's child.

The Stone family had always despised my disability. Gabriel also said he didn't want children.

Now I understood. He never planned to let me have his child.

If that was the case, how was I supposed to carry on the Stone family line?

God had other plans.

On my way home, I was hit by a car. When I woke up again, the baby was gone.

Just like that, without Gabriel knowing anything about it, I lost the child.

I returned home weakly, wanting to go back to my room to rest, but found the door to my studio wide open.

That was my private space. Even the servants couldn't enter. Gabriel usually wouldn't intrude either.

Unease surged in my heart. I hurried inside and saw Claire standing there.

The next second, I saw the shattered sculpture on the floor.

"Sorry about that."

Claire smiled carelessly.

"I just wanted to look at this sculpture. Didn't expect it to be so heavy-I couldn't hold it steady. You don't mind, do you?"

That was a work I'd spent countless days and nights completing. It had won first place in a sculpture competition and meant the world to me.

Now it was a pile of fragments.

Rage clouded my judgment. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Are you insane?"

Claire screamed, covering her face.

"Who gave you permission to come in? Who gave you permission to touch my things?"

I was shaking with anger. Just as I was about to teach her another lesson, my wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Gabriel rushed in and roared.

"Jane! What the hell are you doing?"

He violently shook off my hand. I staggered and fell to the ground, my forehead hitting the broken sculpture.

Sharp pain made my vision darken. Warm liquid flowed down my cheek.

"It's just a broken sculpture."

Gabriel looked at me coldly.

"Claire already apologized. Did you need to hit her?"

A broken sculpture?

I remembered on the day I won the award, he looked at me from the audience with admiring eyes.

Later, he even held me and said he was proud of me, that I'd used my artistic talent to overcome my physical limitations.

Now, compared to Claire, it had become just a broken sculpture.

I watched Gabriel leave with his arm around Claire. Blood blurred my vision.

Eventually, I passed out from exhaustion.