Chapter 4

Tristan stood in the doorway, his eyes blazing with fury. I didn't even bother defending myself.

He glared at me with pure hatred before rushing to scoop Chloe up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, panic in his voice.

Chloe shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I'm fine... I just don't understand why Ms. Hall..."

She buried her face in his chest, sobbing hysterically.

Tristan turned his murderous glare back to me.

I looked at him coolly. "I'll be out of here as soon as I finish packing."

"Apologize."

His voice was dangerous, his fingers clamping around my wrist like a vice.

The look in his eyes was unmistakable: "If you don't apologize right now, I will destroy you."

"Tristan, you got me fired from my hospital. You had my sick parents kicked out of their facility. You painted me as a whore and dragged me through the dirt. And now you expect me to apologize over a mistress's crocodile tears?"

I leaned in, meeting his gaze head-on.

I wanted to see if this man had an ounce of a soul left.

It turns out, once a man stops loving you, your every breath is an offense.

"Everything that happened to you was your own doing! Don't try to change the subject. Apologize to Chloe right now, or else—"

"Or else what?" I challenged, glaring at him without flinching.

He faltered for a fraction of a second, his brow furrowing as he lowered his voice. "Do you always have to be this difficult? Chloe is young. Why pick a fight with her? No one is taking your title as my wife. Can't you just behave for once?"

I genuinely couldn't fathom his twisted mind. If he didn't love me anymore, why wouldn't he just let me go?

Ever since he cheated with his first assistant, I had demanded a divorce.

Over and over again, he had flatly refused.

Whenever I tried to leave, he targeted anyone who showed me kindness, destroying them one by one until only my parents remained in my corner.

And now they were gone, safe from his reach. He had nothing left to threaten me with.

"Tristan, in this house, it's either her or me."

"Hah! The arrogance!" Evelyn sneered, cutting in. "You really think my son can't live without you? He only kept you around out of pity! A used, damaged woman who can't even carry a child has no place in the Hayes family!"

Every word pierced my heart like a dagger.

Chloe chimed in, feigning innocence. "Is that why you hate me so much, Ms. Hall? Because I'm pregnant and you can't have babies?"

My face drained of color.

"Oh, Ms. Hall, why pretend?" Chloe smiled sweetly. "You're an OB-GYN. Surely you could tell right away."

Ignoring Chloe, I locked eyes with Tristan. "Answer me. Is she pregnant?"

"Yes."

"And you're keeping it?"

"Yes."

His voice was resolute. He even shifted slightly, shielding Chloe behind him as if protecting her from a monster.

Looking at how fiercely the Hayes family guarded her, a bitter laugh escaped my throat.

The laugh broke, turning into silent tears.

I was mourning for myself, and for the child that never had the chance to be born.

That was my first pregnancy—and Tristan's first child.

Yet when I told him the news, there was no joy in his eyes, only a dark, brooding silence.

Later, he told me, "Babe, you know I grew up without a father. I'm not ready. It's just not the right time for us."

I knew better than anyone how difficult it was for my battered body to conceive.

I pleaded with him, promising I could handle raising our child.

Instead, he sank into a dramatic depression, acting as though my keeping the pregnancy would kill him.

When my colleagues learned I was scheduling an abortion, they were horrified. "Dr. Hall, you of all people know this might be your only chance to ever carry to term..."

I didn't let her finish. I knew the medical risks, but I was so desperate to protect Tristan, to ease his pain.

In the end, I terminated our baby.

And now, the man who claimed he could never be a father was fiercely guarding his mistress and her unborn child.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. "Tristan... back then, our baby—"

"Shut up, Natalie!" Tristan snapped, his face contorting in revulsion. "Keep your mouth shut! If you're not embarrassed to bring that up, I'm certainly disgusted to hear it!"

I froze, entirely numb.

What did he mean?

Was he... suspecting me?

A searing pain tore through my chest, but I forced the words out anyway. "So back then... you didn't hate the idea of a child. You just didn't want "my" child?"

"Damn right! Because you're filthy!" Evelyn spat before Tristan could speak.

And Tristan didn't deny it.

In that singular moment, I realized my entire marriage had been a sick joke.

A hollow smile touched my lips. I pulled an envelope from my bag and slapped it hard against his chest.

"Take a good look. I hope you never regret what you've done."

Tristan scoffed and casually opened the folder.

With just one glance, his face turned ash-white. "This... this is impossible..."