Chapter 4

Chloe laughed and snapped her laptop shut.

"Tara, do you honestly think this video only lives on my phone? I posted it on three different platforms, backed it up to two cloud drives, and sent it to over two hundred group chat mods. Even if you smash my phone to pieces, it won't do shit."

"Besides, think about it. Even if you call the cops, how are you going to prove Carter gave you that pill? Carter already told everyone it was Vitamin C. You miscarried because your body is weak."

"The hospital toxicology report—"

"Oh, please. The report only says there was Mifepristone in your system. It doesn't say who fed it to you. For all they know, you bought it yourself. Maybe you never wanted the baby in the first place."

The front door clicked open.

Carter's father, Richard Hayes, walked in. His suit was wrinkled, but his graying hair was slicked back neatly.

He cast a cold glance at me without speaking, then sank into the armchair.

"I know what happened," Richard said, taking a sip of black coffee, his brow furrowed deep enough to crush a coin.

For a second, I thought he might display a shred of human decency.

"Carter, are you an absolute idiot?"

Carter emerged from the bedroom, looking sheepish.

"Dad, let me explain—"

"Explain what? Do you have any idea that I'm in the final stages of closing a supplier agreement with Vance Pharmaceuticals? Do you know the scale of that corporation? And you pull this cheap, trashy stunt right at the finish line?"

"If someone from Vance sees that sickening video and thinks the Hayes family runs a clown show, what happens to my contract?"

"Dad, barely anyone saw it..."

"Two hundred and thirty thousand views, and you call that 'barely anyone'?! What does your sister's bio say? *Daughter of Richard Hayes!* It takes one minute for a corporate auditor to trace that back to me!"

From beginning to end, he never mentioned my baby. Not a single syllable.

Brenda chimed in.

"Richard, don't stress. I already told Tara. She's posting an apology and explanation to clear everything up."

Richard turned his gaze to me.

"You haven't posted it yet?"

"Because it wasn't a joke," I said softly. "The pill was real. And my baby is dead."

The living room fell dead silent.

Richard's left eyelid twitched. Then he rose, walked over, and leaned down close to my face, inspecting me like a damaged piece of cheap furniture.

"Listen to me carefully. Whether that pill was real or fake, from this moment on, there is only one official narrative: your weak constitution caused an unfortunate natural miscarriage. Carter had nothing to do with it."

"You've been married to my son for three years without contributing a single cent to this household. Your parents are dead. Your only safety net in this world is the Hayes family."

"If you refuse to cooperate, I'll have Carter divorce you immediately. You'll be thrown onto the street without a roof over your head."

He straightened his cuffs.

"Post the statement within thirty minutes."

Chloe clapped from the couch. "Dad always knows how to handle business."

Thirty minutes later, I posted the statement. The attached photo was the selfie Carter had taken at my bedside. The caption Chloe wrote read: *Just a silly April Fools' game with my husband that got a little out of hand haha. Totally fine now! Thank you all for the love. Best husband ever!*

The second it went live, I opened an encrypted browser window on my phone.

One hundred and thirty-seven unread emails sat in the inbox, every single one from the same sender: *Office of the Chairman, Vance Pharmaceuticals.*

The most recent one had arrived this morning, containing a single sentence:

*Tara, when can Grandpa come bring you home?*

I closed the browser.

Brenda came over, skimmed the post, and patted my shoulder in satisfaction.

"Now that's a good girl. Go take out the trash, and make dinner while you're at it."