Chapter 5

**Stella’s POV**

At 2 PM, Ethan hadn't returned.

He sent a text saying the lab was running late, telling me to eat lunch without him.

I sat in the study, permanently shredding the last of my wildlife photography files.

Suddenly, the sharp click of high heels echoed on the hardwood floor outside.

The estate was covered in thick carpets, and Ethan had ordered all staff to wear soft-soled slippers so they wouldn't disturb me.

Only one person would wear heels here.

The study door was shoved open. Chloe walked in, wearing a designer maternity dress and carrying a Birkin bag.

"Well, well, Stella Brooks. Still looking at your trashy photos?"

She looked around the room, her eyes landing on my useless right leg. A sneer of pure disgust spread across her face.

I shut my laptop and looked at her coldly. "Who gave you permission to come in?"

"Ethan’s keycard, obviously." Chloe walked over, looking down at me. She pulled an ultrasound photo from her bag and slapped it right onto my face.

The sharp edge of the paper cut my cheek, leaving a thin red line.

"Take a good look, Stella. I’m three months pregnant. It’s a boy. Ethan was so happy he bought me a forty-million-dollar villa today."

Chloe rubbed her belly proudly, her eyes vicious. "You’re a useless cripple who can’t even stand up. How are you going to compete with me? Ethan told me that being with you feels like taking care of a corpse. He said the smell of medicine on you makes him sick!"

I listened to her rant, my heart incredibly calm.

"Are you done?" I picked up the photo from my lap and fed it right into the paper shredder beside me. "Now get out."

The shredder buzzed loudly, turning the ultrasound into tiny strips.

Chloe’s face twisted in shock. She didn’t expect me to be this cold.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes suddenly landing on a glass display case on the corner of my desk.

Inside were my military medals and the shattered dog tag that had stopped the bullet three years ago.

It was my life.

Chloe sneered, raised her hand, and smashed the glass case off the desk.

*SMASH!*

The sound of shattering glass was deafening in the quiet room.

My medals and dog tag rolled into the pile of sharp glass shards on the floor.

"Oh, my bad. My hand slipped," Chloe gasped fake-apologetically.

The blood rushed to my head.

I pushed against the armrests, trying to stand up, but my right leg failed me. I fell heavily onto the glass-covered floor.

The shards sliced into my palms, and blood instantly pooled on the floor.

"Hahaha! Look at you! Crawling like a dog!" Chloe laughed hysterically, raising her heel to stomp on my dog tag.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs.

"Stella!"

Ethan was back.

Chloe’s laughter cut off instantly.

Her eyes rolled, and she threw herself onto the floor, clutching her stomach and screaming in agony.

"Ah! My stomach! It hurts so much!"

The study door was kicked open.

Ethan rushed in, freezing at the sight.

I was lying in a pool of blood and glass, my hands desperately covering my dog tag.

And Chloe was lying a foot away, pale and sweating.

"Ethan... save me... she pushed me... our baby..." Chloe cried, reaching out weakly.

Ethan’s pupils shrunk.

Without a single second of hesitation, he stepped right over my body and gathered Chloe into his arms.

"Chloe! Are you okay? Don't worry, I’m taking you to the hospital!" Ethan’s voice was trembling violently. He didn't even look at me.

I pressed my bleeding hands against the floor and forced my head up to look at the man I had traded my leg for.

"Ethan," I called out, my voice hoarse.

Ethan spun his head around, his eyes filled with pure rage and disgust.

"Stella, are you insane?!" he screamed. "If you have a problem, take it out on me! She’s pregnant! If anything happens to my baby, I will never forgive you!"

*My baby.*

He finally admitted it.

Looking at his twisted, angry face, I wanted to laugh. So, I did.

"Your baby?" I raised my bloody hand, pointing at him. "Ethan, did you forget the oath you made to God?"

Ethan froze, a flash of panic crossing his eyes. But Chloe let out another painful whimper, snapping him back to his fury.

"You’re completely unreasonable! How did you become so vicious and twisted?!"

Ethan spat those words, picked up Chloe, and ran out of the study without looking back.

The front door slammed shut with a deafening bang.

Silence returned to the study.

I lay on the cold floor alone, looking at the blood-covered dog tag in my hand. Tears finally fell silently.

I slowly crawled back into my wheelchair.

I didn’t bandage my wounds. I just let the blood drip onto the carpet, staining it dark red.

***