Chapter 2

Downstairs went quiet for a moment.

Then I faintly heard Nora say,

"Miles, it really seems like something's wrong with my sister…"

Footsteps started up.

I leaned against the door and let out a breath.

But then Nora's voice dropped low again.

"But she said she was in pain yesterday too."

"And the second she heard she could see Dr. Simmons today, she perked right up."

The footsteps stopped. Miles didn't come up.

I closed my eyes, and the tears fell before I could stop them.

The pain kept getting worse.

The blood kept spreading, bit by bit.

It wasn't until afternoon, when the baby nanny arrived for her shift.

She heard me pounding on the door and scrambled to find the spare key.

The door swung open.

She saw the blood on my pants, and the color drained from her face.

"Ma'am! Why are you bleeding so much!"

I didn't have the strength to answer.

I just braced myself on the wall and made my way out, one step at a time.

Miles wasn't home.

Nora wasn't there either.

I called a car and went to the hospital myself.

When the exam was over, the doctor's face was grim.

"The wound is showing signs of tearing again, and there's inflammation. We'll have to treat it all over."

The pain had my fingertips trembling.

"Will it affect my recovery?"

The doctor sighed.

"If this keeps happening, you could be looking at chronic pain, incontinence, scar adhesions."

"In serious cases, it can affect normal marital relations and any future pregnancy."

When I got home that night, the living room lights were on.

Nora was holding my daughter, Poppy.

There was a bottle in her hand.

One look, and my face went cold.

"What are you giving her?"

I rushed over and snatched the bottle away.

"Are you insane? Poppy has a severe milk protein allergy!"

"She already ended up in the hospital last month from getting it wrong once!"

Nora went pale, startled.

"Sis, she was just crying so pitifully…"

The study door opened, and Miles came out.

"Now what?"

He heard the whole thing and only glanced at the baby.

"She didn't actually drink it, did she?"

I stared at him, not believing it.

"So Poppy has to actually go into anaphylactic shock before you people take this seriously?"

He was plainly out of patience.

"Mabel, she already apologized. Why do you keep hammering on it?"

Nora shook her head quickly.

"Miles, don't be hard on my sister."

"She wasn't feeling well today to begin with, and she still snuck off to see Dr. Simmons for her postpartum rehab…"

Before she could finish, Miles hurled the cup in his hand to the floor.

"Mabel, is there nothing in your head but men?"

Nora rushed to stand in front of me.

"Sis, don't be angry with him. He really is just worried about you."

"Dr. Simmons is a man, and during the sessions he's got his hands on your waist every day, touching your body."

"What husband would be okay watching that?"

I laughed, suddenly.

"Fine. Then the two of you have a good life together."

I turned and walked away.

Miles didn't stop me.

But the next day, when I got to the hospital.

The nurse on duty looked a little awkward.

"Ms. Henson, Dr. Simmons can't see patients today."

My heart sank.

"Why not?"

"He's been temporarily suspended pending an investigation. Someone filed a complaint about improper physical contact with female patients."

I understood at once.

Back home.

I asked Miles straight out.

"Was it you?"

He sat on the couch, expression calm.

"I only had the hospital look into it."

"If he's really got nothing to hide, what's there to be afraid of?"

I looked at him for a long time, then asked quietly,

"Are you protecting me? Or punishing me for not letting you touch me?"

Miles's face darkened all at once.

Nora had just come out of the nursery.

She walked up to me.

"Sis, Miles has done everything he could for you."

"And you, for that Dr. Simmons…"

She trailed off as if she couldn't go on, covered her mouth, and started to cry.

"I really don't understand. Why have you turned into this, Sis…"

She hadn't finished when she suddenly cried out, "Ah."

Her whole body pitched backward.

Miles's face changed in an instant.

He lunged over, grabbed my arm, and flung me hard to the side.

I had no chance to catch my balance.

My back slammed into the coffee table and I crashed to the floor.

The wound they'd just treated tore with a pain like it was being ripped apart.

I curled up from it.

A hot rush poured out at once.

But Miles didn't so much as look at me. He just wheeled around, roaring.

"Mabel! She's your own sister!"

"You're shoving even her now?"

With that, he scooped Nora up and turned and left.

I sat on the floor a long while.

Only then did I have the strength to take out my phone and send a message to a lawyer.

【Hello, I'd like a consultation about divorce.】