Chapter 3

"You and your mother both need my money to live. Natalie, don't joke around."

Ethan frowned at me, his attitude still superior: "Besides, with my status..."

"Ethan, stop wasting time on her."

Heather interrupted our conversation, linking her arm with Ethan's and acting coquettish: "Today's the third-week anniversary of my pregnancy. The fireworks show is about to start. Let's go watch!"

The irritation in the man's eyes instantly vanished.

His lips curved upward as he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window with Heather: "Be careful, don't hurt the baby."

"The fireworks show was specially prepared for you. I dare anyone to start without you!"

I watched the brilliant fireworks in the sky, feeling somewhat dazed.

Years ago, on the night Ethan confessed to me, he couldn't even afford a decent bouquet of roses.

He only held a few cheap sparklers, clumsily lighting them for me.

His face was red then, but his eyes were incredibly sincere: "I'll definitely give you the best life in the future. I'll give you the biggest fireworks show."

But now we had everything—money, power, everything except love.

He could give Heather and the child in her belly a spectacular fireworks display, but he wouldn't spare me even a word of concern.

As the fireworks faded, people in the hospital corridor exclaimed in amazement: "Mrs. Evans is so blessed! Even her pregnancy gets celebrated with a million-dollar fireworks show!"

"I heard she's been accompanied throughout her conception planning and prenatal checkups by Mr. Evans himself, afraid something might go wrong!"

Hearing these words, I felt like I'd fallen into an ice cave, trembling all over.

So Heather's pregnancy wasn't an accident at all!

He'd even indulged her in replacing me as Mrs. Evans in front of others, all to give Heather's child legitimacy.

"Crash!"

Behind me came the sound of breaking glass.

Heather grabbed my arm, sobbing: "Natalie, I accidentally broke your photo frame. Sorry."

My body stiffened imperceptibly.

The photo in that frame was the only picture of my grandmother and me before she passed.

Even the frame itself was a birthday gift my grandmother had carved for me.

Ethan couldn't possibly not know this.

Anger surged in my heart as I shook off the woman's hand: "Pick it up, clean it, and give it back to me!"

But when Heather bent down while clutching her belly, Ethan swiftly picked up the frame and threw it at my head: "Natalie, I thought you'd be sensible, but I didn't expect you to be so vicious!"

Vicious?

I laughed out loud.

Going to checkups alone, letting outsiders replace my identity as Mrs. Evans, deliberately smashing my grandmother's keepsake—facing all this differential treatment, Ethan could still call me vicious.

Blood from my forehead mixed with tears. I couldn't help but mock myself: "Ethan, in your eyes, my repeated forbearance is vicious, but Heather causing my miscarriage is just an accident. Don't you find that absurd?"

Ethan's chest heaved violently.

Then Heather said tearfully: "Don't be angry with Natalie. She just lost her child, so it's normal for her to be temperamental!"

She pushed the man toward the door: "After all, this is between Natalie and me. Let us resolve it ourselves! Besides, don't you need to handle Natalie's discharge procedures? Hurry up."

Ethan instructed with concern: "Be careful then, don't hurt the baby."

After the man left, Heather no longer concealed the malice in her eyes: "Ethan and I have been like two peas in a pod since childhood. Our bond naturally runs deeper than yours. Once I give birth to this child, how much longer do you think you can stay by his side?"

Facing her low-level provocation, I didn't react impulsively as I used to. I just silently picked up the photo from the floor: "He's just garbage. If you want him, take him. But Heather, stolen goods will never truly be yours!"

Perhaps she'd never seen me so sharp before.

She stood dazed for a long time.

Seeing me walk out of the ward, she finally shouted in exasperation: "Natalie, you just wait!"

I left the hospital directly and pulled out my phone to message the divorce attorney: "I've sent the evidence of infidelity to your email. Make sure to check it."

After sending the message, I returned to the villa to pack my luggage.

But the moment I walked out the villa's front door, bodyguards blocked my way.