Chapter 3

All the color drained from Mia’s face in an instant.

"Julian, what on earth are you talking about?"

"I asked you, did you set that fire three years ago?" Julian took a menacing step forward, his aura terrifyingly oppressive. "The cabin Stella rented had two separate ignition points. It was clearly arson. You were spotted there that night."

"I... I only went there to talk to her! But I didn't set any fire!"

"Then why did you lie to me?" Julian’s eyes were dead cold. "You told me Stella ran away with another man. You told me Luna wasn't my daughter. You even showed me those photos. I had someone run a forensic analysis on them recently—they were photoshopped."

Mia stumbled backward, her back slamming against the doorframe.

"Why did you do it?" Julian’s voice cracked. "What did Stella ever do to deserve this from you? She paid for your college tuition for three years! She treated you like her own sister!"

"Because she stole you from me!" Mia suddenly shrieked, tears pouring down her face. "I met you first! I loved you first! Why did you only have eyes for her the moment she appeared?!"

"And just because of that, you burned her alive?!"

"I didn't mean to burn her to death!" Mia screamed hysterically. "I only... I only changed her door locks and nailed her windows shut! I just wanted to scare her! I wanted to force her to leave this city! I had no idea a fire would break out that night!"

A loud ringing went off in Julian's head.

Locked doors.

Nailed windows.

That massive fire had raged for two whole hours. Three fire trucks had to be deployed.

In the end, what they carried out was a charred, unrecognizable corpse.

The coroner said the victim had desperately tried to escape, but because the doors and windows were completely sealed, she was roasted alive inside.

"You..." Julian was shaking all over. "Do you have any idea that is first-degree murder?"

"I didn't want to kill her! I just wanted to teach her a lesson!" Mia sobbed, grabbing his sleeve desperately. "Julian, I love you! I did all of this because I love you!"

Julian shook her off violently, as if she were some disgusting piece of filth.

"Arthur, call the police."

"Wait!" Mia lunged forward, clawing at him. "Julian, I'm pregnant! It's your baby! You can't do this to me!"

Julian's footsteps halted.

"That night you got drunk... you mistook me for Stella." Mia cried, her makeup completely ruined. "I've been carrying your baby for two months now. Do you really have the heart to let our child be born without a father?"

Julian closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, his gaze was as cold as ice.

"Abort it."

"What?"

"I will never acknowledge it," he said, deadpan. "The only children I will ever have are the ones Stella gave birth to. Whatever is in your womb is nothing to me."

Mia collapsed onto the floor, her face as pale as ashes.

I floated in the living room, watching this absolute circus.

Mia's acting was as stellar as always—her tears flowed right on cue. Too bad her audience wasn’t buying it this time.

As Julian turned around, I noticed his fingers were trembling.

Was he terrified? Terrified of what? Terrified that the child in Mia's womb might actually be his?

It didn't matter anymore.

After all, when I died, I had one in my womb too.

Two lives lost in one body. The debt he owed me could never, ever be repaid.