Chapter 2

**Claire Vance POV**

The night was pitch black, and a wild storm was rattling the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa.

I curled up on the cold king-sized bed, drenched in cold sweat. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my lower abdomen, as if a dozen dull blades were twisting inside my flesh.

Memories of my three-year marriage flashed through my mind like a horror movie.

Lucas had always been cold as ice to me. Yet, when Chloe casually complained on Snapchat that she wanted key lime pie from a bakery across town, he would drive through a torrential downpour to get it for her.

Lucas never remembered my birthday. But for Chloe's birthday, he rented an entire yacht just to make her smile.

I used to think it was just him looking out for my younger sister. Now I realized it was blatant, shameless favoritism. The signs were always there; I was just too blind to see them.

"Ah..."

Another wave of agony hit me. I curled tighter into a ball. I felt a warm, thick liquid flowing down my thighs, staining the white sheets crimson.

The baby.

Lucas's and my baby. I was only two months pregnant.

Terror seized my chest. Shaking, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, my vision blurred by tears and sweat. I opened Snapchat and found his contact. Even though he was going by "Julian" now, the number was still his.

[Help me... The baby...]

The sending sound echoed sharply in the silent room. I stared at the screen, clinging to it like a dying lifeline.

I waited for what felt like hours, but there was no reply.

The screen slowly went dark.

My hand slipped from the edge of the bed. Despair washed over me like a suffocating black tide.

I knew he saw it.

But he didn't care.

He didn't even care about his own child's life.

Blood kept flowing, soaking through the mattress and dripping onto the floor, blooming into horrifying red puddles. The pain grew so intense that I lost consciousness, rolling off the bed and crashing hard against the cold floor.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, my eyes staring hollowly at the lightning splitting the night sky.

My heart, along with the tiny life inside me, died completely on that stormy night.

It wasn't until the next morning that a maid pushed the door open to bring breakfast and let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Oh my God!"

I was rushed to the hospital. My life was saved, but the baby was gone.

The doctor told me with pity that due to the massive blood loss and the delay in rescue, it would be extremely difficult for me to conceive again. I listened, my face completely blank. I didn't even shed a single tear.

Three days later, I insisted on leaving the hospital and returned to the Sterling mansion. I sat on the balcony of my bedroom like a living corpse, staring blankly at the sun.

"Oh, Claire. I heard you had a miscarriage?"

Chloe pushed the door open, a smug, satisfied grin plastered on her face. "How tragic. Lucas just died, and you couldn't even keep his only child. Don't you think this is karma?"

I slowly turned my head, staring at the face that looked so much like mine but was filled with pure venom.

I stood up, grabbed the hot mug of tea from the table, and threw it right at her!

"Ah!" Chloe shrieked as the mug shattered against her shoulder, the scalding liquid soaking her designer dress.

"Get out." My voice was raspy, sounding like sandpaper, and my eyes glared at her like a demon crawling out of hell. "You are not welcome here. Get the hell out!"

"You crazy bitch, how dare you hit me!" Chloe raised her hand, ready to strike back.

"Stop!"

A voice barked from the door. Lucas rushed in, pulling Chloe behind him and frantically checking her for burns. Once he saw she was fine, he glared at me, his eyes like daggers.

"Claire Vance, have you lost your mind?! Chloe came here out of kindness, and you attacked her! Where are your manners?!"

I stared at the man. The husband I had lived with for three years was now standing in front of me, using his brother's identity, screaming at me to protect another woman.

I suddenly burst out laughing, tears streaming down my face.

"What did you say, Lucas...?" I dragged out his real name on purpose, satisfied to see his pupils shrink in shock. "I lost my husband. I lost my baby. While I was fighting for my life, what were you two doing?"

I pointed at my own chest, my voice cold and accusing. "I had no husband to help me, no one who cared! Am I supposed to just sit here and let you two bastards walk all over me?!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

"Let's go..." Lucas practically dragged Chloe out of the room, his hurried steps looking incredibly pathetic.

***