Chapter 4

Julian's POV

By the time I found the alteration shop on the lower east side, it was already noon the next day.

I was still wearing yesterday's suit, my eyes bloodshot, radiating a dark, uncontrollable anger.

"Has Vivian been here?" I glared at the woman behind the counter.

The woman didn't even look up. "Mr. Pierce, didn't anyone teach you to say hello before barging into a shop?"

My assistant behind me took a step forward, trying to intimidate her.

The woman pointed directly at the security camera above her head. "Touch me and see what happens! Let the whole city see how the Pierce family bullies ordinary people!"

I raised my hand to stop my assistant, forcing down my rage. "She was emotional last night. I just want to take her home."

"Why was she emotional? Don't you have any idea?" Mary sneered. "You seemed to enjoy having girls on both arms last night, and now you're here playing the devoted partner?"

Her words felt like a hard slap across my face.

I knew what she meant. At the gala last night, Chloe had leaned in and grabbed my arm, and I hadn't pushed her away immediately.

In Vivian's eyes, that was probably a silent confirmation, a betrayal. Proof that I had chosen Chloe over her.

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.

It wasn't because Mary was wrong, but because she was entirely right.

The moment I failed to push Chloe away was the moment everything started to crumble.

When Vivian left last night, I even thought she was being "mature."

But when I returned to the empty villa and found she had taken all her IDs, leaving behind every piece of jewelry I had ever bought her, a terrifying panic gripped my chest.

Just then, Chloe called. "Julian, did you find Vivian? Sienna said she looked pale last night, she's really worried about her..."

"Sienna is worried about Vivian?" My voice turned freezing cold, cutting her off. "Chloe, keep your sister in check. If anything happens to Vivian, I will hold the Sterling family personally responsible."

I hung up, and my assistant handed me a blurry surveillance screenshot.

In the picture, she was wearing a worn-out puffer jacket, walking into a crowded market with her head down.

I stared at the photo, my heart squeezing painfully.

She wasn't throwing a tantrum. She was hiding from me.

She was running as if escaping a mortal danger, using every trick she had to get away from me!

Vivian's POV

Inside Dr. Evelyn Carter's private clinic.

"It's early, but the baby is stable. Right now, you need nutrition and rest." Dr. Carter pushed the ultrasound image toward me.

I touched my flat stomach and asked in a low voice, "What if someone wants to steal the baby, or kill it?"

Dr. Carter looked at me deeply, her voice sharp. "Then remember this: you are an independent mother, not someone's breeding tool. If you want to protect him, you must first arm yourself to the teeth!"

Those words ignited a fierce fire in my chest.

At dusk, I was having toasts at a small bakery near the clinic.

I had only taken two bites when Sienna Sterling, flanked by two bodyguards, arrogantly pulled back a chair and sat opposite me.

"You really know how to hide, Vivian, coming to a trashy place like this." Sienna's venomous eyes swept over my stomach. "My sister is kind-hearted, but I'm not. If you're carrying some bastard you shouldn't be, you'd better get rid of it now. Otherwise, I'll make your life a living hell."

The little guy in my belly shook with anger. "Mom! That's exactly how she smiled when she drove you crazy in my past life! Tear her apart!"

I raised my eyes. "Does your sister know you're doing her dirty work?"

Sienna's expression changed slightly, but she quickly laughed it off. "Don't try to drive a wedge between us. My sister is soft-hearted, but I'm not. Vivian, you've been with Julian for three years, you must have gotten a lot of money, right? Learn to be content."

"What I got was given by Julian, not the Sterling family." I pushed the hot bowl of soup away. "If you want me to be content, keep your hands out of my bowl first."

Sienna didn't expect me to talk back so directly. Her smile vanished completely.

One of the men behind her took a step forward, trying to intimidate me.

But I set my phone upright on the table, screen facing outward. It was in the middle of a call.

Dr. Carter's voice came through the speaker: "Vivian, I've already sent your location to Mary. Stay put. The shop has cameras, and I'm recording this call."

Sienna narrowed her eyes. "You think this will save you?"

"At least it keeps you from doing anything stupid tonight." I stood up. "Miss Sterling, if you're really that capable, stop fighting other people's battles. If you want something, say it directly."

Sienna stared at me, lowering her voice. "I want you to disappear from Julian's life."

"What a coincidence." I picked up my coat. "So do I."

I walked out of the bakery, only to see Mary rushing over on a scooter, a pair of heavy fabric shears sitting in her front basket.

Mary threw a helmet into my arms. "Get on the back, don't look back!"

I climbed onto the passenger seat. The wind whipped past my ears, and the baby in my belly let out a tiny laugh.

"Mom! You were so badass back there!"

I held Mary's waist tightly. The running was over.

From today on, I would make everyone who belittled and plotted against me pay in full!

When we got back to the workshop, I didn't sleep right away.

I wrote down everything Sienna had said, word for word, including the height, clothing, and accents of the two men behind her.

Mary walked in with hot water. Seeing my hands trembling as I wrote, she cursed in pity, "Why are you still writing this down right now?"

"So there won't be any confusion later," I said.

I had suffered too much from not having proof in the past.

A simple "misunderstanding" from Chloe, a "stop causing trouble" from Julian, or an "be more generous" from bystanders was all it took to erase my pain.

I didn't want to use tears to beg for belief anymore.

I wanted to keep a record of everything, even if it seemed tedious right now.

The baby in my belly nudged me gently, as if in response.

I looked down, pressing my palm against my stomach, finally feeling a solid warmth toward this sudden twist of fate.