Chapter 4

She sat across from me, anxiously twisting her fingers, looking terrified.

I sipped my coffee in silence, just staring at her.

After a long pause, she finally gathered her courage and looked up. "Vivian, I know this is wrong. But I truly love Julian. No one has ever treated me the way he does. It feels like he pulled me out of the mud and placed me on a pedestal. I never dared to dream of this before."

Looking at the girl in front of me with her thick-rimmed glasses, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Yes. When Julian loved someone, he would give them the world. He would treat them like a precious, fragile princess.

He once treated me the exact same way.

I watched Daisy’s lips move.

"I never wanted to ruin your marriage. I was happy just watching him from afar. He is so high above me, and I only wanted a little bit of his affection."

"I promise I won’t try to take your place as Mrs. Sterling. My baby and I will never threaten your status. I just want to stay by Julian’s side. Please, try to understand how I feel."

"Baby?"

My head spun instantly.

I stared at her stomach.

"You’re pregnant?"

She kept babbling about how much she loved Julian, how she was willing to give up everything and remain in the shadows.

I felt a wave of intense nausea.

Did this woman have any sense of decency?

Does love justify destroying a family? Does love mean the rules of marriage don’t apply to you?

I stood up, unable to listen to her nonsense anymore. Seeing me leave, Daisy frantically grabbed my arm.

Suddenly, she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"Vivian, Julian and I love each other. No matter how much you object, you can’t change that fact."

"I’m just begging you to spare my baby. I don’t have any family left. I really want to keep this child."

The people around us in the cafe were starting to whisper and stare.

I looked down at the sobbing Daisy. I picked up my cup of scalding hot coffee.

And poured it right over her head.

The dark liquid dripped down her hair, making her look absolutely pathetic.

I felt a rush of satisfaction. "Don’t you still have your mother? Didn’t she teach you that being a homewrecker gets you beaten up?"

I bent down and slapped her hard across the face.

"This slap is to teach you the manners your mother failed to give you."

I stood back up. "As for the baby, you should talk to the father, not his wife."