Chapter 2
I shook my head. “Maybe sincerity is just fleeting.”
I pulled my coat tighter and walked toward home.
On the dark winter night, I could faintly see headlights flickering in the distance.
It was as if they were worried about me, moving slowly, lighting up the road ahead.
My steps grew weaker, and eventually, everything went black as I fainted in the snow.
When I woke up, the doctor told me, “You just had a miscarriage and you’re not resting properly, out in the freezing snow?
“Do you even know you almost bled to death when they brought you in?”
I weakly closed my eyes, forcing back the tears.
“Sorry…”
“Why are you apologizing to us?” The doctor and nurse looked at me with sympathy. “The only person you should apologize to is yourself. You need to rest and take care of yourself this time. If you don’t, you might lose your uterus.”
Suddenly, I remembered something. “Who brought me to the hospital?”
“Your husband. We even scolded him for a while.”
I froze, biting my lip.
The door to the room opened, and the doctor said, “He’s here. You two need to be careful. Don’t take your health for granted just because you’re young.”
I looked up, but instead of Silas, it was my stepbrother, whom I hadn’t seen in ten years, Carlos Robinson.
Feeling a bit awkward, I said, “Carlos, long time no see. What brought you back from abroad?”
He nodded. “I’m here for an international conference. I didn’t expect to see you on the road to the winery.”
It suddenly hit me that the night when I fainted, the car I saw was Carlos’s.
A pair of warm hands rested on my head. “Thalia, if you’re tired, come back to me. Your mom has passed away, and you don’t need to stay with a man you don’t love just to avoid me. I told you, I’ll always wait for you.”
I spoke softly, “I chose Silas back then because I loved him.”
He sighed and placed a plane ticket on my bedside table.
“Thalia, this is a ticket that will never expire. Anytime you take it to the airport, a private jet will bring you to me.
“You should remember my number. Whenever you need me, just give me a call and I’ll be by your side.”
After he left, I clenched the ticket, but then let it go.
I bought the next available flight on my phone and called the place where we had signed our marriage contract.
“If you unilaterally request a divorce, we will strip you of all your assets and give them to your husband, and you will be sentenced to one year in prison. I suggest you think carefully.”
I said softly, “This marriage feels no different from a prison. I’m willing to give up everything if it means getting a divorce.”
“One week from now, your marriage will be dissolved.”
I don’t know which friend sent me the screenshots of Sienna’s social media posts.
From the moment I fainted in the snow until now, there had been over a dozen.
Silas had taken Sienna to an island for vacation.
On the floor-to-ceiling window, small hands were intertwined, and the reflection on the glass showed two blurred, entangled figures.
There was also a picture of Silas holding Sienna’s hand as they cut a cake, celebrating the gender reveal of their baby.
In the comment section, a friend of ours asked, “Silas isn’t even divorced yet, what are you showing off as the mistress?”
Sienna didn’t reply, but Silas replied, “The one who is not loved is the mistress.”
A dull pain spread through my chest, and I reached the end of my despair, only left with a helpless smile.
I handled my discharge and, while they were away on vacation, I planned to go back and pack my things.
When I opened the door, a sickening smell hit me, and the floor was covered in semen.
With a pale face, I went straight upstairs, only to find that my master bedroom and walk-in closet had been turned into a nursery. The walls were covered with countless pregnancy photos of Silas hugging Sienna, her belly exposed. Their sweet smiles dazzled my eyes.
My things were all thrown into the garbage pile in the backyard, including that wedding photo.
It used to be carefully hung above our bed, but now it lay in a pile of dirt.
My face was scratched with Silas’s shoeprints all over it.
I took a deep breath.
Well, there was nothing left to clean up.
I grabbed my passport and documents, ready to leave.
But then the door opened.
Silas was holding Sienna, just like on our wedding day when he carried me into the house.
Even the words he spoke were exactly the same.
“The bride’s feet shouldn’t touch the ground, so she’ll have a lifetime of happiness.”
Sienna giggled at his words.
But as soon as they saw me, their smiles froze.
Silas’s face showed a subtle mix of smugness and mockery. “Aren’t you supposed to have some pride? I told you not to come home, and you ran away. So why are you back now? Did you see me and Sienna on our honeymoon and get jealous and regret it?
“It’s too late. Even if you beg for forgiveness on your knees, I won’t let you off easy this time.”
Sienna’s face was pale with resentment, her forced smile barely masking her anger as she tried to squirm out of his arms. “Silas, put me down, I’m not really your wife. If you keep holding me like this, your wife will get angry.”
Silas stood still, stubbornly glaring at me, his voice cold and sharp. “I’ve made myself clear.
“So what if I married her? The one not loved is the mistress, and she’s not worthy of carrying my child. Thalia, am I right?”
I was exhausted, but I pulled out the divorce papers and handed them to him. “All you have to do is sign. That way, Sienna can be your wife both in your heart and in the eyes of the law.”
Silas suddenly released his hold on Sienna, ignoring her frantic struggles, and strode over to snatch the papers from my hand.
He tore them into pieces, throwing them in my face.
I closed my eyes, listening to him grit his teeth as he said, “You want a divorce? Dream on!
“You’ve wasted so many years of my life, and now you think you can just walk away? Not happening.”
It was clear that reconciliation wasn’t possible.
I laughed at myself and walked around him to leave, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist, shocked and angry.
“Where do you think you’re going? Planning to run away again? Now that Carlos is back, you can’t stand being in this house for even a second, can you?”
“What does Carlos have to do with this?”! I finally couldn’t hold it in. “Do you expect me to sit here and watch you two be all lovey-dovey?”
I looked at him with sarcasm. “Do you have some kind of fetish? Do you need me here to get excited?”
Silas’s chest rose and fell with anger. When he heard my words, a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by an understanding smile.
“You’re jealous?”
I turned my head away.
“I really have this habit.” He sneered, let go of my hand, and walked to Sienna. “I like to see you guarding the bed between me and Sienna.
“After all, you know my rhythm in bed best, and know when to pass condoms and when to pass the wet wipes.”
“You’re shameless.” I closed my eyes, my hands clenched so tightly at my sides that my nails dug into my palms, leaving bloody marks.
“I am not as shameless as you.” He sneered. “After all, I can’t marry someone else while pregnant with a man’s child and sleep with him.”
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I listened to his unfounded accusations and lies.
It took a while for the pain in my heart to subside, and then I numbly pushed him aside and walked out.
