Chapter 4
1098words
In the heavy snowfall, with trembling hands, I sent a message to my best friend.
"Evan, please help me check whose embryo was actually used in my IVF procedure."
Eventually I returned to the bedroom I shared with Adrian.
I had thought he would spend the night with Vanessa.
But at midnight, he returned, lying down beside me reeking of alcohol and bringing the cold night air with him.
Unprecedentedly, he actively crossed the invisible boundary and embraced me from behind, over the blanket.
"Mira, are you still upset about what happened today?"
"I've already spoken to the hospital. I'm warning you, don't even think about touching my child. You should know that with my influence, no one in the entire city would dare perform this procedure on you."
After sensing the stiffness in my body, he softened his tone.
"As for Vanessa, don't take it to heart. If I had really wanted to marry her, I wouldn't have married you in the first place."
"The position of Mrs. Locke will always be yours alone."
"Come on, can't we just be like before? Nothing has changed."
I found it utterly absurd and, fighting back nausea, broke free from his arms.
"Adrian, I want a divorce."
He seemed somewhat surprised, his brows furrowing as he was about to speak.
But the next second, an urgent phone call came through.
After answering, his expression changed dramatically, and he left in such a hurry he didn't even have time to put on his coat.
He even instantly forgot about the divorce I had just brought up.
Shortly after he left, I received a reply from my childhood friend.
"Don't be afraid. Wait until dawn, I'll come pick you up."
Without any further hesitation, I began packing my belongings, also throwing away many gifts that Adrian had given me.
As dawn broke, I dragged my suitcase downstairs, only to have my wrist seized by Adrian who had returned unexpectedly.
His eyes were bloodshot as he slammed me against the wall, his hand gripping my throat.
"Mira, I'll only ask you once. Where is Vanessa?"
I struggled to breathe, frantically slapping at his arm.
"I don't... know!"
Hatred surged in his eyes as he shoved me to the ground.
While frantically wiping his hand that had touched me with disinfectant wipes, he ordered his bodyguards behind him.
"Take her to Serene Gallery! I want her to watch her mother's life's work burn to ashes before her very eyes!"
My heart instantly plummeted into an abyss.
Serene Gallery was built to commemorate my deceased mother!
It housed my mother's lifetime of work!
How dare he!
All the way I struggled and screamed frantically, but to no avail.
Being dragged into the art gallery hall, I discovered in terror:
Those paintings I treasured were now being taken down from the walls by several burly men and piled in the center.
I fell to my knees, begging him desperately.
"Adrian, I beg you! Those are the only things my mother left me..."
"I really don't know where Vanessa is! Please spare them..."
He sneered, the disgust in his eyes growing stronger.
"Mira, how long are you going to keep pretending? With your vindictive nature, knowing those things, how could you not take revenge on her?"
He gripped my jaw:
"Vanessa sent me one last message, the location was near here, and then she went missing! She's so kind, she never offends anyone. If it's not you, who else could it be?"
His gaze was as sharp as a knife, carrying a cruel warning.
"Let me tell you, Vanessa is my life!"
"If anything happens to her, I'll make sure you and everyone you care about suffer a fate worse than death!"
After saying that, he waved his hand to summon people in white coats and gave an order.
"Give her an abortion injection."
He leaned down and sneered in my ear:
"Aren't you very stubborn, refusing to have my and Vanessa's child? I'll grant your wish."
I shook my head desperately, watching in horror as the paintings were doused with accelerant.
The excruciating pain of the drug being forcibly injected into my body was nothing compared to the shattering pain in my heart.
I stared at him with eyes bulging in pain, and as the abdominal cramps nearly made me faint, he threw the signed divorce agreement in my face.
"The divorce you wanted, plus ten billion in compensation, all yours!"
"Tell me, where exactly is Vanessa!"
Seeing me convulsing and unable to speak,
he pointed at the paintings, his tone increasingly vicious.
"Aren't these worthless paintings your most precious possessions? If you don't speak up, I'll turn them to ashes right before your eyes!"
"You can't protect your child, and you can't protect your mother's life's work either!"
Just then, his phone rang.
After connecting, it was Vanessa's lazy and coquettish voice.
"Adrian, I overslept at the spa center. I'm so hungry, come have dinner with me."
"What's wrong with you? I was just joking with you, testing your true feelings. Why did it take you so long to call me back?"
"Don't tell me you were held up by that pale-faced bitch of yours?"
The coldness in his eyes instantly transformed into wild joy.
Even his voice, which had been cold to the point of cruelty, immediately became incredibly gentle.
"Alright, wait for me."
After saying that, he turned and left, not even looking back at me lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing.
After Adrian found Vanessa, he completely forgot about me, covered in blood.
He booked out an entire Michelin restaurant, tenderly cut her steak for her, bringing it to her lips, his eyes full of undisguised adoration.
When Vanessa pouted and said she wanted to go skiing in Switzerland, he agreed without hesitation, then immediately turned off his phone.
Isolating themselves from all outside disturbances, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to enjoying their private world together.
Seven days later, he finally turned on his phone and called his assistant, giving instructions in a flat tone.
"Send Mira a set of haute couture clothing and jewelry, and inform her to accompany me to the family banquet tonight."
Dead silence fell on the other end of the line.
After a long while, the assistant's voice came through, choked with tears.
"Mr. Locke, ten days ago, right after you left with Miss Hughes, an explosion occurred at that art gallery. The fire was too intense, and your wife, who was severely injured, couldn't make it out... She, she remained inside forever..."
