ROSE

“What did you do?” Jacob’s cold voice came from behind me.

I whirled around to see his eyes burning with hatred and anger as he stared at me.

“Jacob… I –”

My words were cut off by a resounding slap as I clutched my cheeks in pain.

“Jacob… you slapped me?” I croaked out, my voice breaking at the end.

“And I will do worse to you if anything happens to Jenna!” he hissed at me.

Then he brushed past me as he ran toward Jenna. He picked her up bridal style and rushed out of the office whispering soothing words to her.

I followed him, my mind suddenly filled with angry thoughts of being framed for something I didn't do. He didn't even spare me a glance as he got into his car.

I was about to open the passenger’s seat when he zoomed off, leaving me sprawled on the ground. My cheeks heated in embarrassment as I stood up to see his workers staring at me and whispering in hushed voices.

I hailed a cab and went back home. The tears wouldn't stop falling down my cheeks as I stared at the home we'd lived in for five years.

It suddenly felt empty just like my heart. To think that Jacob hadn't even bothered to hear from me he just assumed that I hurt her when she fell on her own.

I opened the wardrobe and began packing my clothes. Deep down I knew I had gone to see Jacob to get some kind of reassurance that would make me stay in this marriage but after what had happened I knew his heart was no longer with me.

There was no point clinging to the shadows of our marriage when everything seemed to have faded into oblivion.

I was halfway done with my suitcase when the door opened and Jacob barged in, his face red with anger. If he noticed what I was doing, he didn't bat an eye.

“Come with me,” he said, yanking my arm.

I pried my arm away from his, “Let me go!”

“Come with me this instant!” he snapped.

“Where are you taking me?” I groaned, resisting.

Jacob was stronger than me so it was easy for him to drag me out of the house.

“We’re going to the hospital. You're going to save Jenna since it’s your fault she's hurt,” Jacob said.

“Save her? I didn't do anything to her. She fell down herself,” I said.

“Stop lying, Rose!” he yelled at me, “Your jealousy almost made you kill someone. How evil can you be? The least you can do is to donate your blood to her so she can survive.”

“But I didn't –”

“I don't want to hear it!” he snapped.

“How can you not believe me but you'd believe an outsider?” I asked.

“Everyone heard Jenna screaming. I heard it too, but you refused to listen and you almost killed her,” Jacob snapped.

He pushed me into the car and got in. As he drove, I realized Jenna had set me up. That was why she had screamed so loud so it would look like I was hurting her.

A bitter smile crossed my lips as I realized even my husband whom I have spent five years with didn't seem to believe me.

We got to the hospital and Jacob dragged me out. Reluctantly, I followed him to the emergency ward where Jenna was admitted.

“Since you care about her so much, why don't you buy blood for her?” I asked, glaring at Jacob.

Jacob stared at me, “Because her blood type isn't available. There were a lot of accident victims admitted today so there's no blood.”

The doctor arrived and Jacob gestured toward me.

“Doctor, she's O+ please prep her and help Jenna,” Jacob pleaded.

His eyes shone with so much care that my heart broke. He's never looked at me like this before for the last three years.

The doctor and nurses took me away as they injected me with something. I drifted out of consciousness.

The next time I opened my eyes, everywhere was so bright my head and my stomach hurt. I groaned and looked around but I didn't see anyone in the room.

“Hello!” I called out.

The door opened and Jacob glared at me, “You’re lucky, Jenna survived.”

I scoffed, “You don't want to know how I'm doing?”

“You’re not the one who had a head injury,” he snapped.

The doctor came inside and stared at me with a sympathetic look.

“Mr. Lowell, you're her husband, right?” the doctor asked.

Jacob stared at me with disdain, “I don't have such a vicious wife.”

Then he walked away ripping the remaining broken pieces of my heart.

“I have some news, Mrs. Lowell,” the doctor sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I queried.

“During our tests, we found out you were one month pregnant,” the doctor said.

I frowned, “Were?”

“You lost the baby during the blood transfusion, I'm sorry,” he apologized.

The world spun as I stared at him, “Why… Why did you draw blood when I was pregnant?”

“Your husband signed it off,” the doctor said.

“Did he… did he know?” I asked, my heart racing as I dreaded the answer.

“Yes,” the doctor answered quietly.

ROSE

“Mrs. Lowell?”

The doctor’s voice faded as I clutched my stomach, my eyes filled with tears. I've wanted a baby for a long time. Two years ago, we were actively trying for a baby but it didn't happen.

Then when he started seeing Jenna we barely had sex, the few times we did was when he was drunk. I've always thought that a baby would be enough to revive our family again.

But then Jacob hadn't cared about that. He had given the go-ahead order to kill my innocent child. Rage, that was all I felt.

I was afraid to give in to the pain because I felt it would crumble me and I couldn't afford to be any more shattered than I already am.

“Mrs. Lowell?” the doctor’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“That bastard!” I hissed.

I removed the IV that was in my hand and headed out of the ward.

“Mrs. Lowell, you've lost so much blood. Please come back,” the doctor pleaded, running after me.

“Where is he and his whore?” I asked the doctor.

“Mrs. Lowell, please –”

The scathing look I gave him cut him off as he pointed to the next door. I pushed the door open and entered the room to see Jacob doting on Jenna.

“You bloody bastard!” I yelled at him.

Before he could speak, I gave him a resounding slap. He was too stunned to say a word as he stared at me.

“That’s for killing my child!” I yelled at him.

“What is going on, Jacob?” Jenna’s voice sounded and it infuriated me.

“You lowlife whore, this is all your fault!” I yelled, trying to touch her.

But Jacob stood protectively over her and pushed me away. I fell to the ground, my stomach hurting as blood trickled down my legs.

“I hate you!” I screamed at him, tears running down my cheeks.

“Go back to your room, Rose, and get cleaned up,” he said in a neutral voice.

“How could you stand there when you've just killed our child? Our child, Jacob?” I asked, crying.

“You were the only available donor. Should I have let Jenna die?” he queried.

“So you decided to sacrifice the life of our child for your whore,” I snapped.

“Don’t talk about Jenna that way!” he snapped, “And the baby wasn't supposed to be harmed so if you lost the pregnancy maybe that’s because you aren't fit to be a mother!”

His words struck me like he’d hit me and I flinched as I stared at him.

“Don’t say that, Jacob, Rose is hurting and it’s my fault,” Jenna said to Jacob.

I stood up from the ground and I walked out of the room in a daze, his words resounding in my ears.

“You will regret this!” I said to them.

Then I went back to my ward. As the nurse cleaned me up, I said nothing. I was just staring into space.

Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital. I arrived home glad to see that Jacob hadn't been back either.

I picked up the document that arrived for me in the mail as I completed my packing. As I stared at the document, I nodded.

There was no going back now because in my hands was our divorce certificate. I signed my signature and I kept the document on the bed.

Jacob has shown me in more ways than one that he cared more about Jenna than me. There was no coming back from this, not after what he did to me and –

A sob broke out from my throat as I couldn't even bear to say the words. I grabbed my box and left the house. My Uber was already waiting for me.

I got to the airport and checked in. As I waited for my flight to start boarding my phone rang, it was Jacob. Reluctantly, I picked up the call.

“What is this nonsense that’s on the bed, Rose? And where are you?” his angry voice sounded over the phone.

I scoffed, “Sign the divorce papers, Jacob. You and I are done.”

There was a small pause at the end of the phone before his voice sounded again.

“You don't mean that and you have nowhere to go. You don't even have any money. I've been taking care of you all these years. Come back home at once and stop this madness!”

“Don’t you ever call my number again, Jacob, or else you'll regret the day you met me,” I threatened.

“Rose –”

I hung up the phone as I took out my SIM card and trashed it. Just then my flight started boarding and I stood up.

With a heavy heart, I boarded the flight. It’s been five years since I left home. Now I am ready to go back and do everything my parents had wanted me to do before.

I will make Jacob and Jenna pay for killing my unborn baby!