Chapter 2
Harvey was stumped. His lips parted, but not a single word came out.
The crowd, consisting of elites and their families, were so stunned that they were speechless. The air was thick with tension.
Suddenly, a baby's cry sliced through the silence, jolting everyone. Marilyn quickly took the baby in her arms and calmed him down.
Then, she turned to me, shouting, "You're insane, Sadie! What right do you have to come and harass my son when you're already divorced? If you have any shame, get out of here right now. You wouldn't want to offend one of the officials here and end up in jail, would you?"
Nancy also jumped in to reprimand me. "Divorced or not, you can't just assault someone in public! And technically, you assaulted a police officer!"
As soon as the crowd realized who I was, the whole room erupted into chaos. Everyone started yelling, saying I should be locked up and taught a lesson.
I frowned and grabbed Harvey by the collar, ready to ask him how I had gone from being his wife to an ex-wife. But before I could speak, Chelsea slipped into his arms and flashed me a tearful look.
"Sadie, why are you doing this to us? Harvey has already divorced you… Why won't you just let us go?"
Her tears fell like water from an unfastened tap. "It's all my fault. Maybe I should just give Harvey back to you…"
At that, Harvey's expression turned cold. He could barely suppress his fury as he snapped at me, "Sadie, how many times must I repeat myself to you? I'm never getting back together with you, so stop harassing us! Get out of here before I lose my patience. I don't have time to deal with your nonsense."
With a wave of his hand, he beckoned over a few officers, who rushed toward me and dragged me out by force.
I struggled, stumbling backward, and accidentally bumped into Marilyn. The moment I caught a clear look at the baby in her arms, I felt my world shatter.
The baby, whom everyone called Chelsea's, was my firstborn son, Skyler Lowe. He was the baby I endured seven hours of labor for—the one I was told had died three months ago.
And Harvey… He had told me that he personally cremated our son.
I couldn't breathe. A sharp pain tore through my chest as the truth hit me like a truck.
Harvey, that bastard, had faked our son's death, just so he could hand him over to Chelsea!
"Give me back my baby! Give me back Skyler!"
I clenched my jaw so tight that my teeth ground together.
Without hesitation, I snatched the baby from Marilyn's arms and shoved her aside. I gently rocked the crying baby, my own tears falling uncontrollably as I held him close.
Chelsea panicked. She ran toward me, crying, as she tried to pull the baby from my arms.
"He's not your baby, Sadie! I know Skyler died, and it broke you. You lost your mind and kept clinging to Harvey even after the divorce so that he could give you another child…
"Still, I pitied you! I tolerated everything and gave you space to grieve, but that doesn't mean you can take my baby! Please, I'm begging you—let us go. I'll even divorce Harvey if that's what you want. Just give me back my baby!"
At her words, Harvey's face twisted in agony.
He gripped Chelsea's shoulders and roared, "Chelsea, stop! We're not getting a divorce. Don't even think about it! No one—and I mean no one—can tear our family apart!"
"And what about me?" I screamed.
I watched as the two clung to each other and poured their hearts out. I pointed at my pregnant belly and stared straight at him.
"I'm carrying your second child, Harvey! How dare you cheat on me right to my face and turn me into your ex-wife? Don't you have any shame?"
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked away, avoiding my eyes.
Chelsea's tears, however, fell even harder. She acted like she was the victim and turned to the guests, crying out loud.
"I'm so sorry you guys have to witness this. This is Harvey's ex-wife. She went mad after losing her baby. She kept clinging to him, asking for another baby.
"After being turned down multiple times, she went out and found some thugs to… get her pregnant on purpose… Since then, Harvey's only ever checked in on her out of pity.
"But now, she's trying to say he's the father of her baby and threatening to break up our family…"
A gasp rippled through the crowd as Chelsea's words added fuel to their fury.
The group of socialites sneered. "She ticks all the boxes for a psychotic witch. Somebody do something! Kick her out!"
I soothed the baby in my arms and let out a cold laugh. My gaze was icy as I turned to Chelsea.
"Acting all moral when you're the real witch, huh, Chelsea? Should I remind you how much a bag of your blood is worth these days?
"You took three million dollars from me, then crawled back to me on your knees, begging for a secure job. That was you, wasn't it?"
Her face grew paler with every word, but I didn't stop.
"What, is Harvey not paying you enough for keeping you on? Is that why you came back to ruin my life? You're just a cheap homewrecker pretending to be the legitimate wife. Are you not ashamed of yourself?"
Before I could say more, someone shoved me, almost knocking me over.
Chapter 3
Marilyn shrieked, "You're the homewrecker who destroyed my son's family!"
My back slammed hard against the wall, and a sharp pain tore through my belly. Before I could react, the baby in my arms was yanked away and handed to Chelsea.
Then, the officers stepped forward, bristling with righteous anger. "Yeah, everyone in the precinct knows Harvey and Chelsea are together."
"If Chelsea hadn't provided us with useful leads, allowing us to close many major cases, Chief Lowe wouldn't have been promoted so quickly."
"You're just an ex-wife who only holds him back. Maybe you should be ashamed."
Providing useful leads? Closing major cases and being promoted?
It was ridiculous—I was the one who helped Harvey achieve all of that.
So not only had Chelsea stolen my title as Harvey's wife, but she had also taken all the credit for my work. Harvey had probably done it to give her a leg to stand on.
But why did I deserve this?
"You need therapy, not another baby. Sabotaging the chief's marriage is a criminal offense as well!"
"You harlot. Stop pretending to be Mrs. Lowe and ruining our party. Chief Lowe is too kind for his own good. If I were him…"
Harsh sneers and bitter whispers filled the air around me.
In the midst of the chilling atmosphere, I looked pale and weak as I faced the man who had put himself on a pedestal.
"Harvey…" I muttered weakly. "Why don't you tell them exactly how you got your position as chief?"
His fingers curled tightly. He turned toward me, a rare flicker of resentment gleaming in his usually indifferent eyes.
I laughed. "You said being at the front line was too dangerous, that you didn't want to risk your life and just wanted a safe post in the back. I agreed.
"After our engagement, you said your rank was too low and that you didn't feel deserving of me. So, I begged my father on your behalf.
"You complained that the cases were complicated and too hard to crack, so I worked day and night to give you leads. And now, this is how you repay—"
"Enough!" Harvey roared.
Striding over, he gripped my neck, his eyes bloodshot. "Stop with all of this nonsense! I got to where I am today purely because of my own effort. What does my success have to do with a piece of trash like you?"
A sharp pain shot through my neck, and the suffocating pressure made my vision go black. My face flushed and darkened with the strain.
The more determined I looked, though, the more furious it made him.
The high-ranking officials and socialites nearby seemed to catch on to something and started whispering among themselves.
A cold glint flashed in Chelsea's eyes as she saw the unfolding scene. She clutched the baby and dropped to her knees before me, sobbing.
"Sadie, I usually just ignore your crazy ramblings, but not today! You'll only ruin Harvey's future if you spew such nonsense at a place like this. Please, I beg you, stop this madness!"
She crawled forward and began hugging my leg as a plea for mercy.
Shocked, Harvey released my neck and bent down to help Chelsea up. In that split moment, she clung to my foot and flung herself into the distance.
She let out a scream, crying, "Fine, Sadie! Just kick me to death!"
Chaos ensued immediately. I barely had time to react before Harvey hysterically slapped me across the face. "Know your place, Sadie!"
My right cheek throbbed painfully. I was ready to counter with a backhand slap, but Marilyn kicked me from behind. Caught off guard, I stumbled into the antique display shelf.
As I collapsed to the floor, a searing pain shot through my belly and lingered. Then, a pool of blood formed between my thighs. Within seconds, my lower body was drenched red.
I sat in the crimson pool, feeling the agonizing pain in every inch of my body. It was as though I were falling apart.
"My belly… Harvey… I'm in pain…" I muttered, reaching a hand out toward him for help as tears glistened in my eyes.
Yet, the next second, Marilyn's figure filled my vision. She came forward and stepped on my hand, crushing my bones.
"Stop pretending, you witch! My son is not someone you can threaten!"
Tears blurred my vision. My lips quivered as I forced out a plea. "I'm not pretending… Take me to the hospital, Harvey…"
Harvey didn't even turn around to spare me a glance. Instead, he fussed all over Chelsea, carefully checking up on her.
"I've had enough of you, Sadie!" he spat out cruelly. "I don't care what else you have to say. Just apologize to Chelsea now! You're always using the baby as an excuse. Did you think I'd fall for it again?"
With that, he finally turned around and saw the blood pooling beneath me.
The disgust on Harvey's face dissolved instantly, replaced by fear. He knew exactly who I was, and he sure knew he couldn't stand by and do nothing.
I met his gaze as he became increasingly panicked.
Fighting through the agony, I forced the words out through gritted teeth. "Listen up, Harvey! If anything happens to our baby, you'll be our child's murderer! My family will make the Lowes pay! Now, take me to the hospital!"
Chapter 4
Hearing the genuine indignation in my voice, the high-ranking officials began doubting themselves.
"Hold on… That woman's not actually the legitimate wife, is she? That would make Chelsea the homewrecker… No wonder they hid the news of their wedding!"
"Just check out the way Harvey looks at her—he looks guilty! Maybe the baby is actually his…"
The chatter in the living room grew louder, making Harvey's already guilty face flush shades of red.
As I felt the baby's heartbeat growing faint in my belly, I knew I couldn't afford to argue with them anymore. All I wanted was to get out of there quickly.
"Look at me, Harvey! All you have to do right now is give me Skyler and send me to the hospital. As long as the baby's fine, I promise you I won't hold it against you. We'll file for divorce—amicably."
As soon as I said that, Marilyn smashed a wineglass on my head. The glass shards tore into my cheek.
"Shut your mouth!" she screamed. "Why would anyone listen to a psychotic witch? Get this straight—Chelsea is my only legitimate daughter-in-law, recognized by law!"
With that, she rummaged through Chelsea's bag, pulled out a brand-new marriage certificate, and proudly showed it around. Then, she let out a sneer and smacked the certificate in my face.
The whole room gasped, then quickly turned against me, calling me a crazy woman.
When I finally stared at the marriage certificate, bearing not my name but Chelsea's alongside Harvey's, my head spun, a buzz filling my ears.
I couldn't help but laugh.
At last, I understood why he was always worried and refused to let me move back into the villa all these years. It turned out I had been the mistress this whole time.
It appeared Chelsea had pursued Harvey and won him over way before I did—before I became the fool.
My laughter grew louder with each breath. My body jerked violently as I forced myself to spit out some blood from the bruising. The crimson pool beneath me only became more unbearable to look at.
Harvey visibly shuddered. He pushed Chelsea away and reached out to touch my belly. "S-Sadie… I didn't…"
Seeing that he was on the verge of wavering, Chelsea knew she had to do something. Her gaze turned vicious as she pointed at the pool of blood.
"Sadie, the color of your blood looks weird. You didn't actually use a fake blood bag to try and get back at Harvey, did you?"
She choked out with the perfect amount of feigned pity, "Please stop, Sadie. Think about your baby…"
Then, with the child in her arms, she leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "I bet you didn't know—I was the one who gave birth to Skyler. I only swapped him with your baby so you could raise him for a few months. As for your actual son… Well…"
She trailed off with an evil smile.
A ringing filled my ears, and my whole body froze as I stared at the baby in her arms. He was Chelsea's son? Then, what about my son?
As I snapped back to reality, I went wild and lunged toward her, clawing at her. "What did you do to my son, you witch? Give me back my Skyler! Give me back my baby!"
With feigned terror, Chelsea yelled out for help, "Harvey, she's trying to kill me!"
Still, she couldn't hide the scheming glint in her eyes.
"What the heck is wrong with you, Sadie?" Harvey's expression shifted from guilt to hatred. He pried Chelsea away from me and kicked me in the stomach, causing me to collapse against the wall.
A stabbing pain shot through my lower body, making more blood gush out than before. It felt as if a pair of hands were gripping every nerve cell inside me and my gut were being torn apart.
What hurt even more was that amid the crimson mess, I heard Harvey saying the vilest words with the most twisted look on his face.
"You hurt Chelsea and left me with no choice. Guys, rip off her clothes! I want to see just how many blood bags she's hidden underneath!"
I coughed violently, my mouth stained with blood as I shouted in anger, "You wouldn't dare, Harvey!"
"Watch me!"
As soon as he said that, his subordinates jumped in and forcefully tore away at my clothes.
"You shameless witch. You had this coming after crashing the party and harassing Chelsea!"
I could feel many hands wandering across my body.
"Get away from me!"
Pain, shame, humiliation, and despair enveloped me like never before. I screamed, my voice hoarse, "I'm the daughter of Zephyr Walker! He's the commissioner of the National Security Agency!"
Yet, the crowd merely broke into a wave of laughter.
Nancy scoffed. "Do you take us for fools? Everyone here knows Commissioner Walker only has a son. Since when did he have a daughter?"
"Stupidity is a disease. Just hand over all the blood bags! Did you think we were actually interested in your body?"
A few other officers chimed in with visible disdain.
"I didn't know mentally ill people could lie so well."
"If you're Commissioner Walker's daughter, then I'm the king of the world!"
The baby's heartbeat became increasingly faint in my belly. I struggled with all my might and yelled, "You scumbags! I really am—"
Harvey covered my mouth the next second. He peered down at me, his eyes full of warning. "No, you're not. Commissioner Walker would never have a deranged daughter like you.
Considering you're still yelling and all, I guess you're actually fine. Okay, hurry up! Get those blood bags out and lock her up in the basement! That should teach her a lesson!"
The others sneered lecherously.
My thin summer shirt was ripped open with a sharp tear, exposing my skin. I gritted my teeth, clutching the last piece of cloth covering me. However, their large hands still crawled all over my body.
My heart sank straight into an abyss.
As the last glimmer of hope seemed to die out, a cold, commanding voice rang out firmly, "Stop what you're doing! Don't even think about laying another finger on my daughter!"