Mira felt as like her uncertainties were slowly engulfing her, but her eagerness to talk to Lawrence overcame all of her restriction, and as a result, she traveled back to the home that she had previously thought she would never see again.

As soon as she entered the door, she was greeted with tranquility and quietude.

Even after being gone for close to two weeks, she was still nostalgic for every room in this house.

She was certain that the guy would be waiting for her on their terrace, which was Lawrence's favorite spot in the house.

Verifiably, she saw him drinking coffee and reading a book at the location in dispute.

As Mira gasped to get his attention, Lawrence turned around and faced her while looking at her with a blank expression on his face.

"What exactly do we have to do or talk about?"

"Have you already put your signature on the documents? Have you brought it with you to this place?" Right away, Lawrence inquired, cruelly cutting Mira off in the middle of her thought.

The words she wanted to say left out of Mira's mouth, and with them went all of her hopes and dreams for the future of their relationship.

Everything came crashing down all at once, and the shattered, jagged fragments came to puncture her, which caused her heart, which was already bleeding, to break into an uncontrollable sob.

Lawrence stepped up and gave her an elegant envelope with platinum embellishments before she could even take a second to recover her emotions before responding.

Even though she chose not to open it, she was well aware of what was contained inside it. Yet the revolting words continued to draw her attention, driving the knife farther into her heart.

"We would be honored to have you participate in the wedding of the decade," the invitation said.

Lindsey Campbell's name was the one that was imprinted next to Lawrence's, so Mira can't say that it was a fortunate chance.

They were surrounded by silence, and the only sounds she could hear were the shallow, labored breaths she was taking and the pounding of her heavy, pained heart.

"How is it possible for you to be so insensitive?" Mira's internal anguish and rage reached a point where she could no longer be contained.

She questioned in a voice that was shaking from the intensity of her feelings, "Is indeed the three years of misery in your hands not enough?"

Lawrence's eyes dilated in surprise, and a gap appeared between his lips as he expressed his astonishment.

“Really, huh? Why?"

"Just why? L-Lawrence, why are you engaged in each of these actions? Kindly explain the reason to me! Answer me Lawrence, why?" Mira had reached her breaking point at this moment, and she sobbed in front of him.

"Throughout the last three years, I gave up all I had for you because I cared about you so much. I have given you my love, my whole being, and every part of my body. So, why are you treating me like this, Lawrence?" Mira yelled at him and smashed her hand down on his chest.

Lawrence took her hands in his and gazed at her with a blank expression on his face. He gave her a little shove to get some space between them.

"Ms. Mirabel Saunders, I never once requested that you hand all of them over to me. I had already told you from the beginning that there was nothing you could do to make me love you more, and I adhered to my word. Now is the time to pack up all of your belongings since Lindsey will be moving in with me. After that, kindly expedite the delivery of the divorce papers to me." The statement was made by Lawrence without any trace of empathy.

Mira let out a wounded chuckle. How naïve could she be to believe that if they only had the proper chat, they might save a marriage that existed only on paper.

Lawrence was correct, and he had certainly made it quite plain from the very beginning that she was only a requirement that had to be fulfilled in order for him to get his fortune. As she had done the gravest sin possible by falling in love with him, she was solely to blame for her current state of wretchedness and she knew it.

"Well, it doesn't matter whether you toss away the last of the things I had since everything were bought by your money anyway." Mira spoke the statement in a mute tone without glancing at him.

Mira eventually turned around, but as soon as she took a step away from the home, she felt a searing agony in her stomach, as if her internal organs had been twisted.

She lowered herself to the ground and knelt there with her hands on her tummy, holding it as fiercely as she could as she felt her awareness slipping away from her.

But before she could do so, a figure she was acquainted with came sprinting towards her, his brown eyes, which have a hypnotic quality, looked at her with a great deal of concern.

The eyes of the guy whom she had sworn to love for the rest of her life, even in the event that he never loved her back for one second.

"L-Lawrence..."

*******

As Lawrence saw Mira fall to the ground, he felt a sudden jolt of pain in his chest, and his heart began to pound rapidly.

He had temporarily blocked out all of the hatred he felt for Mira, especially the incident in which she had taken the affection of his father that should have been reserved exclusively for him as the only legal child.

Throughout this whole period, he had the impression that Mira's body was nothing but dirt that she used to attract men and win them over, even his own father.

This was what he was led to think by his mother, and her comments completely clouded his judgment. But now as he was looking at her, he saw that her skin was dreadfully pale, and her collar bone was bulging in an unexpected way. This caused him to lose all of his thoughts.

This was the first time that he stared at her closely, staring at her without any greedy aim such as feeding his need, and he felt the uneasy sensation steadily increasing inside him. This was the first time that he gazed at her intently.

After putting the lady on his lap, he promptly phoned the number for the ambulance while his hands were trembling.

The ambulance came in a short amount of time, and the attending medical staff promptly placed her into the vehicle before evaluating her condition. While he kept his eyes on the fleeing ambulance, he could feel icy droplets of sweat gathering on his forehead.

He intended to go with her, but he was unable to proceed upon imagining Lindsey, his fiancée, showing a disappointment look in front of him.

Throughout the span of only one hour, his one and only love appeared before him, beaming with happiness. Lindsey extended an invitation to him for dinner, and when he accepted, a fleeting concern for Mira's well-being started to fade from his thoughts.

Following that, they went to Lindsey's house, and with every thrust he performed inside of her, the thought of Mira entirely disappeared. This continued until they were alone in Lindsey's apartment.

“Forget about that woman Lawrence,” he scolded himself silently while banging Lindsey harshly on his bed.

Mira opened her eyes to find herself in a strange room that had been painted with a sickeningly pale color.

She clutched her head and squeezed her eyes shut as she attempted to recall the reason why she was in that place.

After she came to the realization the predicament she was in, she started looking for him right once, but to her dismay, she couldn't find Lawrence anywhere.

She was quite upset about this. She's in the hospital and Lawrence abandoned her all alone.

Mira then put her hand on the top of her abdomen and pondered the source of the severe discomfort that had forced her to pass out.

"Was it because I have an ulcer in my stomach?"

When Lawrence left the divorce papers, which must have been the precipitating event, she began skipping meals on a regular basis.

Mira prayed to herself in silence that her health wasn't in a critical state so that she could leave this place sooner rather than later.

The door was flung open, and a lady in a white coat walked in with a wry smile that was full with compassion.

"Mrs. Wilson, how are you feeling? Do you still have discomfort in the bottom part of your abdominal area? By the way, my name is Dr. Carroll, and I work as an OB-Gyn at this medical facility." The woman's words were pleasant to hear.

"I feel much better, doctor. I am grateful that you have attended to my needs. May I know what just happened? Am I experiencing an ul-"

Mira was rendered speechless after suffering the sting of self-awareness. Suddenly, she felt a wave of extreme terror wreak destruction on the inside of her, and she saw that her vision was becoming cloudy once again.

The doctor broke into a comforting look as she realized that the patient had picked up on some aspect of her condition.

"Mrs. Wilson, you don't need to be anxious. Your baby, which was four weeks old and was still very attached to your womb when it was able to live. On the other hand, what occurred previously was a brief reprieve. If you had arrived at the hospital just a few minutes later, the life of your child would have been in deep trouble.”

“Your pregnancy is fragile, and as a result, you should take extreme precautions and refrain from engaging in intense physical activities as well as those that might be harmful to your mental and psychological well-being. You and your baby are both in excellent health as of this moment; nevertheless, in order to ensure both your and your baby's general wellness, you will need to comply with my recommendations and go through a series of check-ups over the following several months. If you'll pardon me," Dr. Caroll beseeched her goodbye and then departed, which completely disturbed her.

Mira was experiencing a wide range of feelings, but the one that stood out above the others was affection.

Although, her unborn baby was still in the beginning stages of its development and does not yet have a fully formed structure, her love for the baby was currently at an all-time high.

She believed that being pregnant was something she had to do simply out of responsibility, a link to keep Lawrence from leaving.

But now that she knew that a life was developing inside of her, she felt a surge of love inside of her; love that was greater than even her love for herself at the time.

Now, all she wanted to do was tell Lawrence, the man she loved, and the child's father, who would love her child the same way she would, about this wonderful gift. She was aware of how much Lawrence yearned to have a child that was his own, even if it's not with her

So this unexpected miracle that God had provided by giving her tresses in the midst of such desperation, she was certain that her circumstances would eventually improve. Her agonized cries will be replaced by tears of happiness at this point.

"I will do all in my capability to ensure that you, my child, would be happy and loved. That you will have a beautiful, loving and healthy family in its entirety." Mira did a happy little rubdown on her tummy.

Mira admitted to having an out of the ordinary amount of excitement upon waking up the next day.

It had been the first morning in what seemed like many years that she had woken up with such a strong desire to get started living, as if her life had all of a sudden discovered a new meaning.

When she glanced at her stomach with awe and adoration, she realized the primary reason for this inexhaustible source of happiness.

"Honey, it's been a while. How was your sleep." Mira greeted her unborn child, in a calming manner while devoutly stroking her tummy.

As both she and her baby were determined to be in stable condition after their medical evaluations, the attending physician had already informed her that she would be released from the hospital today.

In addition to that, another thing that made her happy was the fact that she would be telling Lawrence about this good news.

Mira immediately dressed herself up, and the hospital was kind enough to supply her with some comfortable clothing to wear.

Someone opened the door for her as she was ready to turn the knob to go, so she didn't have to. They did it from the outside.

And she had no idea that she would run into this person at this time.

"M-Ma'am Deborah? W-What in the world are you doing in this place?" Mira questioned in utter disbelief.

The old lady just fixed her gaze on Mira in question before moving on to take a seat without providing a response to the remark.

“Please take a seat woman. There's something really urgent I want to speak to you about." The serious statement was made by Deborah.

Mira obeyed her instruction unwillingly in the futile hope that this unpleasant and unnecessary discussion would finish more quickly.

"Well, let me get straight to the point, Ms. Saunders. Are you really pregnant?" Deborah inquired, raising both eyebrows in a questioning manner.

Mira was taken aback and silently thought, "How did she manage to figure it out so quickly?" Mira wanted to let Lawrence know the news before anybody else found out about her situation.

"Then, what exactly does it mean to you? You already knew That Lawrence and I will finalize our divorce soon. You have lost all authority to tell me what I ought to do and what not to do. You have no right to do so." Mira was able to respond in a bold manner.

Deborah gave her a sneering grin and looked down at her with an arrogant expression.

"You are fully aware that my son will soon wed the woman who has been the love of his life, correct? As his mother, all I ever wanted was for him to be happy, and I would do everything and anything in my power to remove any barriers that would stood in the way of his achieving that." She said, stressing each of the words that she had just pronounced.

"W-wait, what are you trying to say?" When Mira questioned it, apprehension began to develop inside her.

"Get an abortion on that baby." The wicked lady offered a snappy response.

In utter disbelief, Mira let out a startled shriek. Since that time, she was aware that the lady was a cruel person; nonetheless, what the woman had just stated at this very moment was completely unethical.

"Ma'am, are you quite certain that you are, in fact, a human being?" Mira spoke sharply.

"I take that you are a mother as well, right? How could you bare to speak such awful things without being sickened to your stomach and throwing up blood? I will protect my child and myself from your despicable behavior! I hope you languish alone in hell!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, infuriated.

The face of Deborah distorted in a manner that was both horrible and inexplicable, yet she was able to keep her lips shut while balling up her frail fist in wrath.

"Ms. Mirabel Saunders, I am going to make an exception for this matter, right this time. If that is what you want to do, I will accept to let you retain the baby as long as you fulfill one condition. Please sign the divorce papers right away so that my son may experience joy for the first time in his life. If you genuinely loved him, you would only want what is best for him, considering that he was shackled to a miserable life while he was in your care for three years.”

"Is that all Ma'am? Okay then, consider it as done. I will sign those papers."

The conversation was grabbed a hold by Deborah who have said, "I have another option for you."

"It may seem impossible, but I will assist you in healing your marriage to Lawrence in the chance, once you decide to get an abortion and begin a new life. If you do decide to do so, I have opted to assist you rather than continue working with Lindsey's family, thus I will end our cooperation. I will now allow you to live in peace together with my son, and you are free to decide whether or not you would want to start the process of having another child. I would even be willing to compensate you for the harm that I have caused." Deborah persuaded desperately.

Mira chuckled in a disrespectful manner as she thought, "Who does this aged witch think she was fooling?"

She was certain that her second proposal was nothing more than a childish plot that she had conceived up on the fly of the moment.

Her fear for the unborn child that was developing inside of Mira drove Deborah to the edge of madness.

She was petrified that the news that Lawrence was about to become a father might make his heart grow fonder toward Mira.

"Okay. Is that all? Are you done now? Did you really believe that I am such a dim-witted whore that you could deceive with poisonous sweet promises? I may well have finished at the top of my class, but I won't lie and say that the love I have for your son didn't save me from falling behind academically for those three years.”

“Nevertheless, given that I am a mother now, my baby gets priority over anything else, and the possibility of getting together with your violent son is no longer on my mind.”

“Today, I will sign the documents so that you may have peace of mind about the situation. I promise that I won't continue to be a bother to your family, so please don't bother my baby or me. If you'll allow me, Mrs. Wilson." Mira intoned her goodbye with a heavy heart but a triumphant feeling in her gut as she left the aged woman's lips in an awkward position.

She could feel the surge of courage coursing through her veins, the kind of gallantry that only mothers are capable of having in their efforts to save their offspring.

Mira kept her promise and brought the divorce papers to Deborah, who was fuming with rage as a result of the passionate talk that she and Mira had just had.

That was the first time that she had been insulted in such a manner, and the feeling of contempt that she was experiencing made her stomach churn.

Deborah furiously uttered, "Shameless! Ungrateful! A useless human being!" as she put Mira's name as the sender in the box that was to be delivered to Lawrence's workplace.

"You'll certainly pay big time for this, bitch!"

After that, she made the call to his son's lovely fiancée. Deborah welcomed her with a smile and said, "Hey, sweetie! Where are you?"

Lindsey's enthusiastic response on the other end of the line to her future mother-in-law's call was, "Hello mom, I'm here at the flower shop. I am selecting flowers to be used in the wedding decorations."

"Oh dear! You shouldn't worry too much about things like that. The wedding planner should be allowed to perform her job."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. The wedding is a momentous event, and I want everything about it to go off without a hitch." Excitedly, she stated her opinion.

"By the way, Mother, did anything take place that I need to be aware of?"

"All right, I have some news. One is excellent, while the other is not quite as good. Choose the one that you would like to hear first from the options." Deborah stated pleasantly.

"Then, I'll have the good news first, mom!" Lindsey smiled with excitement.

"Well then, if that's the case. So the divorce papers were already signed by Mira."

The woman on the other line yelled, "Oh my goodness!" when she heard what the other woman had said. "Oh my goodness, I'm going to cry, Mom."

With exasperation, the elderly lady spoke the following phrase: "I don't want to burst your bubbles yet, but I have another bit of news, right? It was the unpleasant one. So?"

Due to the awkward pause that ensued between them, it can safely be assumed that Deborah has already revealed everything.

"Are you serious with that Mom? Mira is pregnant?"

"Mom, no! No fucking way!" Lindsey let out a wild shriek, which caused the elderly lady to recoil in disdain.

After that, Lindsey engaged in some melodramatic behavior, seeming to be on the edge of losing it.

"Settle down, remain calm, would you?" The subdued tone of Deborah.

"I had already confronted her, and she swore that from today, she would never again bother you and Lawrence," she added.

"Don't let it affect you at all, my sweetheart. I will personally see to it that all of the necessary arrangements for your wedding are made in a timely manner. Absolutely nothing or anybody could stand in the way of that, and if they do, I would do all in my power to wipe them out." The determined grasp that Deborah had on the phone as she made her pledge was clear.

“No one will going to ruin your wedding with my son, Lindsey. Remember that!”

Most people say that the most genuine and untainted love was that of a mother to her child, and Mira was finally able to witness to the truth of those words.

Throughout the past, she allowed Lawrence to be the center of her life, even though he became the mere reason why she almost ruined herself.

During the course of three years, her love for him caused her to neglect her own affection for herself. She relied on Lawrence as her only source of strength for three years because she was under the impression that if she was away from him, she would be nothing but a helpless mess.

Yet today, because of a miracle that occurred in the middle of her suffering, because of the loss of everything she loved the most, Mira has regained her importance as a mother and her capacity to be resilient.

Now, she was prepared to take on the world and to give up everything in order to provide her baby with the maximum level of protection and love that she was capable of giving.

And it will begin with her departure from Oakwood, the city that served as Mira's domicile for the rest of her existence.

She made some of her most treasured memories here, but she ultimately had no option but to leave in order to protect her unborn child from her wicked ex stepmother, Deborah, who was wandering in the same area.

Mira was going to go to a city where the last friends she can trust are located in order to begin a new life far away from the people who may endanger her unborn child.

"Mirabel?" A guy in his late twenties stuttering while gently inserting his eyeglasses onto the bridge of his nose

When Mira first gazed at the crystal blue eyes hidden by the thick glasses, she couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the time she'd spent with the guy. She couldn't help but smile nervously.

"Who are you talking to, Erick?" In the background, a lady could be heard screaming, and then they heard fast footsteps heading in their way. After then, the lady let out a high-pitched scream from her lips.

"Mira!" Elise yelled out in horror as she wrapped her arms around Mira and hugged her so tightly that the latter was unable to breathe.

"I miss you." Elise welcomed with a great deal of eagerness, her blue eyes sparkling with sincerity as she did so.

Even though Mira had gazed into those orbs many times in the past, she still found herself submerged in her ocean eyes, the same eyes that her brother, Erick, had.

Mira's voice was trembling as she spoke since it had been so many years since she had last seen them. "I miss you too," she said.

To be precise, three years had passed since she last saw them, her real friends.

"I'm relieved that your beast of a spouse has finally given you permission to socialize with other people." Elise muttered.

"Have you been driven to Valenciana Estate by him from your residence? Oh my goodness, that awful person just went without even saying goodbye to us, is that right? Did the sight of our faces really make him sick to his stomach?" Elise inquired with displeasure in her tone.

Mira dropped her gaze downward because she was at a loss for the appropriate things to say.

She felt guilty that everyone, including Erick, was waiting eagerly for her reaction when he could have been working in the hospital.

Once Elise had gained a better understanding of the issue, they were both speechless for a while. "Mira, no way. Don't, I mean... Don't tell me...."

As Mira held her once again, Elise was unable to complete her sentence because Mira started weeping in her chest.

Unexpectedly, a large and warm hand patted Mira on the back and softly stroked it as he attempted to console her in the most effective manner he was able to.

There, Mira let her tears to run freely while giving thanks to God that finally, there were someone who could console her in her agony, someone with genuine kindness, and not only the ghost of her father who she assumed to be consoling her.

"What was stopping you from coming here sooner?" Elise stated this as her eyes were filled with tears and her heart was breaking out of compassion for her dearest best friend.

Mira explained everything with them, beginning on the day that they were supposed to be celebrating their third wedding anniversary.

She informed them about Lindsey Campbell's approaching marriage to the man she would soon be divorcing, as well as the imminent dissolution of their marriage.

Yet the piece of information that really astonished them was that she was pregnant and that Deborah ordered her to have an abortion.

"Mira, we could have fought off those monsters and protected you from harm. You are not or no longer fighting this war on your own. You have me, Erick, our family. Please, never forget to keep it in mind." Elise wept out of concern.

"Forgive me, Elise. I am really sorry. I have faith in both of you, okay? Yet, I am aware that both of you are quite busy with your personal life, specifically Erick, since he is responsible for the daily care of a large number of patients. Since it is no longer only about me, but also about my child, I need to suppress my ego in order to avoid becoming another strain for you to bear. I don't want to add to the responsibilities that you already have." Mira murmured something under her breath as she averted her gaze from their cold blue eyes.

"Come on, Mirabel. We wouldn't ever consider you a nuisance, particularly now that you are expecting a child." The voice of Erick, which was steady yet commanding, reached her ears.

"Live with us for as long as you want, and I promise that I will do everything in my capability to keep you and your child safe," he added with assurance.

After making that statement, Erick immediately turned his back on them and walked away hastily while clenching his fist.

Mira moved in the direction indicated by the guy in her vision, her chest tightening with the knowledge that despite the lapse of so much time, the man still cared deeply for her.

Lawrence, after learning that the Erick had pursued her throughout their time together back in the university, was the one who stopped her from getting together with them because of Erick.

If only Lawrence knew that she had never shown Erick any affection in return since from the beginning; she had always her mind made up that she would marry Lawrence.

She used to get a lot of criticism from the other women because they couldn't understand why the college heartthrob would want to be with someone as worthless as her.

"You know, well, I'm sorry that Erick is behaving in this manner, but I have no doubt that he is upset because of what happened to you. And certainly, I promise that I will never consider you a nuisance. You may definitely remain with me for the rest of your life. I think having a lovely godchild dancing around my home the entire day would be a lot of fun." Elise advised her to have a more positive attitude.

Mira stated this to Elise while she was still crying and hugging her. "I do not even know how I could repay you both, but I will certainly compensate you eventually," she murmured between her sobs. "I will definitely pay you someday."

*******

"Congratulations Miss Campbell and Mr. Wilson. I shall hope that the two of you are blessed with a long and happy life together."

An employee of Wilson Corporation expressed their gratitude while toasting with a glass of champagne inside the imposing headquarters of the company.

Deborah made the decision to have a party inside the corporation after she received the divorce papers that had been signed. She wanted to indicate that the union of Wilson and Campbell would be taking place very soon.

Lindsey reacted with a charming smile while tenderly putting her head on Lawrence's shoulder.

"Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Let us all work incredibly hard and cheerfully for this firm," she said. On the other hand, Lawrence did nothing but grin while drinking his alcohol.

"Would you mind if I joined in on the enjoyment, Mr. Wilson?" Erick appeared out of nowhere and trespassed his way into the business hall where the party was being hosted.

As Lawrence finally comprehended who the invader was, he twitched uncontrollably.

This saintly physician upset him for reasons he was unable to comprehend, he has indeed been furious. And the fact that this guy had previously loved Mira and had even made attempts to pursue her, ignited the flames of his rage.

It's not that he had feelings for Mira, but the fact that so many guys were interested in his property made Lawrence very annoyed.

"Doctor Rogers! Why are you even in this place? As you may have seen, Mira is not present, and I do not currently have responsibility for her." Lawrence inquired in a controlled manner, despite the fact that he felt the want to punch the guy in the face.

"Yes, Mr. Wilson. I am aware of that, for sure. I know because I am now responsible for her safety," Erick said.

The impassioned claim being made by Erick caused Lawrence's eyes to bulge out of his head in astonishment. "How could you stand to have pleasure with some bitch while your wife was suffering all by herself, huh?"

"What? Me? A bitch? Wow! When did you have the audacity to call me that? Security!" Lindsey let out an angry yell at that point.

"Give me a moment to do this before I divide you into bits, you terrible serpent." Lindsey became paralyzed because of Erick's sudden threat.

"Heck people, I gave up on her in the past because I believed that you were the only one who could really bring her happiness. I believed you were better than me since she picked you, but now, looking at you Mr. Wilson? And as she sobbed in my arms, I realized that you are a lousy person, husband, and even father! You don't even deserve to be one, as a matter of fact!"

As Erick yelled, everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing and listened at them. Yet Lawrence was the one who was most taken aback, as seen by the way his chest was heaving as a result of the strain.

In order to protect herself from whatever the guy could divulge next, Deborah drew the security guards towards Erick herself.

She was terrified that Erick would reveal that she had attempted to terminate Mira's pregnancy in order to silence her.

As a result, Erick was forcibly taken away from the premises. Lawrence was left in a state of confusion because of Erick's words

"I think you're being taken in by that man's bluff, son." A shaky giggle came from Deborah. "

He must be crazy with Mira, since that's the only explanation for why he came up with those reasons, right?" She continued, doing her best to conceal her anxiety while saying, "But he has to be glad that that dirty disgusting lady is now completely his!"

Deborah trembled as a result of Lawrence's severe look, which he directed towards her mother. "Mom, I don't know, but it's possible that's the situation. Pardon me. I have to go the washroom. Please excuse me."

After making his point clear, he hastily planted a peck on both of Lindsey's cheeks before proceeding.

“But why do I feel, Erick was telling the truth?” Lawrence whispered to himself as we strolled his way outside of the building.

“Mira, why do you keep on bothering me.”