"Liora,who gave you permission to bring strangers into this house?"

Edward hurriedly grabbed the clothes off the floor and wrapped them around the panicked Callista.His entire face was clouded with simmering anger.

Liora remained composed.Without even lifting her head,she pulled out the property deed and handed it to the locksmith.

"This is my house.If you’re in such a hurry to get into bed but don’t want an audience,maybe try a hotel next time."

Callista’s face burned with shame.Tears welled up as she shot to her feet and bolted barefoot toward the door.

Edward yanked her back,his expression growing darker as he glared at Liora.

"This is my home.I make the rules.Someone get her out of here!"

Liora had not expected that Edward would actually order someone to rip her clothes and throw her out into the street just like that.

The icy rain cut through her like knives.

Her injuries tore open again and within minutes,she was shivering with fever.

Through the haze,Liora’s mind drifted to a rainy day five years ago.

Her car had broken down right before a major performance.

That day,Edward had shown up like a hero,wrapping her in his coat and carrying her through flooded streets to the venue.Not a single drop of rain had touched her.

His expensive suit had been soaked and filthy,his umbrella always tilted toward her.

Even during their five years of marriage,he was still the same.

If there was so much as a puddle in their path,he would carry her over it.

Now,everything was different.

Shaking off the memories,Liora forced her thoughts back into the present.

She pulled out her phone and,without hesitation,listed the house she had shared with Edward for sale.

But just as she hit confirm,bright headlights blazed toward her.

She instinctively stepped aside,only for the car to speed up and veer in her direction.

Crash!

Her frozen,weakened body was flung violently into the air.

As the world spun around her,she caught a glimpse of Callista behind the wheel,chin held high with a smug,victorious smile.

When she finally crashed to the pavement,there was nothing but excruciating pain and a blur of fading consciousness.

Somewhere in the distance,voices murmured,someone calling an ambulance,someone trying to contact her emergency contact.

"Hello?Is this Mr.Gravemont?The owner of this phone has been in an accident and…"

A cold,familiar voice cut him off mid-sentence.

It was Edward.

"Liora,what kind of stunt are you pulling now?Admit you were wrong,apologize to Callista and I’ll send someone to pick you up…"

Beep.Beep.Beep.

Liora groaned at the noise.She did not know where the strength came from,but she grabbed the phone and ended the call herself.

Soon,she was rushed to the hospital.

On the operating table,as the anesthesia began to dull her pain,her mind grew a bit clearer.

The doctor approached her and handed her a liability waiver to sign.

"I’ve reviewed your medical records.You previously lost a healthy,late-term pregnancy,which caused significant trauma to your body.This time,due to the car accident,you’ve had another miscarriage.There’s a high possibility you may never conceive again…"

A healthy baby?

Liora’s entire body suddenly went rigid.She could not hear another word the doctor was saying.

Her mind spiraled back to that moment of how happy she had been when she first learned she was pregnant and how devastated she was when Edward told her the baby had a deformity and had to be terminated.

But now,this doctor said it had been a healthy child.

Shock and disbelief surged through her like ice water.Her entire back stiffened and her teeth began to chatter.

Off to the side,another doctor let out a quiet sigh.

"Some people today are so careless,ending a pregnancy just like that,on a whim."

"I remember a similar case from about five years ago.Same name,actually.Her husband was some kind of artist.I think he couldn’t handle the idea of stretch marks on her belly,so he told her the baby was deformed just to convince her to get an abortion..."

Boom!

It felt like a bolt of lightning struck her.

Liora’s body shook uncontrollably.

The woman the doctor mentioned,the one with the same name,was clearly her.

Liora suddenly remembered how,during her pregnancy,Edward would wake in the middle of the night,frowning,muttering about how the baby was giving her stretch marks and how she was no longer fit to be the wife of an artist.

He would not even touch her belly.

At the time,Liora had simply assumed he was just adjusting to impending fatherhood.

But now,knowing that Edward had essentially killed their baby just because of her stretch marks,everything seemed like a sick joke.

How blind had she been to believe this man ever loved her?

Soon,the anesthesia kicked in fully and Liora’s consciousness slipped into darkness.

When she woke again,a familiar face appeared before her.

Liora snapped fully awake,grabbed whatever was within reach and hurled it at him with all her strength.

"Get out!"

She shot up in bed and screamed from the pit of her stomach,her fury so fierce that her nerves felt like they were tearing apart.

Her sharp nails slashed across Edward’s arm without hesitation as if she wanted to claw him open.

This time,Edward did not retaliate.

"Liora,I’m sorry,I’m so sorry…I didn’t know you were pregnant…"

He did not seem to care how crazed she looked.He pulled her tightly into his arms,his voice low and shaking with panic.

"Liora,don’t worry.I promise you,we’ll have kids together in the future.No,you’ll have kids with my brother."

"I just got word that he didn’t die in that mudslide.I’ll bring him back soon."

No.

He could not come back.

Edward Gravemont’s accounts were being erased.In a week,everything between them would be over.

Liora stared blankly at nothing,thinking silently.

Still,she said nothing.

In the days that followed,Edward stayed by her side,doing everything he could to act responsibly and caring.

However,Liora did not respond to any of it.

She ignored the cheerful gifts he brought and refused every kind of nourishing meal he tried to give her.

"If you really want me to recover quickly,then start by sending Callista Ravenshade,the real culprit,to jail,"Liora said coldly,curling her lips with disdain.

But Edward,as always,deflected with the same tired excuse."I already told you that the driver who hit you was an old drunk.He’s been arrested.He’s the one truly responsible."

If Liora had not been absolutely sure she saw Callista behind the wheel,she might have believed him.

But since he insisted on protecting Callista,she said nothing more.She simply turned her back to him and refused to engage.

Still,Edward remained by her side every day,taking care of her personally.He only relaxed once she was out of critical condition and finally arranged for bodyguards to watch over her instead.

Liora welcomed the change.She no longer had to look at the face that now made her sick to her stomach.

She could not tell anymore if the happiness of the past five years had ever been real or just a series of carefully crafted lies and betrayals.

Just as Liora thought the days would drag on like this until she was discharged,Callista suddenly showed up,still as arrogant as ever.

"Liora Wrenford,you see?God’s on my side.So what if you were pregnant?You couldn’t even keep it."

"Even after Ed found out I hit you,he still found a scapegoat to take the blame for me."

"Now the only heir he’ll ever have is the baby growing in my belly."

Callista smugly stroked her stomach,parading it in front of Liora like a trophy.

"Every night,Ed spends time with me.He talks to the baby,rubs oil on my belly and showers me with gifts.He is terrified I’ll get upset and harm the baby."

"Guards!Throw her out,"Liora said calmly,not even looking up.She addressed the bodyguards stationed at the door.

Callista’s face turned ghostly pale at that.With a sharp glare,she slammed the food container she was carrying down onto the table.

"Who dares touch me?"

The guards hesitated,exchanged uncertain glances and then stepped quietly out of the room.

Callista smirked,triumphant again.But beneath that smugness was something darker,malice and cruelty.

She opened the food container and,with a calculated flick of her wrist,aimed the scalding-hot porridge at Liora.

"Oops…Ouch!"

The feigned gasp of surprise cut off instantly,replaced by a real,piercing scream.

Liora had seen it coming.She dodged just in time,grabbed Callista’s wrist mid-motion and redirected the splash.

The boiling porridge landed squarely on Callista’s arm.

"Callista!"

Hearing her scream,Edward burst through the door.

Callista immediately burst into tears,playing the victim first.

"It’s all my fault,Ed.Liora was already in a fragile state after the miscarriage.I shouldn’t have brought her porridge,but it must have seemed like I was showing off that my baby is still healthy."

Edward rushed to check Callista’s burn,clearly distressed and quickly called for the doctor to treat her.

Then he turned to Liora with a frown,his expression darkening.

"Liora Wrenford,don’t even try to push your luck."

"If you hadn’t tried to throw Callista out…if you hadn’t exposed her in front of others,none of this would’ve happened.The baby might’ve survived."

He spoke as if she were the one at fault.

Liora let out a cold laugh."Get lost."

Callista’s eyes welled up with fresh tears.

"Don’t blame Liora.Even though she planned to abort her pregnancy…maybe if I’d moved out sooner and hadn’t upset her,there would’ve been a small chance her baby could have made it."

"What do you mean,abort her pregnancy?"Edward’s eyes narrowed,his voice sharp.

Callista blinked,then glanced at Liora with a deliberately provocative look,though her tone remained sweet and innocent.

"I overheard the doctor say that Liora had scheduled an abortion a few days ago.She never planned on keeping the baby in the first place."

The moment the words left her mouth,Edward lost control.His eyes reddened and he grabbed Liora by the neck.

"Liora,how could you be so heartless?That was your own flesh and blood!"

"If Callista hadn’t told me,would you have kept this secret forever?I’ve never seen a woman so cruel!"

He was panting,shouting,his grip on her throat tightening with every word.

Liora’s vision began to blur,but even as her breath caught,she managed a cracked,bitter smile.

Cruel?

And what about letting her abort a healthy child just because of a few stretch marks?

However,Liora said nothing.She only stared at Edward calmly,like she was watching a stranger.

"Whether or not I wanted that baby…has nothing to do with you,dear brother-in-law."

The final word,drawn out and deliberate,struck him like a slap.Edward froze.His breathing stalled and his hands fell away from her neck.

Liora quickly pulled back and put distance between them.His expression darkened with humiliation,but he could not get a word out.

Given his current legal identity,he was technically her brother-in-law.

If he tried to argue,it would all come out.

Callista stepped in at just the right moment.

"Don’t be mad at Liora,Ed.She’s just had a miscarriage.Her body’s still weak.If she didn’t like the porridge,I’ll go back and make another one right away."

Edward saw Callista being so considerate and when he thought of the child she was carrying in her womb,his expression softened slightly.

His lips pressed into a firm line and his gaze flickered as he looked at Liora.

"There’s no need to make a new one.She has no right to reject the porridge you thoughtfully prepared."

"Go ahead and feed it to her."

"Let go!Ugh!"

Liora glared at the bodyguards surrounding her,her eyes fixed on Edward and Callista as they walked away,her jaw clenched with rage.

But the porridge was still forced down her throat.

"Ugh!"

After finally breaking free,Liora staggered to the sink,her body trembling in distress as she retched uncontrollably.

However,the seafood in the porridge immediately triggered a severe allergic reaction.

Red rashes began to spread rapidly across her skin and her face and throat started to swell,her breathing becoming more and more labored.

Just then,Callista,who had already walked out,suddenly turned back with a sneer.

"Wrenford,do you like the gift I prepared for you?"

"Hmph,I don’t even need to lift a finger to deal with you.But Liora,I want you gone.I want you dead,so you’ll finally give up your place beside Edward completely!"

As she said this,Callista deliberately scratched her own belly with her fingernails without a moment’s hesitation.

"Liora,I shouldn’t have told Edward that you wanted an abortion…please,I’m begging you,not my child!"