Chapter 4
When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.
A nurse was giving me an IV drip.
The doctor told me that I had been overworking myself and that my emotional stress had led to an accidental miscarriage.
I was stunned. My hand instinctively went to my flat belly.
A small life had quietly come and gone. It knew it wasn't wanted and slipped away without a sound.
The kind man who brought me here had even bought me some food.
He awkwardly introduced himself, saying, "I'm Ross Castaneda. I'm not a bad guy. I live in the same complex as you. I saw you collapsed by the road with tears all over your face when I was taking out the trash. I'm sorry. If I had called an ambulance sooner, maybe your baby could have been saved."
"Thank you. It's not your fault," I replied.
The real culprit should be at home right now, laughing at me.
Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. I opened the surveillance camera app at home and pulled up the footage from a few days ago.
On the day I left, Devon was busy in the study.
But he wasn't working. He was playing video games with Marisa.
He said, "Why should I care if her mom died? It's such a remote village. I couldn't care less about going there.
"This works out perfectly. She already lacks love; she'll cling to me even more.
"She wouldn't dare get mad at me. If I just walk away, she'll have nothing."
The moment I had stepped out, he had immediately invited Marisa over.
When I was around, I did all the housework.
But in these few days, he had taken the initiative to sweep the floor, cook, and even wash Marisa's underwear.
Each scene mixed with Devon's words wrapped around my heart like a thorny net.
The pain made it hard to breathe.
I was lacking love, which is why I fell head over heels for Devon and chased him for six months.
I could set aside my little temper for him, learning to be the perfect wife while juggling work and taking care of him.
I loved him deeply, but even that kind of love couldn't withstand this kind of trampling.
My mom and my child...
These two closest to me, connected by blood, had shown me the truth.
Someone like Devon didn't deserve my love.
After finishing the IV drip, I made up my mind.
I would leave Devon forever.
Chapter 5
I went to the lobby to pay my bill.
In the crowd, I spotted Devon with Marisa by his side.
He was helping her with her medicine, being all careful.
"The doctor said there might be scarring. Luckily, I'm not like Candy. If she got hurt, it would be a never-ending drama," Marisa said.
Devon said, "Marisa, you're so understanding. If only Candy had half your senses... Now I regret marrying her."
I walked up to them and coldly said, "Maybe the one who should regret it is me."
In the years I spent with Devon, I lost more than just a bag of sandwiches.
I lost my child, my career, and my future.
I lost myself because of Devon.
"Candy!" Devon exploded when he saw me. "Are you done yet? Making a scene at home wasn't enough; now you come to the hospital and make a fool of yourself? You hurt Marisa, and I'm just here to help her bandage up. What's wrong with that?"
"Candy is like this. Luckily, I've always been more like a man, without those annoying traits," said Marisa.
Devon's face darkened further. If it weren't for the number of people around, he would have yelled at me just like before.
"This is enough. So what if we ate your sandwiches? You burned Marisa's hand," he said.
Mentioning Marisa's injury made Devon look distressed.
Since my mom got sick, I had been running back and forth between home and the hospital.
Once, I accidentally fell down the stairs and broke my leg. When I called him for a ride to the hospital, he complained and refused to help.
He even blamed me for getting hurt on purpose instead of cooking for him properly.
"Devon, who is she to you? When my mom was sick, you weren't so filial," I said.
"Shut up!" Devon's forehead bulged with anger.
"Devon, I'm fine. I'm not some delicate girl. I just burned my arm. Just help me out for a few days, okay? Don't fight with Candy," Marisa chimed in.
Devon glared at me. "I meant to let this go if you just apologized. But you're being unreasonable. From now on, Marisa will stay at our place, and you'd better take care of her until her burn heals.
"You're no longer fit to be my wife. You're just a maid now. So what if you lost a bag of sandwiches? If Marisa wants anything to eat, you better figure out how to make them.
"Otherwise, I'll kick you out. See if you can survive without me."
His hurtful words didn't stir any emotions in me anymore.
My love for him had already vanished along with my mother and child.
I remained indifferent.
I said, "Let's get a divorce."
I didn't want to say anything more.
The constant blows and bad news had exhausted me.
I just wanted to go home and rest. I would deal with everything after sleeping.
But when I reached home, I was shocked by what I saw.