Chapter 3
Luna walked out of the restaurant alone, but the driver who had brought her there was nowhere to be found. She tried calling a taxi, only to realize her phone battery was dead. With no other choice, she started walking home.
It was late autumn and the night was freezing cold. Her coat was still at the restaurant and she was only wearing a thin shirt. Shivering, she hugged herself tightly as she walked the streets.
By the time she got home, it was already two in the morning.
She looked at the familiar front door, but she had no strength left to open it. Her vision went dark and she fainted by the roadside.
When she woke up again, she was lying in a hospital bed.
Luna looked around the room and when she noticed Morgan walking in, she quickly closed her eyes again and secretly pressed the record button on her phone.
He wasn’t alone. Violet came in with him.
Clinging to his arm, she smiled sweetly and said, “Morgan, you haven’t come to see me for days. Oh, so Luna is sick again? Did she have another episode?”
Morgan frowned and replied in irritation, “Stop talking nonsense. Luna just caught a cold.”
Violet gave a mocking laugh. “I thought she went crazy again after that scene the other night.”
“You’re really patient, Morgan. After she embarrassed you like that, you still won’t leave her. If it were me, I would’ve sent her to a mental hospital long ago.”
Morgan suddenly grabbed her by the neck and said coldly, “You have no right to talk about her. Even if she’s crazy, she’s still the legal wife of Morgan Elwood. No one insults her.”
Violet’s lips curved into a bright smile. “What about me then? Don’t forget, I’m the mother of your child.”
He stared at her for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her. “I know…”
Right beside Luna’s hospital bed, the two of them kissed passionately. When their desire reached its peak, Violet even pinched Luna hard on the arm.
Luna bit her lip so tightly, forcing herself not to make a sound.
An hour later, Morgan finally pushed Violet out of the room. “Don’t show up in front of Luna again.”
She only shrugged and pinched his waist playfully. “Morgan, let’s play a little game, hmm? I put some pollen in your wife’s tea. If you make her drink it, I’ll give you a big surprise tonight.”
Luna’s heart nearly stopped upon hearing that. She was severely allergic to pollen. Even a small amount could close her throat and stop her breathing. And Morgan knew this all too well.
He frowned, about to say something, but Violet had already walked away, swaying her hips as she left.
When she was finally gone, Morgan turned back to the room, only to see Luna struggling to sit up.
He rushed to her side. “Luna, you’re still sick. Don’t get up. Tell me what you need, I’ll take care of it.”
Luna said nothing, quietly leaning back against the headboard.
Feeling uneasy, Morgan rubbed his nose. “Did the noise just now wake you up?”
She smiled faintly. “No, I just feel a little thirsty.”
Relieved, he picked up the teacup from the table and brought it to her. He noticed a faint dusting of powder floating inside and his hand trembled slightly.
Luna lowered her eyes and said gently, “The tea’s a bit cold. Could you get me a new one?”
Morgan hesitated for a moment, then smiled as he replied, “It’s still warm. It’s fine to drink now.”
With that, he lifted the cup to her lips.
At that moment, a sharp pain struck her chest. Morgan… after I drink this tea, everything between us will end.
She looked at him deeply, then slowly took a sip.
Morgan sighed in relief and patted her back gently. “Don’t go back to sleep yet. I’ll get your medicine. The doctor said you should take it right after waking up.”
She watched as he mixed her allergy medicine with other pills before handing them to her.
Morgan thought it was just ordinary pollen, but he didn’t know Violet had lied. She had also added rosemary extract, something even more dangerous for Luna. Together, those were more than enough to kill her.
Moments later, her face twisted in pain. She couldn’t even speak and struggled to breathe, her hands grabbing Morgan’s shirt with all her strength.
He looked at her red face, confused. “What’s wrong, Luna? Are you okay?”
She nodded desperately, forcing out a hoarse whisper. “Doc… tor…”
But he didn’t catch what she said and frowned. “Could it be an allergy? That doesn’t make sense…”
Just as he was about to call a doctor, his phone rang. It was Violet calling.
Luna was already close to losing consciousness, so she couldn’t hear what they said anymore.
Morgan glanced at her and thought, She’s in the hospital, so she’ll be fine.
Then he walked out to take the call.
Luna felt her hope slipping away as her vision blurred. Perhaps… she wouldn’t even live long enough to get divorced.
Luckily, a nurse making rounds later found her collapsed and managed to save her in time, but the baby she had been carrying couldn’t survive.
The child she had longed for was gone, killed by his own father.
When Luna was finally discharged and went to pick up her medication, she ran into a young boy about seven years old with eyes that looked painfully similar to Morgan’s.
The boy, resisting a nurse’s attempt to give him a shot, accidentally bumped into her stomach.
“Get out of my way! Who told you to stand there?”
Morgan, who had been chasing after the boy, froze in place when he saw Luna standing there.
Chapter 4
The little boy ran into Morgan’s arms, crying loudly. “Daddy, that bad lady hurt me. Please hit her for me!”
He wailed so hard it sounded like something terrible had happened.
Before Morgan could even respond, Violet rushed over and scooped the boy up. “Ian, what’s wrong, sweetheart? Why are you crying like that? Tell Mommy, who hurt you?”
Ian pointed at Luna and sobbed, “It was her. She pinched me. It really hurts!”
Violet turned to her with tears in her eyes and said, “Luna, I know you hate me. You can hate me all you want, but Ian is innocent. He is just a child. Why would you take it out on him?”
Luna frowned. “I didn’t do anything.”
Violet gave a bitter smile. “He’s only three, Luna. He can barely talk properly. How could he lie, especially about something like this about my own sister?”
More and more people gathered around, whispering and judging Luna.
“I heard his mom call her ‘sister,’ so that’s the boy’s aunt? I’ve never seen such a cruel aunt before.”
“Just look at her. She doesn’t seem like a good person. Maybe she’s jealous of their happy family and took it out on the boy.”
“Shame on her. Poor boy, having an aunt like that.”
Each whisper felt like a knife stabbing deeper into Luna’s chest.
She suddenly remembered how Violet once made the whole class against her, spreading lies that made everyone hate her. Even breathing became painful.
Trying to stay calm, Luna looked at her half-sister and said coldly, “When you were three, you fell down the stairs and blamed me for it. Why wouldn’t your son learn to be a liar from you?”
Violet froze for a moment before shouting in anger, “Who are you calling a liar?”
Morgan shot her a warning glance, silently telling her to stop, then turned to Luna. “Luna, he’s just a child. Kids don’t lie.”
Luna stared at him, disbelief filling her eyes. “So, you think I would lie? You think I would just hurt a child for no reason?”
The man frowned again. “That’s not what I meant. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. Maybe you had… one of your episodes again and didn’t even realize it.”
“Luna, can’t you just make things easier for me? Why didn’t you stay in your hospital room and wait for me to come back?”
Luna let out a quiet, bitter laugh and held up the bag of medicine in her hand. “Wait for you? What about my medicine? You never came back last night after you left, remember?”
Guilt flashed in his eyes upon hearing her answer.
“I’m sorry, Luna. I didn’t mean to. Something urgent came up at work and I had to go deal with it. I was wrong, yes, but I promise, once this is over, I’ll come back to stay with you and never leave again.”
Luna looked at him and then at Violet, already knowing the truth. There had been no urgent work, of course. He had gone to see her half-sister.
Just then, Violet secretly pinched her son hard. The boy burst into loud tears again.
Morgan immediately pushed his wife aside and rushed to them. “Ian, what’s wrong?”
The boy clung to his leg tightly, crying harder. “It still hurts. Daddy, don’t leave me. That bad lady glared at me again!”
Morgan frowned and turned back to Luna. “Luna, he’s just a child. Why are you acting like this?”
She let out a small laugh. “Acting like what? He just called my husband ‘Daddy.’ Am I not even allowed to look at him?”
His face instantly grew tense, but he still held the boy tightly. After thinking a moment, he finally said, “Luna, I told him to call me that because… because he is our child.”
Luna froze, completely confused, but then Morgan brought the boy even closer to her face.
“I adopted him from the orphanage. Luna, we’ve been married for years and still don’t have a child. Maybe it’s fate. So, I thought we could adopt one. It’s the same thing.”
“I know you’ve been sad about not having kids, but now you don’t have to be. You can be a mother without the pain. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Ian, come on, call her Mommy.”
The boy looked at Luna, then suddenly slapped her across the face while crying. His little nails scratched her skin.
“I don’t want a bad woman as my mommy. Sobs!”
She touched her cheek and stared at the blood on her fingertips.
However, her own husband pretended not to see it. He and Violet both tried to calm the boy down. Ian kept crying, sticking out his tongue at Luna, pretending to gag.
Violet suddenly gasped. “Oh no, what’s happening? Luna, what did you do to him?”
Morgan gave his wife a complicated look, then turned and carried Ian away, leaving Luna standing alone as everyone around her continued to blame and insult her.
Chapter 5
Morgan was gone for three days. He didn’t even show up when Luna was discharged from the hospital.
When she got home, she only planned to grab her documents and leave. The evidence she had gathered was enough to prove her husband had been cheating. She wanted to contact her uncle, find a lawyer and make sure Morgan walked out of this marriage with nothing.
But as soon as she stepped through the door, her eyes fell on two unfamiliar pairs of shoes by the cabinet, one pair of women’s heels and one tiny pair of children’s sneakers.
Her heart sank. And before she could even move, she heard two familiar voices from the living room.
“Morgan, when are you taking me and Ian on that trip abroad? I’ve been waiting for so long.”
“Daddy, let’s just forget about that mean lady, okay? I only want to live with you and Mommy.”
Luna couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. So, now she wasn’t even “Aunt Luna” anymore. Her husband had completely become their family.
Expressionless, she walked inside and saw the three of them sitting close together, looking like a happy family.
Violet noticed her first. She lifted her chin proudly and silently mouthed, “You lost.”
Luna barely glanced at her. Without a word, she continued walking.
Morgan finally noticed her and quickly pulled his hand away from Violet’s. “Luna, you’re back?”
She gave him a faint smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your time.”
He frowned. “That’s not what I meant. You should’ve called me so I could pick you up.”
She smiled bitterly as she replied, “You’re always so busy. I didn’t want to bother you.”
There was a trace of annoyance in his voice. “Luna, must you talk like that? Ian had a fever a few days ago and I’ve been taking him to the doctor. That’s why I haven’t had time for you. Are you really upset over a child?”
“Anyway, since we’ve decided to adopt Ian, it’s better for him to stay here from now on. You weren’t home these past days, so Violet has been taking care of him. He’s gotten attached to her, so it’s better if she stays too.”
Even though she had expected it, hearing it from his mouth still made her heart ache.
She could only force an insincere smile. “Fine. Whatever you say.”
However, her calmness only irritated him more. “Then it’s settled. The room next to ours will be for Ian and Violet. That way, I can check on the boy easily.”
Luna’s chest tightened in pain. That room had been prepared for the baby she lost before she was even born.
She rushed upstairs, but when she saw the destroyed children’s room, she gasped. “What happened here?”
Violet gave a mocking smile, pretending to look confused. “Wasn’t this room abandoned? I thought it was unused, so I redecorated it for Ian’s playroom. Morgan said it was fine.”
He nodded carelessly. “It’s just a room for a kid, Luna. Ian likes it, so why not let him have it?”
Finally, Luna couldn’t hold back her anger anymore. She shouted, “What do you mean, ‘just a room’? That was Yasmine’s room. How could you take it away from her?”
Then she rushed inside, searching desperately. “Where’s Yasmine’s photo? What did you do with her picture? Give it back to me!”
Ian was frightened by her sudden outburst and started crying loudly.
Morgan hurried to stop her. “Enough, Luna! That baby was never even born. It was just an ultrasound photo! Why are you making such a scene? You’re scaring the kid!”
At that moment, Violet gasped dramatically. “Oh no, I told the maid to throw out some trash earlier. Maybe she tossed it out by accident.”
At those words, Luna ran outside in panic.
Morgan tried to stop her, but Ian clung to his leg tightly.
Violet quickly said, “Don’t stop her. She won’t calm down until she finds it herself. Maybe let the maid help too. But… if someone sees her like this, it might hurt your reputation and the Elwood Family’s image.”
Morgan thought of how his wife had been acting lately, annoyance flashing in his eyes. “Forget it. Let her go. Don’t bother with her anymore.”
Then, with Violet in his arms, he turned and went back to their room.