This Is War

William Parker is a mafia boss. Everyone knows that I'm his weak spot.

When I was abducted back in the day, he gave everything he had—including his gun—and ran the risk of being shot to get me back.

To keep me from being bullied or mistreated, he's constantly toeing the line between the authorities and the underworld.

After I fall pregnant, he's by my side around the clock and doesn't even let my feet touch the ground.

Rumor has it that he has a secret lover that he dotes on to no end, but I've never believed it… until she appears before me to challenge me.

William slices one of his fingers off to beg for my forgiveness. The very next day, his secret lover throws a pregnancy test in my face. "Will's so desperate to knock me up that he can't keep his hands off me—I can't take it anymore!"

"Mrs. Parker, the doctor already mentioned that you have a high risk of miscarriage. With how worked up you were, there's no way we can save the baby now. It's gone.

"Mr. Parker's going to be angry. He's wanted a child for ten whole years."

After William Parker's lover, Emily Harris, left, I got furious—so much so that I had a miscarriage.

My best friend, Isabelle Brooks, drove me to the hospital. She comforted me the whole way there, terrified that I would be unable to get over what happened to the baby.

She was the only one who knew how badly I wanted to have the child. The baby had been all I cared about ever since I got pregnant. Since I was at high risk of miscarriage, I had stayed home for the past few months of the pregnancy, taking prescriptions every day for the sake of the child.

William had been so excited that he cried when he found out I was pregnant. He declared that he would never forgive anyone if they made me angry and caused me to miscarry. However, he ended up being the one who caused all of this.

All I could think about was how his lover had shown up to provoke me.

The day before, she had come to me and shown me a video of the two of them being intimate. I watched as she was spoiled to no end, then casually sent a voice recording of the entire conversation to William.

He had rushed over immediately and beaten Emily up to the point that she couldn't even stand straight. In the end, it was his subordinates who had to drag her away.

I showed him the video of him and Emily. Through tears, I asked, "Are all the rumors true?"

Right then, I thought William was filthy, and I didn't want him anymore.

William, however, got onto his knees before me. Before I could even react, he grabbed a knife and chopped off the little finger of his right hand, admitting his guilt.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie. I betrayed you. Forgive me just this once, won't you? Please, Stephanie."

We had been in love for ten years. Of course, I couldn't bear to see him like that, so I agreed to give him another chance.

That day, however, Emily came looking for me a second time. I stared at the marks on her neck and the pregnancy test report she had thrown in my face, and it felt like William had stabbed me in the back.

That was when I realized what William had meant when he said he would "deal with Emily."

William and I had been together for ten years before we finally conceived, and I had countless fantasies about what it would be like after we had children. I had already set my dignity aside and forgiven him. All I asked was that he didn't do it again. That was it.

With the child gone, everyone in the hospital thought I would be weeping over it. On the contrary, my voice was oddly calm as I said, "If it's gone, then… so be it."

I told Isabelle to help cover up the fact that I had a miscarriage and booked a cruise tour bound for Stanhert.

When I got back, the house was filled with the scent of corn soup. When William noticed I was home, he brought some soup over to me, cradling the bowl carefully. It seemed he was still unaware that Emily had come looking for me that day.

"Where did you run off to? You're pregnant, so just rest at home, okay? If there's anything you need, just let my subordinates take care of it," he nagged.

I stared at the gentle look on his face, trying to find any trace of guilt in it. Instead, his calmness just made me feel sick.

Seeing the cold glare I sent his way, he dropped to his knees with a thud, acting nothing like the domineering boss he was in public.

"Don't be mad at me, okay? If anything happens to the baby, I'll lose my mind, Stephanie.

"You know you're the only one I love. If I ever lost you, I wouldn't be able to handle it. I've already told someone to throw Emily into the river. I promise this won't happen ever again."

Then, he showed me a video of his subordinates flinging Emily into the river. His right little finger was still bleeding, too. Unfortunately, his humble show of sincerity was nothing more than a pathetic act.

Even then, William was still trying to fool me. Was he trying to rip my heart to pieces?