Chapter 3
What I didn’t expect was for Brandon and Jenna to follow me to the restaurant. My client hadn’t arrived yet, but the two of them sat down across from me like it was perfectly normal. I stared at them in disbelief before cutting straight to the point. “I’m meeting with Mr. Anderson from Gem Technologies.” Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Did Mr. Anderson say he didn’t want to see me?” I kept quiet and didn’t argue. After all, Brandon was still my boss. During the meal, Johnson Anderson instructed his assistant to open a bottle of expensive wine. I frowned, remembering what the doctor said when I scheduled the abortion. “You’ve already had one miscarriage from the car accident, and your uterus was severely damaged. The fact that you’re pregnant again is a miracle. If you lose this baby, you may never get another chance.” I pressed my lips together, about to politely decline the wine when Jenna chimed in with a sweet smile. “I’ve heard Sylvia can really hold her liquor. Can’t wait to see it in action!” She looked wide-eyed and innocent like she had no idea what she was doing. My expression went cold as I asked her, “Who told you that?” Jenna’s smile froze, and she glanced nervously at Brandon. “Did I say something wrong again?” Brandon patted her on the head and turned to me, his tone icy. “Sylvia, it’s just a glass of wine. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” A chill crept through me. Meeting his indifferent gaze, I forced a smile and spoke clearly. “Mr. Louis, I can’t drink. Because I’m pregnant.” Everyone at the table froze. Jenna was the first to recover. She quickly masked the look in her eyes, standing up to raise her glass to me. “Congratulations, Sylvia!” As she brought the glass to her lips, Brandon immediately stopped her. “Jen, you’re pregnant too. No drinking.” For once, Jenna didn’t listen. “No, I have to! Ever since I joined the company, I’ve upset Sylvia so many times. This drink is my apology!” She grew more emotional with each word, tilting her head back and downing the wine in one go. Her face flushed red instantly, and she started coughing violently, tears welling up in her eyes. Brandon’s face twisted in frustration as he shot up from his seat, pointing at me. “Is this what you wanted? Only someone as gullible as Jen would fall for your lies! If anything happens to our baby because of you, I’ll never forgive you!” I barely looked at him, my voice flat. “Do whatever you want.” I turned to Johnson, muttering a quick apology before heading out the door. Brandon’s voice followed me, full of anger. “Sylvia, I’ve had it with you! You’ve got a problem with everything Jen does. If you can’t deal with her, maybe we should just get a divorce!” That caught me off guard for a second, but I quickly shrugged it off. We’d been married five years, and in all that time, he never once made our relationship public. Now, just to make me back down to Jenna, he was finally admitting it. I stared at his face, handsome but distorted with fury, and nodded. “Alright. Let’s get divorced.” Without another word, I walked out. After leaving the hotel, I called my divorce lawyer. Mid-conversation, a sudden blinding light flashed in front of me. A car was speeding straight toward me, out of control. Panic shot through me, my legs went weak, and I stumbled backward. Just when I thought it was over, the driver slammed the brakes, swerved, and sped off. I was left sitting on the ground, shaken. A girl passing by rushed over to help me. Her hand barely touched my waist when she gasped. “Oh my God! You’re bleeding so much!” I looked down in a daze, finally noticing the large pool of blood spreading around me. At the hospital, the doctor asked me to contact a family member. I clutched my phone, staring at Brandon’s number for a long moment, before deciding to call my lawyer instead. I couldn’t forget the license plate on that car–it was the same as Brandon’s. We’d chosen that number together.