Chapter 3

I stared coldly into his eyes and answered one word at a time.

“I threw it away.”

Those rings came from the time when Ethan had loved me most. He had nearly died rescuing me from kidnappers, suffering a broken rib and a stab wound.

Yet he had still taken a piece of bone removed during surgery and used it to make us a pair of rings himself.

He had said I was his missing rib. Only with me was his life complete.

How ridiculous.

His grip on my wrist tightened until he practically ground the words out through his teeth.

“You threw it away? Well done, Nancy. Well done!”

His expression turned murderous. He made a call without taking his eyes off me.

“Freeze all of Mrs. Carter’s assets. No one is to give her a cent! And…”

His lips twisted into a cold smile as he spoke clearly in front of me.

“Take Sophie’s trust fund and transfer it into Noah’s name!”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Ethan! Don’t you dare!”

He flung my hand away and pulled Chloe against him, sneering.

“Watch me! Nancy, this is what happens when you defy me. Did you think throwing a tantrum would make me give in?”

“Since you refuse to register Noah as your second child, Sophie’s trust fund will serve as compensation!”

I was shaking with rage. Behind me, my daughter was still asleep, exhausted by her fever.

Not only had I failed to protect her shares, but now he was taking her trust fund too!

Chloe furrowed her brows and pretended to reason with him.

“Ethan, that money was left by Nancy’s mother…”

He stroked her face tenderly. Every word stabbed into my heart.

“You’re right. Money from a dead person would be a bad omen for Noah’s first birthday. Let’s donate it to… Fairview Hospital.”

I hadn’t known I could scream like that.

Bodyguards held me down. My eyes burned, and I nearly bit through the inside of my cheek as I cried out.

“Ethan! You can’t… You can’t do this! You know Fairview Hospital killed my mother!”

I had spent countless days and nights drowning in the pain of losing her, even after making those responsible pay a terrible price.

Even as Fairview Hospital struggled to survive under the Bennett family’s relentless retaliation, I still hated it!

Ethan knew all of that. Yet he could still do this!

I sobbed so hard my body convulsed, my throat closing until I couldn’t breathe.

Through my tears, I thought I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

But then Chloe spoke, her voice sweet and delighted.

“Really, Ethan? You’re so good to me. You remembered that’s where we first met.”

With that single sentence, every ounce of love and hatred inside me shattered.

I heard Ethan hesitate for two seconds before comforting her with a smile.

“Of course. That’s where we fell in love. I’ll make sure Fairview stays standing forever, just like our love.”

My daughter woke behind me. Frightened by the scene in front of her, she quickly began to cry.

Ethan had already left with Chloe without a shred of mercy. His final words were:

“Let’s see how long you can hold out, Nancy!”

It felt as if my heart had been crushed.

He was forcing me to acknowledge that filthy product of his affair. Forcing me to swallow the humiliation of being betrayed by two people I had trusted!

As my daughter’s small, soft body fell into my arms, I received a call from the private investigator Dad had hired.

“Ms. Bennett, our investigation has uncovered something. The car crash you were in five years ago, during your pregnancy, wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate!”