Chapter 5
I shook my head frantically.
Impossible.
No matter what, those were Liam’s own flesh and blood too.
“What exactly are you saying?” I whirled around to face Zoey’s smug expression.
Seeing my face, pale as paper, Zoey looked even more pleased with herself.
You tell me.”
You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?”
That’s right, exactly what you’re thinking.”
Liam promised me he would never have children with you.”
So your babies were never meant to survive.”
The moment my suspicions were confirmed, my heart felt like it was being crushed in someone’s fist. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe.
f Liam truly didn’t want children with me, he had plenty of options.
nstead, he let me get pregnant again and again, suffering the pain of miscarriage each time.
This man, who took an oath to save lives as a doctor, deliberately harmed the babies in my womb.
the realization that I’d shared a bed with someone so cruel for three years sent a violent shiver through me. Cold sweat soaked my back.
Riley, you’re so pathetic. Just like your useless mother,” Zoey said, looking at me with contempt.
f my lost children were my eternal pain, then my mother was the thorn forever embedded in my heart.
Back then, if Zoey’s mother hadn’t inserted herself into my parents‘ marriage, my mom wouldn’t have developed depression and ultimately jumped to her death.
Now Zoey was deliberately twisting that thorn deeper.
Anyone else could mention my mother, but Zoey had absolutely no right.
n that moment, I snapped.
slapped Zoey’s smug face as hard as I could.
The sound cracked through the air as her head jerked to the side.
Coey stood there stunned, holding her cheek, staring at me in disbelief.
After a long moment, she finally found her voice.
‘Riley Parker, you actually hit me.”
‘Damn right I did,” I replied, my voice cold as ice.
Meeting my fierce glare, Zoey visibly shrank back, angry but too intimidated to say more.
Then suddenly, Zoey completely changed her demeanor. Clutching her red, swelling cheek, she let tears stream down her face and asked in a wounded voice:
“Why would you hit me, Riley?”
Her expression changed so fast it was like watching someone flip a switch.
“RILEY!”
A furious voice thundered from behind me.
Liam..
I let out a cold laugh. Of course,
Liam rushed to Zoey, examining her cheek like she’d been shot instead of slapped, his eyes practically dripping with concern.
Zoey cranked up the waterworks.
“Liam, don’t blame her. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have upset Riley,” she whimpered.
Classic Zoey–playing the delicate victim just like her mother taught her. Sobbing prettily, looking so small and wounded.
Liam’s face hardened. When he looked at me, his eyes were razor blades.
“Apologize. Now,” he ordered.
His voice hit like ice water.
This version of Liam was completely foreign to me. Like I was looking at a stranger wearing my husband’s face.
But then it clicked–this was the real Liam. The sweet, loving husband had been nothing but theater.
Behind him, Zoey shot me a look of pure victory, her eyes dancing with triumph while her lips trembled for show.
If anyone should apologize, it’s Zoey,” I said coldly, staring at the stone–faced man in front of me.
‘Riley, you’re the one who hit her.”
What’s happened to you? How did you become so cruel? You know Zoey just had surgery. Her body can’t handle any stress right now.”
IN
Liam’s eyes were filled with nothing but disappointment as he looked at me.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.