Chapter 582 Miscarriage Night: Serafina, Can't You Be More Understanding? 2
Serafina turned her face away abruptly.
She couldn't bear to look at him now, couldn't stand the sound of his voice. Deep down, she knew the baby would have been lost regardless of the accident, but Jacob's words had cut deep, piercing not just her heart but exposing the loveless marriage they shared.
Yes, a marriage without love.
That time he'd given her a necklace and whispered sweet nothings—the kind couples exchange—she'd foolishly believed there was genuine affection between them.
How naive she'd been.
Jacob had spent six years with someone else, his childhood sweetheart. Theirs was merely a union of convenience, of mutual benefit. To think she'd imagined room for real feelings... Looking back, she realized she'd been not only naive but greedy.
Never again. Never.
Jacob crouched beside her and gently took one of her hands. The miscarriage had left her palms ice-cold.
Serafina tried to pull away from his touch.
She attempted to withdraw her hand, but Jacob held firm, enveloping her delicate fingers in his broad masculine grip. When he spoke, his voice was thick with anguish. "Serafina, I'm sorry."
Serafina continued to weep silently.
After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke, her voice distant. "Jacob, losing the baby wasn't your fault. Even if you'd made it back in time, we couldn't have saved it. Go attend to your business. I'm fine—I'll recover in a few days."
As she finished speaking, the pain in her chest became almost unbearable.
She didn't blame him for losing the child.
What she couldn't forgive was his pretense of affection when there was none, the way he'd given her hope only to snatch it away. Weren't her feelings real? Wasn't her heart as soft and vulnerable as anyone else's?
Slowly, she turned to face him, gazing at him quietly.
"Jacob," she whispered, her words seemingly coming from nowhere, "when you watched me falling for you, what were you thinking?"
Jacob remained silent.
He couldn't deny it.
He'd known Serafina harbored feelings for him, and he'd invested just enough time and attention to deepen that affection until she willingly agreed to bear his heir.
Now, they both understood the truth.
Jacob buried his face in the crook of her arm, his voice as rough as sandpaper. "I'm devastated about the baby too. But we're young—we'll have other children."
Serafina stared blankly at him.
A ghost of a smile crossed her lips.
Yes, they would have other children.
As they spoke, hurried footsteps echoed from the doorway.
"Serafina."
Lila and Isadora had rushed to the hospital.
They'd only just received the news. Lila had been hoping Serafina would give birth to a boy, and now she'd suffered a double blow. Still, she mustered her spirits to comfort Serafina: "You and Jacob are still young. You'll have more children."
Serafina didn't want to upset Lila or disappoint her, so she didn't argue.
She simply continued to weep.
Today she'd lost not only her child but also the man she thought had loved her.
In Jacob's heart, she realized, she was nothing.
Isadora, her biological sister, was the one who truly understood Serafina. Though Isadora had never married or had children, she recognized her sister's pain. Serafina had always been content with little, rarely ambitious or grasping.
Night fell.
The hospital lights flickered on, harsh white beams illuminating the building inside and out, as if lighting the path for the departed child. Raindrops still fell from tree branches, adding a mournful whisper to the silence.
At the end of the corridor, Isadora gazed at Jacob—the golden boy standing opposite her.
When Isadora finally spoke, her voice was barely recognizable. "Jacob, I told you from the beginning that my sister was more than good enough for you. Her heart was untouched—she'd never been in love before. But you, Jacob—someone died in your heart long ago!
"Don't tell me Serafina's devastation is simply about losing the baby. It took you two hours to get to the hospital. Where were you? Still discussing your cases, your projects, your business deals? Have you ever truly considered Serafina your wife, or is she just a breeding machine to you? Or perhaps a pawn to help you balance things with Nicole?"
Isadora's eyes reddened. " If you don't love her, why deceive her? You're a bastard."
Jacob stared at her.
He turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled a white cigarette from his pocket, and placed it between his lips.
As he reached for his lighter, he spoke in a low voice, "Isn't that how most marriages work in our circle? Isadora, didn't you pursue Avery for your own advantage? Didn't you sleep with him?"
He gave a soft, derisive laugh. "Who among us is truly noble?"
Isadora's chest heaved with emotion. "How can you compare the two? Avery and I had no marriage contract. What we did was mutual."
Jacob took a drag from his cigarette. He glanced sideways at Isadora, his voice growing even more detached. "And where did my marriage contract with Serafina come from?"
"Isadora, beyond my needing a wife, wasn't it your own greed? Serafina probably didn't care about the Penrose family fortune. She has a job to support herself—and with your abilities, you could easily provide for your mother. But you weren't satisfied. You wanted to fight Ronan to the bitter end, so you delivered Serafina to me. Isadora, we're cut from the same cloth."
Isadora's face turned ashen.
Outside, the downpour had ceased, leaving the trees glistening with moisture.
Jacob had vanished at some point.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned around hastily to see a familiar, handsome face. The man resembled Jacob somewhat—they were cousins, after all—but there were differences. Jacob's features were more refined, more aristocratic, while Avery's appearance exuded a stronger sense of raw masculinity.
"Avery," Isadora murmured.
Two days later, Serafina was discharged from the hospital.
The household staff tiptoed around her, mindful of her emotional state after losing the baby. With Sarah and Lila regularly sending over tonics and supplements, Serafina's physical recovery progressed rapidly.
Yasmin quietly reassured her: "Mrs. Windsor, you've almost fully recovered. In a few months, you can give Mr. Windsor a healthy baby boy."
Serafina offered a faint smile.
During these days, she'd made up her mind and had discussed it with Isadora. She wanted a divorce.
Tonight, she would talk to Jacob about it.
Recently, Jacob had been coming home early, arriving before seven to dine with Serafina and even watch some television before retreating to his study to handle business matters. At night, he would hold her close, just like a loving husband would.
Serafina knew this was temporary.
Once she was sufficiently consoled, he would again prioritize his work, becoming unreachable for days, not even answering his phone. In the past, she might have cared, but now she was indifferent to these gestures of false affection.
Yes, false affection!
Since he didn't love her, everything he gave her was merely charity.
A cobalt blue vase sat on the dining table, one Serafina had specifically purchased. Previously, she would gather fresh flowers from the greenhouse daily to brighten their home, but she hadn't felt that simple pleasure in quite some time.
As they finished their meal, Serafina spoke softly. "I need to talk to you about something."
Jacob, not thinking much of it, replied casually, "I took a call for you this morning. It was Floyd, asking when you'd return to work. Do you two usually keep in touch?"
Serafina had no desire to elaborate. "Just professional contact," she said.
Jacob nodded.
After dinner, they went upstairs—Jacob to his study and Serafina to her embroidery room.
She shouldn't have been doing needlework while still recovering, but she needed the tranquility. Only when embroidering did she find inner peace, though even now her mind wandered.
She removed the delicate chain from her neck and held it in her palm.
She stared at it for a long time, until her eyes burned and ached.
Jacob had considerable work to complete and didn't return to the master bedroom until nearly dawn. Serafina had left a reading lamp on, and though she lay in bed, Jacob knew she wasn't asleep.
As he walked to the closet for his robe, he asked casually, "Did you want to discuss returning to work?"
After a long pause, Serafina's voice came from the bedroom, "Jacob, I want a divorce."