Chapter 3Sunk the Boat, Never to Meet Again

His last ounce of patience evaporated.

“Get some rest. I’ll come back to check on you later.”

He left quickly. As the door clicked shut, I heard Tessa’s concerned voice from the hallway.

“Gideon, is she okay?”

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to bring the medicine.”

Gideon’s voice immediately softened. “It has nothing to do with you. She’s the one who can’t let it go.”

I stared at the ceiling as a single tear escaped, sliding down my temple and disappearing silently into the pillow. I thought I had cried myself dry in the days after Jamie died, but it seemed I was wrong.

The next day, a driver took me back to the Pierce estate.

As I walked in, I saw Tessa sitting on the sofa, laughing with Gideon’s parents. She was cuddling Mochi, and tied around the cat’s neck was the little silver bell our son used to play with.

The bell was one I had made myself for Jamie’s first birthday, with his name engraved inside. The doctor had advised me to get rid of his belongings after he passed. I had burned everything.

Everything except that bell. It was the only thing I had left.

“Oh, Sienna, you’re back,” Tessa said, standing up. “Mochi just loves this little bell. Gideon said Jamie wouldn’t be needing it anymore, so he let Mochi have it.”

I walked past her without a word and snatched the bell from the cat’s collar. The startled animal hissed, its claws raking across the back of my hand, drawing blood.

“Sienna, are you insane?” Gideon’s mother shrieked, rushing over. “It’s just a bell! Are you really going to pick a fight with a cat?”

“She’s right, Sienna,” Tessa said, her eyes welling up. “If you’re upset, I apologize. Please don’t scare Mochi.”

I clutched the bell, blood seeping between my fingers.

Just then, Gideon walked in. His face darkened when he saw the scene.

“What now?”

Tessa immediately went to his side, tugging on his arm. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have given the bell to Mochi.”

Gideon’s gaze, filled with reproach, landed on me.

“It’s a bell, Sienna. It’s not a big deal. Why are you making such a scene?”

He strode over, pried the bell from my grasp, and tied it back around Tessa’s cat’s neck.

“The world doesn’t revolve around you!”

I looked down at the plane ticket confirmation on my phone for the day after tomorrow, then turned and walked back to my room without another word.

The next day, I went to the office. My assistant informed me that Mr. Corbin was demanding a personal explanation from me. I nodded, picked up the file, and went to the conference room.

Mr. Corbin sat at the head of the table, his expression grim.

“Mrs. Pierce,” he said, his voice cold. “I hear you prioritize your work over your own son. How can I trust a business partner like that?”

I stood my ground. “Mr. Corbin, the circumstances of that day…”

“The circumstances are irrelevant,” he waved his hand dismissively. “The entire industry is talking about it. The Pierce daughter-in-law let her son’s fever rage while she was chasing a contract. I have children of my own. I have no respect for such a ruthless woman.”

The other executives in the room were whispering, their eyes on me. Gideon sat beside them, silent.

I took a deep breath. “What would you like me to do, Mr. Corbin?”

He pushed a glass of clear liquid toward me.

“Drink this. Apologize publicly. Say you were wrong to neglect your family for your career. And we’ll consider the matter closed.”

It was a full glass of whiskey, at least two shots. I have a sensitive stomach; my doctor has forbidden me from drinking.

I looked at Gideon. He averted his eyes.

“Mr. Corbin is offering you a way out, Sienna. Just take it.”

I picked up the glass, my hand trembling. Everyone was waiting for the show. Behind Gideon, Tessa was smiling.

I took a sip. The liquid burned my throat.

After the second sip, my vision started to blur.

When the last drop was gone, I turned the glass upside down.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I was wrong.”

Mr. Corbin finally smiled. “Well done, Mrs. Pierce. Very sporting.”

I turned and fled to the restroom, where I collapsed over the toilet, vomiting until my body ached. Blood mixed with the bile, and I had to cling to the sink just to stay upright.

Gideon followed me in, his face a mask of displeasure.

“Are you okay?”

I rinsed my mouth. “I’m fine.”

“If you can’t drink, you shouldn’t have forced it.”

“Didn’t you tell me to?”

He was silent. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth.

I took a step back. “Mr. Pierce. This is the office. We should maintain a professional distance.”

His hand froze in mid-air.

That afternoon, Gideon’s father summoned me to his study. A new agreement was laid out on the desk.

“You will forfeit Jamie’s shares in the company,” he said flatly. “Furthermore, your position here is terminated. The Pierce family does not support freeloaders.”

I had been wondering how I would get Gideon to sign the final divorce papers. Now, it seemed, the problem had solved itself.

But just as my pen touched the paper, Gideon burst into the room.

“Dad! She can’t sign that!”

“What? Still protecting her?”

Gideon glanced at me, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

“Tessa is pregnant.”