Chapter 2Never Again: Our Final Goodbye

“Regret?” Liam snorted. “Who do you think you are?”

I closed my eyes.

My voice was barely audible, yet it felt like it took all the strength I had left. “Liam, I’m tired. Let’s get a divorce. Yes, I love you. I’ve loved you for so long, from seventeen to twenty-seven. But that doesn’t mean you can trample all over my dignity.” I glared at the madman before me.

Liam’s face was an icy mask. He completely ignored my feelings, warning, “Chloe, don’t play games. Behave, have the baby, and maybe I’ll let you walk away with your life.”

“If you want a child, go find someone else! Why does it have to be me!”

I screamed, breaking down.

Liam looked down at me imperiously.

“Because you hurt Jenny. You have to pay the price!”

“It wasn’t me! I told you, what happened to Jenna Sullivan has nothing to do with me!”

I asked weakly, “Why? Why won’t you just believe me?”

Liam frowned. Just then, his phone buzzed on the table.

I heard his voice change—

“She collapsed? Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Liam clearly had no more patience for me. He finished the call and turned to leave.

“Liam! Don’t go…”

I don’t know where the courage came from. Hearing he was leaving, I pushed myself up against the edge of the tub, trying to stand and follow him.

But suddenly, my vision went black, and I crumpled heavily to the floor!

A sharp pain flared in my lower abdomen. I felt like something was draining away… I curled into a ball, whimpering softly, “Liam, help me…”

Click.

The door shut. He was gone.

In his heart, I would never compare to Jenna Sullivan.

My heart died.

My head spun, and then everything went dark.

Mercy General Hospital.

I was having a nightmare.

“No, it wasn’t me…”

“Liam, you have to believe me, I really didn’t hurt her!”

The man’s eyes were cold, ignoring my pleas. Suddenly, his hands were around my neck.

“Chloe, just die!”

“Ah—”

I woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat.

The faint smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air. Click. The sound of a lighter being set down on a table.

Then, a man’s deep, cold sneer. “Awake? I thought you were dead.”

A bone-deep chill swept over me. I was fully awake now.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I said, my voice hoarse.

Liam tapped ash from his cigarette, stood up, and walked over to me. He looked down, his voice dripping with contempt.

“Hiding the fact that you were already pregnant. What kind of game are you playing now?”