Chapter 2The Price of a Heartbeat

It was snowing heavily on my drive.

Liam's words kept echoing in my head, impossible to shake.

He said, "It was just an embryo."

He said, "Hazel, are you saying you're completely without fault here?"

Waves of dull pain radiated from my lower abdomen. Tears blurred my vision and dripped onto the steering wheel.

I couldn't tell if I was more heartbroken, or more consumed by pure hatred.

Once upon a time, I was the most precious thing in the world to Liam.

Back then, if I just texted him that I missed him.

He would drop whatever million-dollar deal he was working on, fly halfway across the country, and knock on my door at 2 AM holding my favorite flowers.

During our second year together, I fell severely ill.

Liam, the arrogant, untouchable heir who never believed in God, climbed the 999 steps of a famous cathedral on his knees, tearing his skin to bloody shreds, just to pray for my recovery.

From extravagant diamonds to the quietest moments of companionship, Liam gave me everything.

He truly spoiled me to the bone.

During our first year of marriage, the high-society wives in our circle looked down on me because I was young and came from a normal, middle-class family. They gossiped behind my back, calling me a cheap gold-digger who didn't belong in their world.

I refused to attend any more galas or charity balls with him.

When Liam found out why.

He ruthlessly retaliated against every single family whose wife had gossiped about me.

Liam, a man who never showed emotion publicly, called a massive press conference solely to defend me and put the entire city on notice.

After that, no one ever dared to show me an ounce of disrespect.

Everyone in our circle envied me for marrying a man who loved me that fiercely.

I felt incredibly lucky, too.

Until Chloe appeared.

She was an intern from his alma mater.

Just a sophomore in college.

At first, Liam just started mentioning her name more often.

I got jealous and asked him.

Do you like Chloe?

Liam would kiss me, laughing softly.

"Baby, why are you so jealous?"

"She's just a kid, and she has a terrible temper. Why would I ever like her?"

Perhaps, even then, Liam's heart had already begun tilting toward Chloe.

He just hadn't realized it yet.

Our arguments over Chloe became more and more frequent.

Our love was slowly eroded, argument by argument.

Liam stopped holding me tenderly. Instead, he looked at me with exasperation.

"Hazel, she's practically a child. Why are you picking fights with her?"

"I'm exhausted. Can you please act like an adult?"

And then came Chloe's increasingly blatant, audacious provocations.

The man who once loved me so deeply was now allowing another woman he loved to hurt me however she pleased.