Chapter 4Five-Year Scam: My Boyfriend's Secret Family and Fortune

I turned and walked away.

Blake's furious shout followed me.

"Why wouldn't you want to be with me? Do you have any idea how many women would kill to be in your place?"

He rushed over in a few strides and grabbed my shoulders.

"Claire, if you stay with me, you can have everything! You'll never have to haggle over the price of vegetables or agonize over whether you can afford something you want. You'll never have to check a price tag again! Everything you once wanted but couldn't afford, I'll give it all to you!"

I slapped his hands away, utterly disgusted.

The words came straight from my chest. "Go fuck yourself."

I never wanted all these lies.

The air between us turned ice-cold.

My phone buzzed. A message from Mom appeared on the screen. She said she was worried about the hospital bills and had checked herself out. Now, she wasn't feeling well and wanted me to bring her some medication.

My heart clenched.

Mom had never been in good health. How could she just discharge herself in her condition?

Panicking, I rushed toward the door.

Just as I pulled it open, Ivy dropped to her knees right in front of me.

"Claire, blame me! Hate me! Call me whatever you want! Just please don't blame Blake. He had no choice…"

She lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. "We used to be best friends, didn't we? Please don't make me leave him. We already have two children together. I'll do anything you want!"

She began banging her head against the floor again and again.

I didn't have the time to watch her put on a show and removed her hands from where she'd grabbed me.

Suddenly, she clutched her stomach and collapsed, her face twisting in pain.

Blake charged forward and shoved me aside. I'd never seen such vicious fury in his eyes before.

"That's enough, Claire!" He gritted his teeth. "How long are you going to keep this up? She's pregnant! How could you lay a hand on a pregnant woman?"

With a wave, several bodyguards dressed in black rushed over, pinning my shoulders down.

"Take Ms. Neil to the mountain villa and lock her up for a few days. Don't let her out until she's come to her senses."

My arms were wrenched behind my back. I couldn't move an inch.

"Blake Grayson! Let me go! Do you even understand what you're doing? This is false imprisonment! It's a crime!

"Let me go now! My mom is sick. I need to bring her medication! Something might happen to her if I'm too late!"

But he didn't even acknowledge me. He bent down, scooped Ivy into his arms, and hurried out.

I was shoved into the back seat of a car. My hands were bound tightly behind my back with rope, and someone stuffed a rag into my mouth.

I couldn't speak. Tears of terror streamed down my face.

The car started and headed toward the outskirts of the city. After an unknown amount of time had passed, it finally stopped at an isolated mountain road.

The two men in the front exchanged a glance. Then, they suddenly jumped out of the car. The doors slammed shut, and the autonomous driving system activated.

My eyes widened in horror as I watched the numbers on the dashboard climb rapidly.

80… 120… 160… 180!

The car hurtled toward the edge of the cliff at a terrifying speed.

Pure terror seized my heart. I kicked desperately at the door.

Finally, the car slammed through the divider with a loud bang and shot off the cliff.

The sickening sensation of free-falling swallowed me whole. The world spun violently around me.

Then, following a deafening explosion, towering flames erupted from the foot of the cliff.

…

Third-Person POV

At the hospital, Blake had just finished settling Ivy in. Yet, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

After all, Claire was a good woman. He was the one who let her down.

Feeling vexed, he rubbed his temples and called his assistant. "Make sure Ms. Neil gets three proper meals a day. Don't let her suffer even the slightest inconvenience."

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, and go to the hospital to check on her mother. If she needs surgery or medication, charge everything to my personal account."

Not long after, his assistant called back, sounding terrified.

"Mr. Grayson, the car taking Ms. Neil to the mountain villa crashed and went over a cliff! That's not all. Ms. Neil's mother passed away half an hour ago."