In the courtyard, black smoke billowed, thick and choking. Flames consumed everything in their path.

My suitcase and personal belongings smoldered at the heart of the fire. I dragged myself forward, my legs buckling beneath me.

Teetering on the edge of despair, I plunged my hand into the blaze. Ignoring the burns searing my skin, I clamped onto the suitcase and hauled it free.

My palms turned to raw pulp, the acrid smell of burning flesh hanging heavy in the air.

My face turned ashen, yet my fingers locked onto the edges, refusing to let go.

Only as the fire crept toward my clothes did a figure burst from the villa.

Adrian yanked me aside and pursed his lips. "Are you crazy?"

I said nothing, ignoring the pain in my hands as I sifted through the wreckage.

At last, my eyes fixed on him as I weakly said, "Where are the things from the suitcase? Where's the hairpin?"

Adrian's brows furrowed as he pulled Peggy protectively behind him. "It's just a hairpin. Why are you so worked up? Peggy liked it, so I gave it to her," he said impatiently.

He cradled her gently, his eyes flashing a stark warning. "You'll give it up, whether it's your hairpin or your life she wants."

With no room left in the house, Adrian made me sleep on the couch. Delirium set in as a fever gripped me through the night.

Dawn broke, and the commotion from the courtyard yanked me awake. The world tilted dizzily as I hauled myself up, jaw clenched, and staggered out.

I had an appointment with Derek that day. His car was waiting for me at the gate.

The courtyard was a wreck. Nine pear trees were uprooted. Peggy lorded over the gardeners, commanding them to plant red roses in their place.

My hands fell limp at my sides, tears silently rolling down my face. A suffocating weight crushed my

chest, choking off my air.

I looked at Adrian silently, thinking about the irony of the situation. Beneath those nine trees rest our nine unborn children.

Seeing my hopeless gaze made his breath hitch, his eyes clouding with something unreadable. He approached me and, in a rare moment of gentleness, said, "Peggy likes roses."

I clenched my fists. "So you dug up our children just to make room for her?"

Adrian grew irritated at my persistence. "Those nine kids were just part of your schemes, anyway! Peggy is pregnant now. Stop being difficult.

"Fine. I promise you that the tenth child can stay alive."

I glanced at the overturned pear trees in the courtyard and shook my head. "No need."

The tenth child was long gone.

Adrian, we're done for good. We shall never meet again.

I quickened my pace as Derek's men were waiting for me outside the villa. Adrian stared at my resolute back, a sudden unease stirring in his chest for no reason. He strode after me and seized my wrist. "Where are you going?"

Behind him, Peggy's eyes glinted with envy. She pressed a hand to her belly, and suddenly, she cried out in pain. "Adrian, my belly hurts!"

Adrian immediately let go of me and hurried toward her. "What happened? Is the baby hurting you?"

Derek's men escorted me onto the plane. A day later, I touched down on the other side of the ocean.

Meanwhile, Derek handed the divorce agreement to Adrian on my behalf.