When I woke up again, Walter was nowhere to be found.

I took the drafted divorce papers and went to Walter’s company. From his lounge, I heard overlapping cries and moans.

Walter’s guttural groans were mixed with Belle’s high-pitched gasps. The sound was so loud it hurt my eardrums.

My hand trembled on the doorknob. Through the blinds, Belle shot me a cold, quick look.

I could not hold back anymore. I slammed the door open.

Walter instinctively shielded Belle behind him and quickly threw a jacket over her.

He turned around and roared at me, “Zara, you have a fever. Why aren’t you staying home? What are you doing here?”

I yelled at him hysterically. “Walter, is this what you keep calling a ‘work relationship’?!

“You cheated on me while I was pregnant. What do you take me for?”

Walter just let out a careless, dismissive laugh. He put on his clothes while smiling and said, “Zara, you need to understand this. We’re thirty years old now. Stop obsessing over the meaningless kind of love that only exists in fairy tales.

“Look, we have financial freedom, and that’s the truth. Just look the other way and live a worry-free life as Mrs. Sterling.

“Honey, believe me. Every guy cheats when his wife’s pregnant. If you truly love me, could you really stand to leave me hanging?”

Walter’s shameless justification for cheating made me so sick that I actually gagged.

I stared at him intensely. My lips trembled as I said deliberately, “Walter, you can go find yourself a wife who’ll put up with your cheating. That’s not me. I can’t even stand having a speck of dirt in my eye. I’m done.”

Walter’s phone suddenly rang. He gave a scornful, cold laugh and brushed me off.

“Honey, you don’t have your youth to fall back on anymore. That body you were so proud of is wrecked from pregnancy. Besides me, who else would even want you?

“Be good. I’m going to step out and take this call. You should think this over.”

With that, he answered the call and left the room.

He had barely stepped out when Belle brought her aggressive dog inside.

That large dog bared its teeth and barked nonstop at me. My whole body jolted with fear.

Belle covered her mouth to laugh dramatically.

“Don’t think that just because you’re carrying his child, you’re on the same level as me.

“You know, we’ve been together for four years already. Every single day you couldn’t reach him, Walter and I were busy having the time of our lives in bed.

“Why don’t you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? You’re as fat as a pig. Do you really think Walter is going to give you a second look?”

I pursed my lips and stayed silent. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I would start to sob uncontrollably.

For four years, all those days when Walter used excuses like business trips and overtime, he was actually with Belle.

Every time I caved, I just made myself look like a complete joke.

Belle became inexplicably angry when I remained quiet.

She glanced at her dog. The next second, that large dog charged at me with a bark.

Its claws tore my clothes. It also slammed my belly.

I lay on the floor miserably. I wailed in agony as my vision went dark.

I felt a warm rush flow out of me. My survival instincts kicked in, and I started screaming desperately, “Help! Walter, help!”

Before Walter came in, Belle slapped herself twice across the face, ripped her own bra straps off, and threw herself to the floor. Her hair was in a mess.

A moment later, Walter burst through the door like a madman and came straight to me. He barely looked at Belle.

“Zara, what’s wrong? I’m taking you to the hospital!”

Belle burst into dramatic sobs as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

“Boo hoo! Zara, why did you hit me? Scruffy is usually so gentle. It didn’t mean it. Why couldn’t you just leave him alone? Why do you have to poison him?”

My heart dropped.

I looked over quickly. The dog was lying on the floor, foaming at the mouth and whimpering.

I urgently said to Walter, “Walter, I didn’t do it. My water just broke. Please take me to the hospital!”

Walter hesitated for a moment. Just as he was about to crouch down and pick me up, Belle cried miserably with a tear-streaked face.

“Walter, Zara can’t even tell her own pee from amniotic fluid. She clearly wet her pants, but she’s lying and saying her water broke. Is she just making up an excuse to go to the hospital to avoid responsibility? Scruffy was a gift from my mom. What gives her the right to just poison him like that? Even if he’s just a dog, you don’t get to treat him that badly!

“Boo hoo! Since none of you can stand to have me around, fine. I’ll just leave!”

She stood up. Just as she was about to walk away, Walter pulled her into his arms.

“You’re not going anywhere without my permission.

“What will it take for you to stay? I’ll make it right for you.”

With that, Walter looked coldly at me and demanded, “Apologize to Scruffy.”

His tone was firm and left no room for argument.

A single tear rolled down my cheek. I never expected Walter to make me apologize to a dog that had hurt my child, all for Belle’s sake.

I glared at him and said defiantly, “Walter, that dog lunged at me and bit me. It broke my water. Our baby’s life is on the line. And you’re telling me to apologize to a dog? On what grounds?”

Walter said coldly, “That doesn’t justify you poisoning Belle’s dog. I’m the one who let her keep it in the office. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t go after her.”

Seeing that Walter and I had completely fallen out, Belle’s eyes gleamed with a flash of triumph.

She cried even harder and said in a choked voice, “Walter, please don’t let me ruin your relationship with your wife. That would make me very sad.

“I really don’t think Zara meant to poison Scruffy on purpose. Since it’s already gone, fighting over who’s to blame won’t bring it back. Let me tell you something. I heard Zara graduated from dance school, and she’s an amazing dancer. People call her the Dancing Queen. Why don’t Zara perform a beautiful, stunning dance for me? Then, we’ll call it even.”

I clenched my fists tightly. My throat felt tight. It was very difficult to breathe.

Walter booped Belle on the nose. He said affectionately, “Oh, what’s gotten into you today? You’re being so good.”

Seeing the two of them all over each other, I directly interrupted them, “I’m not dancing. If you won’t drive me, I’ll go to the hospital myself.”

With that, I placed the divorce papers on Walter’s desk. Then, I turned to leave.

Walter snapped his fingers. His security guards swiftly came in and pinned me to the spot.

“Zara, you’re going to dance this dance whether you like it or not. You can do this the easy way or the hard way. You’re not walking out that door until you’ve finished dancing.”

I could barely stand. My whole body felt cold.

“You’re threatening me... for her?”

Walter frowned and said impatiently, “I’m only asking you to dance. It’s not like you’re losing a limb. Dancing is literally your specialty. You poisoned Belle’s dog. She was generous enough to forgive you. What’s the big deal about asking you to dance?”

At that moment, I felt utterly heartbroken. I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood.

Walter’s gaze grew colder as amniotic fluid kept leaking down my legs.

I realized that he was being serious. I swallowed my pride, stood on my tiptoes, and prepared to start dancing.

However, Belle interrupted me again.

“Wait! Swan Lake isn’t just about the moves. If you don’t have the costume and the look, what’s the point of you dancing it in casual clothes?”

She took out a set of clothes and a pair of shoes from the cabinet and placed them in front of me.

“Change into these before you dance.”

My stomach hurt terribly. Eager to get rid of Belle quickly, I barely hesitated. I took them and changed.

But as I put on the shoes and stood up, sharp pain shot through the sole of my foot. A piece of broken glass had cut into my foot.

I broke out in a cold sweat and let out a piercing scream.

“Ah, it hurts so much! There’s glass in the shoe.”

Belle frowned and said, “That’s impossible. I prepared these shoes myself. There’s no glass in them. Zara, if you don’t want to dance, you could’ve just said so.”

Walter’s gaze shifted back and forth between Belle and me. Finally, his gaze settled on me in an ashen expression.

He then said angrily, “Zara, I’m disappointed in you.”

Seeing Walter so determined to stand up for Belle, I lost the last bit of hope I had left in my eyes.

Walter and I had reached a point where I had to prove my own innocence to him.

The sense of being favored without having to worry about losing it was gone. It no longer belonged to me.

I smiled bitterly. I braced myself against the pain, slowly crouched down, and took off the shoes.

A few shards of glass fell out with them. Walter heard the sound and looked down. The soles of my feet were completely bloody. My white socks were stained dark red.

At first glance, it looked horrifying.

Belle covered her face and muttered to herself, “That’s impossible. There’s no way there was glass in the shoe. Somebody must have accidentally dropped it in there.”

When Walter saw this, he instantly rushed over, scooped me up, and ran out.

Belle chased after him.

Just as we were going down the stairs, Walter’s foot slipped. Several marbles had been placed on the stairs.

His eyes went wide. He tried to set me down and brace himself, but Belle would not let go of him.

“Walter, my chest really hurts!”

Walter hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still chose Belle.

I tumbled heavily to the floor. The pain in my lower abdomen was so intense that I almost passed out. Blood flowed between my legs.

Before my vision went dark, I saw a familiar figure rush in front of me, looking panicked.

His eyes were dark and dangerous.

He said coldly, “Don’t be afraid. Whoever did this to you, I’ll make them pay a hundred times over.”