My hand tightened around the phone as I hung up. When I turned around, I met Leo’s slightly nervous gaze, and my chest tightened with a mix of bitterness and pain.

“It was a friend,” I said. “He’s about to become a father… Do you want to be a father?”

Leo visibly relaxed. He stepped forward and pulled me into a deep embrace.

“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I’m not in a hurry.”

A bitter taste spread through my mouth.

He’s not in a hurry? If he wasn’t, why was he so eager to get Ariel pregnant?

The affection in Leo’s eyes looked the same as always, warm and sincere.

“Life is better with just the two of us anyway,” he continued. “I’ve bought tickets for us to go on a cruise three days from now. Let’s travel around the world together, okay?”

The itinerary he described was tempting. However, in three days, I would be leaving him.

I gently pushed him away, suppressing the ache in my chest as I asked, “Leo… what if I gave you a child?”

My hand unconsciously rested against my lower abdomen. This unexpected pregnancy had caught me completely unprepared. Even though I had decided to leave, I didn’t want to lie about the child’s existence. Leo was the father. He had the right to know.

Instead, he fell silent, and that hesitation sent a chill straight through me.

“Fawn,” he said, “we’re still young. Let’s talk about children later.”

I felt a jolt in my heart. It took a long moment before I forced out a quiet response.

“Okay.”

Since the child was not wanted by its father, there was no reason for me to reveal its existence. I would leave with it. Even without a father, it would still be the most precious thing in my life.

Leo clearly let out a sigh of relief. Thinking we had reached an understanding, he happily took out an exquisite diamond necklace.

“The moment I saw this at the auction, I knew it belonged to you,” he said.

He looked at me tenderly and fastened the necklace around my neck with his own hands. Just as his lips were about to brush my cheek, the bedroom door was suddenly shoved open.

Ariel stood in the doorway, one hand supporting her pregnant belly. Her face was pale, and when her gaze landed on us, her body swayed weakly, as if she were about to faint.

Leo’s expression changed instantly. He strode over and pulled her into his arms, while I was caught off guard and knocked to the ground, my knee slamming hard against the edge of the table. Tears spilled out from the pain. However, Leo’s attention was entirely on Ariel. He didn’t even spare me a glance.

“You’re pregnant. How could you run around like this?” he scolded Ariel. “What if something happened to the baby?”

He guarded her carefully, the tenderness in his eyes stabbing straight into mine, making it hard for me to breathe.

Ariel clutched his collar tightly as she nestled against him, her voice trembling with tears. “I was scared all alone in the room…”

Leo soothed her, then turned to me with a helpless expression.

“Fawn, you know how important this pregnancy is. Nothing can happen to the baby. I’ll get her settled and come right back.”

I stayed silent for a moment, then nodded obediently.

His gaze softened even more, and his voice grew gentle. “Get some rest. I’ll be back to keep you company once I’ve taken care of Ariel.”

With that, he supported Ariel and hurried away. At the very last moment, Ariel turned her head and shot me a provocative glance. Stealing my husband seemed to bring her great pleasure.

Without realizing it, my feet followed after them. Perhaps, unless I saw Leo’s betrayal with my own eyes, I wouldn’t be able to leave him once and for all.

I followed them quietly until they were at the door of Ariel’s bedroom.

Back on her own territory, Ariel grew bold. She wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck, her freshly painted red lips brushing against him on purpose, teasing him.

“I saw that diamond necklace,” she said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind design, exclusive worldwide. I’m so jealous of her!”

Leo gently pushed her away, his voice strained as he fought back desire. “Don’t do this. You’re still in your first trimester. You can’t… do that right now.”

Ariel’s lips curled into a smile, and she leaned in even closer, fanning the flames instead. “I don’t care. I want a diamond necklace too—one bigger and more expensive than hers.”

Leo let out a quiet sigh. His tone softened into a level of indulgence I had never heard before.

“Your child will be the successor to the Carter family. All the power and status will be yours. Don’t fixate on those worthless little things.”

Every word was a stab to my heart. He gave Ariel everything that truly mattered—power, status, and a future, while he gave me nothing more than trinkets he bought on a whim.

In that moment, something inside me finally died. I stumbled back to my room, my legs barely able to support me, and called Mr. Harmon again.

“Prepare the divorce papers between Leo and me,” I said quietly. “Handle everything here as well. Book me a flight. I’m not coming back.”

By the time I was done packing, dawn had broken without me realizing it. I checked my phone. There was not a single message. Leo had forgotten his promise to return right away, spending the entire night in Ariel’s room. My heart still ached dully, but I no longer felt disappointed.

During breakfast in the living room, Leo rushed downstairs, his hair a mess. When he saw me sitting at the dining table, he let out a long breath of relief.

“I didn’t see you in the bedroom,” he said, still shaken. “You scared me to death. I thought you’d gone somewhere.”

He stepped forward and pulled me into his arms, his voice trembling with fear.

“I was really scared when I couldn’t find you. From now on, wherever you go, you have to tell me first, okay?”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. If he were truly afraid of losing me, he wouldn’t have done the things that hurt me so deeply.

After hesitating for a moment, I took out the divorce papers that Mr. Harmon had prepared. However, before I could speak, Ariel came rushing downstairs in tears.

Leo’s mother chased after her anxiously, shouting, “Don’t run! My precious one, be careful of the baby!”

Ariel ignored her. She held up a cruise ticket and demanded angrily, “You’re going on a world tour with her? What about me? Are you just going to leave me here?”

Leo shoved me aside without hesitation and turned to Ariel, panic flashing across his face.

“Don’t get worked up! Be careful of the baby. If you want to go, I’ll buy you a ticket right now!”

He pulled out his phone and walked away. The moment his back was turned, Ariel looked at me and flashed a vicious smile. Then, in one swift motion, she yanked open her clothes, pinched her own arm hard, and collapsed against the wall with her hair in disarray.

“Fawn, I won’t go on the trip anymore,” she cried out. “Please don’t hit me!”

Leo spun around just in time to see Ariel slowly fall to the floor. His expression darkened instantly.

He rushed forward, scooped her up, and looked at me with unmistakable disappointment.

“She’s carrying the Carters’ baby,” he said coldly. “How could you lay a hand on her?”

I waved my hands frantically. “I didn’t touch her–”

However, Leo’s mother pointed straight at me and shouted, “She pushed her. I saw it with my own eyes.”

I stared at her in disbelief. I knew Leo’s mother had never liked me, but I had never imagined she would lie outright and frame me like this.

She avoided my gaze, guilt flickering across her face, yet her voice remained stubborn.

“She can’t even have children herself,” she snapped. “Of course she’d be jealous of Ariel and do something like this.”

Leo closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, only a cold indifference remained.

“Fawn, you’ve disappointed me,” he said flatly. “Go reflect on your actions. Someone, lock the madam in the basement. Without my permission, no one is to let her out.”

I stood there, feeling like life was sucked out of me.

“Leo, you don’t believe me?” I asked.

He didn’t answer. Instead, I watched him lift Ariel into his arms and walk away without looking back.

Two unfamiliar bodyguards stepped forward and dragged me toward the basement door. The basement was cold and damp. There were even clusters of writhing larvae crawling across the floor in the corner.

My scalp went numb. Terror surged through me, making my entire body tremble.

“Leo would never lock me in here!” I cried desperately. “He knows I’m afraid of the dark, and I’m terrified of bugs and worms! Let me out! Now!”

The bodyguards remained unmoved. With indifferent expressions, they shoved me inside and slammed the door shut.

“Ms. Sullivan wants to teach you a lesson, so you’ll learn your place.”

Of course, it was Ariel. I should have known.

“No, please!” I screamed. “Tell her I’ll leave! I’ll leave immediately! Just let me out!”

My voice broke from fear as I beat against the iron door, but no one responded. Instead, the lock clicked into place, and the footsteps faded away into silence.

Surrounded by complete darkness, I could no longer suppress my fear and despair. Tears streamed down my face. The sound of crawling grew clearer in the dark. Drawn by my body heat, the insects began moving toward me in swarms.

I screamed, frantically brushing them off my skin, crying out for help with everything I had left. Finally, I heard footsteps outside the door.

“Please,” I begged. “Let me out. I can’t hold on much longer.”

After a long silence, Leo’s mother’s voice came from the other side.

“Fawn, don’t blame me for this,” she said. “Ariel is pregnant. Stay in the basement for one night. Once she calms down, you’ll be released.”

I collapsed to the floor, clutching my lower abdomen tightly and biting my lip, refusing to say another word.

After marrying Leo, I had treated his mother like my own. When her back hurt, I stayed up all night massaging her, just so she could sleep comfortably. Any wish she mentioned in passing—no matter the cost—I would do everything I could to fulfill it.

Though she had always favored her eldest son’s family, her attitude toward me had softened over the years. I believed that time and sincerity could warm even the coldest heart, but I was wrong. No matter how well I treated her, when it came to her eldest son’s wife, she would still stand against me without hesitation.

She spoke for a long time through the door. Yet, even as her footsteps gradually faded away, I never begged her again.

I didn’t know how much time had passed. By the time the moon hung high in the sky, I was barely conscious when I suddenly heard chaotic footsteps approaching.

A group of men in black suits rushed in, surrounding me instantly. Then, a tall, handsome man stepped forward. It was Will Harmon, my late father’s former personal secretary and my childhood friend.

Standing before me now, his expression tense, he immediately ordered the people beside him, “Check on her now. She’s pregnant. She must not be harmed in any way.”

Only after the doctor confirmed that I was out of danger did Will finally sigh in relief.

“Ms. Jossa,” he said gently, “I’m sorry I’m late. I’ll take you home right now.”

Tears burst from my eyes. I had always known that when everything fell apart, the only person I could truly rely on was Will.

With his support, I walked out of the basement. The divorce papers in my hand slipped from my fingers and landed silently in a corner. Before leaving, I set the basement on fire. As the flames roared behind us, I followed Will away without looking back.