“Yvette, come out. I have asked Lexi and Benjamin to stay with us for a while, to keep you company. What do you think?”

The way Calvin dressed up his words, so righteous and dignified, only made me sick to my stomach.

I stayed silent, refusing to come out. He knocked on the door a few times before finally using the spare key to open the study.

From the hallway, Lexi spoke in a gentle voice, “Yvette, Benjamin’s been too naughty lately, so I thought I’d stay here for a while and let Calvin help me discipline him. If you really do not want me here, I will just leave the child and go back.

“Please do not be mad. I really do not have any other choice. Do not blame me for being such a burden as your sister-in-law.”

Her voice broke into quiet sobs. Calvin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning down to comfort her in that gentle voice of his.

He frowned as he wiped her tears with his fingertips, the other hand possessively cradling the back of her head.

Lexi tilted her face up toward him. Their distance shrank to nothing; their eyes locked in a lingering gaze.

If I had not been standing there, they would have kissed.

“Get out! Both of you! Stop crying at my door and get out!”

I furiously grabbed two books and hurled them at the doorway. By sheer misfortune, one of them hit Lexi squarely on the forehead.

When Calvin saw the mark on her face, he completely lost it.

He strode over, yanked me out from behind the desk, and shoved me in front of Lexi.

“Yvette, apologize to her!”

I froze for a moment, staring blankly into his furious eyes.

Why was he so angry? He was the one who went back on his word.

When I did not answer, Calvin pushed me again. His voice was icy cold, and he kept on reminding me to apologize.

Lexi covered her forehead. Her eyes were red and forced a gentle smile at Calvin.

“Forget it, it does not hurt that much. It is our fault. We did not talk to Yvette first before moving in. That was rude of us. I just did not think…”

Her words trailed off as tears streamed down her face. She looked at Calvin, shaking her head with a forced smile.

Calvin said nothing. He shot me a glance before tending to Lexi’s wound with practiced hands.

After soothing her, he turned to me, speaking in a lecturing tone,

“I should have talked to you first, that is my fault. But we are all family. Now that they are here, what is the harm in letting them stay? Yvette, do you really have to make such a scene?

“Your sister-in-law just thought you were grieving your mom and wanted to keep you company. She meant well.”

“I do not need it! Who knows what her real intentions are!”

“Look at yourself. You are acting like some jealous shrew, imagining things out of thin air! Yvette, I will say this one last time. Apologize!”

I ignored him, turned toward the bedroom, and started packing my bags. He stood by, watching, as minute after minute passed and his patience wore thin.

Then he stormed over, kicked my packed suitcase aside, and under my furious gaze, pulled out his phone and threatened, “Think carefully. If you walk out that door, forget about ever getting your hands on the painting of the Cat Beneath the Blossoms!”

I sucked in a sharp breath. I could not believe he was threatening me with that painting. He knew better than anyone what it meant to me.

My father had been a collector and restorer of calligraphy and paintings. When I was ten, he began restoring The Cat Beneath the Blossoms. I used to sit quietly beside him, watching with fascination. That painting held so many memories of us. However, it was stolen not long after his death.

My hands trembled as I stared at Calvin. “You found it?”

“Yes, so listen to me. Stop talking about divorce, and I will give it to you.”

In the end, I swallowed my pride and apologized to Lexi just for the sake of that painting. I said nothing more about leaving.

When I was having dinner, I suddenly felt nauseous and rushed to the bathroom to retch. Lexi put on a show of concern, but I caught a flicker of calculation in her eyes that made my skin crawl.

A few days later, at noon, Lexi appeared holding the painting of the Cat Beneath the Blossoms, smiling at me.

She stood on the second floor, looking down from above.

“I heard that this painting is really important to you. I wonder if I were to ask Calvin, do you think he would give it to me?”

My heart tightened. Of course he would. As long as it was Lexi who asked, he would give it to her.

Just like the bags I wanted and the jewelry I liked. They always ended up in her hands.

“If you want this painting, come upstairs with me.”

I had no idea how Lexi got hold of it. I had been searching for days, even secretly asking Calvin’s assistant if he knew where it was.

I followed her up to the rooftop.

“Give it back to me.”

Her gaze turned venomous. “Jump off from here. Do that, and I will give it to you.”

“What is it you really want?”

Lexi tapped her fingers against the railing, tilting her head. “Haven’t you already figured out what I want, Yvette? You keep saying you want a divorce, so why haven’t you left yet? You are just playing hard to get. Deep down, you still want to keep Calvin all to yourself. You cannot bear to let him go, right?”

She pretended to tear the painting. Panicked, I lunged for it and managed to grab hold. As I did, she leaned close and whispered in my ear with contempt, “Showtime.”

Then she suddenly clutched my hand and shoved it against her chest. The moment I pulled back in shock, she collapsed onto the terrace, teetering on the edge.

“Yvette, what are you doing!”

Calvin’s furious shout rang out as he rushed over. Before I could react, he kicked me hard. I stumbled back, crashing my head against a flowerpot.

Pain tore through my stomach and my vision blurred.

Lexi cried, “I saw Yvette trying to take the painting, so I grabbed it back. Who would have thought she would chase me up here and actually try to push me off…”

At her words, Calvin’s face turned monstrous. He yanked me forward, forcing me down in front of her. “Apologize to your sister-in-law!”

I was in so much pain. My jaw was tight as I bit down hard, refusing to speak.

Calvin yanked my loose hair, shouting in my face. “Are you mute? Apologize! Do not make me say it a third time!”

The pain tore at my scalp. I curled in on myself, clenching my teeth as every ounce of agony seemed to sink straight into my stomach.

“Calvin, my stomach hurts. Please, save our baby. He will not make it…”

He let out a cold and sharp sneer. “Why do you always lie? You are nothing but a liar!”

“I’m not…”

He cut me off with an icy cold voice. “Gone is gone. I do not want it anyway.”

He did not want our child.

A loud buzzing filled my head. I stared at him in shock. It felt like my heart stopped beating and the pain and sound fading into nothing.

“Do not go. Do not go…” I mouthed silently, clutching my belly.

After what felt like forever, Calvin stopped in front of me. I forced a bleak smile up at him. “As you wish.”