Jack was still there, standing, by the time I ended the call.

He did not panic at my words, no. Instead, he snickered. "Thea, have you gotten the acting bug? Don't think calling your brother will scare me."

He hugged Bianca tighter and said in an even more condescending tone, "Your brother's tiny company doesn't even make enough in a year to cover my family's taxes. The moment you walk out of this room, you won't be able to afford the best baby formula. Leaving the Schuyler family, you are nothing."

Bianca, in Jack's arms, was dabbing her tears before shooting me a smug smile.

I said nothing.

Enduring the stabbing pain in my abdomen, I bent and lifted Luke from the crib.

It felt like my stitches were about to split open. With every step, I could feel my clothes soaking through with sweat and blood.

At that moment, the doors burst open.

Jack's parents, Robert and Mary, rushed in. They had heard the commotion.

The moment Mary saw the blood on my forehead, she shrieked, "Oh my God! Thea! What happened to you? Who did this?!"

Robert was staring at Bianca, who was in Jack's arms. His gaze darkened.

Bianca lowered her head shiftily and greeted them softly, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler."

Mary ignored her and tried to help me.

"Lie down! You had just given birth! How could you be out of bed?

"Jack, what are you still standing there for? Call the doctor!"

I stepped away from Mary's hand and said calmly, "No need for that, Mary. Jack said that I'm only a tool for giving birth to children. Since I have done my duty, it's time for me to leave."

Robert furrowed his brows and glared at Jack. "You brat! What did you say to her?"

Jack looked impatient. "Dad, don't listen to her. She slapped Bianca twice. I only said a couple of things to her. She's always threatening divorce whenever something happens. We shouldn't indulge her."

Robert was so furious that he was trembling. He pointed at Jack and berated, "You idiot! Did you know back then…"

"I know. You're superstitious about all that fate nonsense," Jack rudely interrupted. "But I call the shots in Schuyler Group now. Even if I divorce her, I'll take the family to higher heights."

I was standing in the middle of the room with Luke in my arms, looking at this family.

Robert and Mary had indeed treated me well the past three years, but what they truly valued was the children in me.

"Robert, Mary," I said, "thank you for all your care over the past three years. Jack is right, however. I don't belong in this family.

"My brother has gone to the Schuyler Residence to pick up the twins. In the future, my children will have nothing to do with the Schuyler family."

Robert immediately snapped, "Absolutely not! The children are Schuylers! You can't take them away!"

Jack sneered. "Thea, who do you think we are? The children bear the Schuyler family name. You can't take them."

Right at this moment, a synchronized sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway.

The door opened.

My brother, Taylor, entered. Behind him were eight bodyguards in black suits. All of them were broad-shouldered and imposing, instantly blocking the entrance.

Jack was bewildered. "Taylor, what.. Why are you here? What's with all the people?"

Taylor walked over to me. When he saw the blood on my forehead, his gaze instantly turned murderous.

Ignoring Jack, he took over Luke from me and handed him to a bodyguard. Then, he took off his jacket and placed it over me.

"Thea, the car is downstairs. Matthew and Mark are already in the car. Let's go home."

Robert's eyes reddened with anxiety. "Taylor, this is robbery! We're calling the police!"

Taylor turned to look at Robert and Jack. "Call the police? Sure! Mr. Schuyler, might I remind you that you had unlawfully detained my sister and allowed someone to assault her? Shall we go to the police station to discuss this further?"

He pointed at the hospital corridor and continued, "The Summers family has a forty-percent share in this hospital. I'd like to see who'd try stopping me from taking my sister."

Jack's face instantly paled.

"W-what? The Summers family… How on earth did you have that much money to buy the hospital's shares?"

Taylor sneered. Saying nothing, he led me out of the room.

Robert wanted to rush over, but the bodyguards stopped him.

When I walked past Jack, I stopped in my tracks. I looked at Bianca in his arms, then I looked at the arrogant man in front of me.

"You said that the Schuyler family will still be doing fine without me, didn't you, Jack? Well, you'd better guard your wealth properly from today onward."

I left the room without looking back.

Jack, behind me, yelled angrily, "Fine! Just go! You'd better not regret it and come begging me to take you back, Thea!"

During the month of the divorce cooling-off period, Jack lived a comfortable life.

He had signed the billion-dollar development project in the suburbs of Kin City.

When the media interviewed him, he sat in front of the camera in a perfectly tailored suit, saying that Schuyler Group's success was a team effort, and it had nothing to do with superstition or fate.

He said it with complete confidence.

Bianca sat beside him, smiling along.

Later, she posted a cropped photo of a medical report on social media with the caption, [Looking forward to welcoming a new life.]

The comments flooded in with congratulations.

[Mr. Schuyler has been doubly blessed! What a lucky man!]

[It seems that the fertility luck has changed hands! Ms. Chance had only just entered the family, and she immediately got pregnant.]

Bianca even deliberately called me to mock me, "Thea, did you hear? I'm pregnant, too. Jack said that this was the baby that he was hoping for. He doesn't want anything to do with your burdensome children. You can have custody of the children. He doesn't care about them at all."

I said nothing, which made Biance even more smug.

"By the way, Jack told me to tell you that he's giving me the mansion that you used to live in as my maternity house. If you have any belongings there, get them out, or I'll get them thrown out tonight."

I replied calmly, "Congratulations. I hope you can keep the Schuyler family bloodline alive."

With that, I hung up.

I sat by the window, looking at the skies turning dark. Luke slept soundly, breathing lightly.

Jack did not want custody. To him, the children were a burden. They were not worth the effort of fighting over.

Fine.

He was going to get exactly what he wanted.

On the day that the divorce was finally finalized, the Fenton family sent a message, saying that the patriarch of the family, Henry Fenton, wanted to treat me to dinner.

I agreed.

I did not expect news to leak, of course.

That night, I had just sat down in the private room when the doors were opened. Jack and Bianca entered.

He gave a casual greeting to the others present, took a seat nearby, and simply stayed.

The dishes were served. Wine was poured.

Bianca picked up a glass of wine and raised it to me.

"Thea, care for a drink?"

"No." I place my cutlery down. "It has just been a month since my C-section. The incision hasn't healed. Alcohol might reopen it."

Jack said without looking up, "Refusing to drink at an occasion like this? How rude."

Bianca poured a glass for me and pushed it toward me.

"It's only one glass. If you don't drink, everyone will think that you don't respect them."

I pushed the glass away and said nothing.

Bianca stopped smiling. She turned to the other side and said to the others, "Ms. Summers always had a lot of rules. Back when she was in the Schuyler family, she was always like this–what she could touch, what she couldn't. Honestly, it was exhausting taking care of her."

She paused for a while before continuing, "I mean, it's understandable. She had three children. Her body's probably wrecked."

Some lowered their heads and drank in silence, while others looked away.

Jack placed his glass down and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Thea, let's be honest. Whether that fate of yours is true or not, people in this circle know the truth. You might be able to fool one family, but you won't fool another."

I merely lowered my head.

Bianca stood up and walked over to me with a glass of wine. "Come on, let's put the past behind us. Have a drink."

"I said–no."

"No?" She bent down and said softly, but everyone could still hear her. "Is it that you can't drink, or you just don't belong here and want an excuse to run off?"

Jack sat nearby, holding his glass in silence.

Bianca stood up straight and flicked her wrist. The full glass of wine splashed onto me.

It soaked through my blouse in seconds. The moment the alcohol touched my incision, it felt like a red-hot needle stabbing straight through from the inside out.

I lowered my head and let out a muffled grunt. I gripped the sides of the chair so tightly my knuckles were white.

"Oops." Bianca covered her mouth. Her eyes gleamed smugly. "You should be fine, right? It's just a little alcohol."

I said nothing.

Still, the alcohol seeped through my blouse. My wound was burning, stinging so much that my eyes burned with it.

I gritted my teeth and breathed through the pain, not wanting to touch my wound.

I was not going to let her see it.

Jack swept me a gaze and said to the server, "Get her a few pieces of tissue."

Just like that.

The tissues were brought over. Bianca accepted them and pretended to offer them to me.

"Do you want to wipe?"

I did not accept the tissues from her. I slowly lifted my head to look at her, then at Jack.

Jack was sipping on his glass of wine, looking on as if the entire incident had nothing to do with him.

I took a deep breath and braced myself against the table, trying to stand.

The moment I pushed up, a sharp pain tore through my abdomen. It felt like something was forcing its way out. My vision went white.

I dropped back into my seat, head lowered, waiting for the wave to pass.

My blouse clung to my body, cold and soaked.

Bianca let out a laugh. "Thea, you said that you're blessed with fertility. Look at you right now. Who would ever believe you?"

Jack looked at me for a few seconds and sneered before leaving with Bianca.

The private room door shut behind them.

Only then did I loosen my grip on the chair. Deep red marks were pressed into my palms.

The pain in my abdomen had not stopped. I pressed my hand against it, over and over.

A housekeeper rushed over to me from the corner with reddened eyes. She said softly, "Ma'am, shall I take you to the hospital?"

"No need." I took a deep breath and leaned back on the chair before sitting up straight once more.

Right at this moment, the doors were opened once more.

Two strangers in business suits entered. One of them walked over to me and handed me a business card.

"Ms. Summers, Mr. Fenton is in the room next door. He got me to come and get you. He apologized for changing the rooms at the last minute and making you wait."

I looked at the business card.

Fenton Group.

I stood up, tidied my wet blouse, and followed them out.

The lights in the corridor were brightly lit. When I walked past the mirror, I looked at myself in the reflection.

My blouse was still soaked through, my hair was a little messy, and the incision wound was still hurting.

Nonetheless, it was alright.

I pushed the doors and entered the room next door.

Henry Fenton was sitting in the main seat. A young man stood next to him.

When Henry saw me, he sized me up from head to toe before saying directly, "Ms. Summers, come, take a seat. The Fenton family would like to make a deal with you."

Henry placed his teacup down and continued, "In this generation, there is only one heir to the Fenton family, Stephen. His mother was injured during childbirth and couldn't have more children. My wife and I have worried about it for years."

I understood immediately.

I lifted my gaze to meet his.

He nodded.

"Name your terms. Our family can afford them."

Stephen sat next to him, not saying anything but not objecting to them either.

I lowered my head and thought about it for a while.

Outside, the night wind rustled the leaves. Somewhere in the distance, a car passed.

Jack said that I was nothing without the Schuyler family. Bianca said that my body was ruined.

Alright, then.

This would show them.

I looked up at Henry and said calmly, "Mr. Fenton, I do have a few conditions. Please hear me out."