"Back when you held a knife to your own throat to force me not to pick up Ian, why didn't you say you had to go home and be with your wife, huh?" Amanda screamed.

"Now you're telling me you're married to someone else? It's obvious you're just trying to make me angry and jealous. Your tricks are pathetic, Steven!"

As I stared at her smug expression, I felt nothing but pity for her. Did she seriously think I would get back together with her after everything she'd done to me?

"Ms. Crane, how you choose to think is your business. It has nothing to do with me."

I floored the accelerator. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Amanda staggering backward from the sudden force.

…

After I got home, I couldn't sleep that night.

The moment I closed my eyes, all I saw was the ghastly white lights of the psychiatric hospital and Amanda's cold, indifferent expression.

I tossed and turned in bed until the early hours of the morning, when a petite figure slipped into my arms.

"Did you have a nightmare again?" Mia Johnson, my wife, asked.

Her voice was soft and gentle. She rested her cheek lightly against my chest, took my hand, and placed it over her abdomen.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here, and so is the baby. It's all in the past now."

At last, the uneasiness in my heart slowly settled, and I finally drifted into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, a project review meeting had been scheduled. As I was the person in charge of the project, I couldn't avoid it.

I straightened my suit and walked into the conference room with a calm expression.

Amanda sat at the head of the conference table, sporting dark circles under her eyes. The moment she saw me, her brows drew together sharply.

"Mr. Walsh."

Tapping her fingers on the table, she said coldly, "Crane Group takes this project extremely seriously. You showed up two minutes late to the meeting.

"Is it because you look down on us, Mr. Walsh? Or are you implying that your company has so much going for it that you don't even care about Crane Group's investment?"

She was clearly picking a fight on purpose. Fortunately, I had come prepared. I pulled out an ultrasound report and dropped it onto the table.

"Although I'd rather not bring personal matters into the workplace, Ms. Crane, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and harassment, I think it's best to clarify a few things.

"My wife is 36 weeks pregnant. We're expecting twins. Her health isn't great, and I'm worried about her. So, for the remainder of this project, I'll be applying to switch to remote follow-up or have my deputy take over from me. I'd like to spend more time with her."

The conference room fell into a dead silence.

Amanda snatched up the ultrasound report, gripping it so tightly it looked like the paper might tear. Her eyes locked onto the pregnancy duration—36 weeks.

At the time, we hadn't even crossed paths again yet.

"No! You're lying to me. How could you? How could you really let another woman get pregnant with your child?" Amanda's voice was hoarse.

She looked up at me, her eyes rimmed red, looking like a hurt and cornered animal.

"Who is that woman?" she questioned through clenched teeth, her hand clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"That has nothing to do with you, Ms. Crane. If there's nothing else, shall we begin the meeting?" I took back the ultrasound report. "All of our time is precious. Let's not waste it."

The meeting dragged on with a suffocating tension in the air. Amanda was completely distracted, zoning out several times.

Once it was over, I gathered my things and prepared to leave.

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, Amanda blocked me in the hallway.

"Get rid of them."

She stood firmly in my path, her eyes still red.

I stared at her in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"I said, get rid of the babies your wife is pregnant with."

Amanda's reddened eyes burned with a look of obsession that seemed almost unhinged. "As long as you make her get rid of the babies, I won't care how you got out of that hospital or who you slept with after that.

"As long as you come back to me, I can give you anything—be it shares in Crane Group, my assets, or even my life."

She grabbed the front of my shirt in desperation, gripping so hard I could barely breathe.

"I know you still love me! You're just angry with me. What happened back then was my fault. I shouldn't have sent you there… but I did it for your own good!" she insisted.

"You became too extreme and obsessed. You even held a knife to your throat! All I wanted was for you to calm down a bit."

I scoffed in anger. "You need to get something straight, Amanda. My wife is 36 weeks pregnant. You want her to get an abortion when she's almost due? Are you trying to kill her, too?

"And secondly, you had locked me in a room barely bigger than a closet. You let the attendants pin me down and force the medication down my throat, making me beg like a dog. Are you trying to claim that all of that was for my own good?"

"That's impossible!" Amanda froze for a second before immediately refuting me. "I sent you to the best psychiatric facility there is, Steven. I spent a fortune to make sure that they took good care of you! I know you're upset, but—"

Ignoring her, I rolled up my sleeves to reveal a dark scar.

"You're the reason why I developed my so-called mental illness, Amanda. And this is what I got when those people pinned me down on the floor and beat me up after you sent me there. Is this what you meant when you said they took good care of me?"

At the sight of the scar, Amanda looked as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch the scar, but I flung her hand off.

"Don't touch me!" I snarled before adjusting my shirt that had gotten wrinkled from her grip.

"And one more thing. The twins are the result of the love my wife and I have for each other. I will never let anything happen to them. If you dare touch any of them, I'll drag you and Ian down to hell with me!"

Amanda stumbled backward. She'd never seen this side of me before.

"No… That's not what you said in the past… You said you couldn't live without me…"

"You said it yourself. That was the past." I eyed her coldly. "And right now, all I want is for you to stay the hell away from me."

"Mandy…"

At that moment, a timid voice cut in.

Ian walked over, holding a cup of coffee, his gaze flicking back and forth between us.

"Mandy, I've been waiting for you so that we can have lunch together. Why did you run over here without saying anything?"

The hatred and possessiveness in Amanda's eyes made Ian feel threatened, prompting him to act.

"Don't be upset anymore, Steven," he said with his typical innocent, appeasing smile.

It was the same tired trick again.

"Back then, it was all my fault. I was the one who insisted on calling Mandy to help me fix my computer. It's my fault for not being able to get a ride from the airport because of the rain. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Stop torturing Mandy with everything."

Ian deliberately brought up those past incidents, clearly wanting me to fly off the handle, start a fight, and cause a scene like some lunatic.

That way, he could duck behind Amanda and act all pitiful, saying, "Why is Steven being so aggressive?"

It was the perfect foil for his own innocent act.

He'd done it countless times three years ago. However, the old me back then reacted that way because I cared about Amanda. I loved her and didn't want her to get too close to another man.

I empathized with her for the emotional trauma she'd endured since childhood. I wanted her to feel loved. I remembered every word she ever said to me back then.

But this time, I simply frowned and remarked, "Your acting is a little over the top this time, Mr. Lewis."

"I'm not interested in whatever's going on between you two. Now kindly move," I declared.

"I'm genuinely trying to apologize to you, Steven!" Ian suddenly raised the coffee in his hand. "There's always a long queue at the cafe for this coffee. I bought this specifically to make it up to you. Just drink it and forgive us, okay?"

"No thanks. I don't drink coffee," I replied flatly.

Meanwhile, it was time for Mia to come and pick me up from the office. The elevator doors slid open to reveal a familiar figure.

I had no interest in wasting any more time on Amanda and Ian, so I headed for the elevator.

However, Ian pretended to stumble and started falling toward me. The cup of scalding hot coffee tipped forward, spilling straight at me.

"Honey!" Mia called out.

I could feel the steam from the coffee hitting me. Mia, who was 36 weeks pregnant, didn't even pause as she ran over to pull me aside. The burning liquid was inches away from her belly.

"Watch out!" I shouted.

My eyes widened in horror. I didn't even have time to think. All I could do was pull Mia into my arms protectively.

The burning liquid splashed across my back.

Out of the corner of my eye, though, I caught Amanda's expression. There was a faint hint of anticipation in it. She wanted Mia to get hurt—as if I'd return to her if something happened to Mia.

"Honey! Did you get burned? Are you in any pain?" Mia cried out, her body stiff and her eyes red.

"I'm a tough guy. I'm fine. What about you and the babies? Are you guys okay?"

I patted her back reassuringly, but a surge of rage was already rising inside me. I turned around and fixed my gaze on Ian, who stood frozen.

"Ian Lewis, if the coffee had landed on her, I would've made you regret ever being born."

The icy tone of my voice made Ian turn pale with fear. He instinctively hid behind Amanda before saying, "I didn't do it on purpose, Steven. It's her fault for rushing over out of nowhere and—"

"Shut up!"

I had no interest in listening to his excuses. I took off my stained jacket and tossed it aside before pulling Mia back into my arms.

"That must've frightened you, babe. Let's go home. You need to get plenty of rest today. I've booked you a prenatal checkup with the best OBGYN in the city tomorrow."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Steven," Mia said softly as she stared at me, her eyes red with concern.

Right in front of Amanda, she helped me wipe the droplets of coffee that were still clinging to my shirt.

I couldn't help but smile at the way she gently took care of me. Caressing her head, I said, "I was going to surprise you with news of the appointment. I guess the timing worked out. Well, let's get going."

"Who said you could leave?" Amanda snapped, having finally snapped out of her daze.

She stared fixedly at Mia's hand, which was placed on my arm. Jealousy gnawed at her heart, poisoning her.

"A prenatal checkup, huh? So you're his wife?" she questioned Mia.