Chapter 29
As night fell, the moon faintly glowed behind drifting clouds. It had just drizzled, and the ground was still damp.
Calista brought out her pasta from the kitchen. She casually flipped through a magazine and hadn’t even started eating when a car pulled up outside.
Through the floor–to–ceiling windows, she watched two people get out of the car. She lowered her head and kept eating, pretending not
to notice.
Lucien stepped into the entryway and paused for a moment. It was as if he were waiting for something. After standing there for a moment, a wave of inexplicable frustration crept into him, and he walked further inside.
Calista calmly asked, “Didn’t you say that you wouldn’t be home tonight?”
Lucien took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the couch. There was a chill in the air around him.
Since he didn’t respond, Calista took the hint and kept quiet. She lowered her head and continued eating.
Lucien rolled up the sleeves of his gray shirt and sat beside her. “Make another plate.”
“Okay,” she replied.
Calista set down her fork, stood up, and headed into the kitchen to cook another serving of pasta. She sauteed a mushroom and placed it atop the pasta, finishing it with a light drizzle of sauce.
About ten minutes later, she brought the pasta to the table and set it in front of him. Only then did Calista sit down to eat in peace. But by the time she picked up her food, it had already gone cold.
“This is all you’re eating for dinner?”
“It’s enough. I don’t eat much anyway,” she replied without looking at him.
Lucien didn’t touch his food. “I’ll have the housekeeper come over tomorrow.”
“No need. There’s not much to do around here. I can handle the cleaning myself.”
Calista wasn’t the type who could sit around with nothing to do. Besides, Lucien was almost always out for social events and barely ate at home. That night was one of the few exceptions.
The room fell silent again.
After finishing her meal, Calista got up and rinsed her plate clean in the sink. She flicked the water off her hands and said, “Just leave
it up tomorrow.” it when you’re done. I’ll clean it up
After finishing up her chores, she headed upstairs. “I’ll run a bath for you.”
Once Lucien had finished showering, he stepped out and called, “Calista, towel.”
Three seconds passed, and there was no response.
Lucien’s eyes swept across the room as he called her name. His cold gaze settled on the wedding photo hanging above the bed and the pajamas she had set out at the foot of it.
In the guest bedroom next door, Calista emerged from the bathroom clutching her abdomen, her face pale with pain.
Her period had started. It was more than two weeks late compared to the previous month.
During the first few days of her period, the pain was often so intense that she could barely stand. Once, it got so bad that she had to go to the hospital.
Calista dug through the medicine box and took a few painkillers. She then crawled into bed, curling up under the covers with a hand pressed to her stomach. Cold sweat clung to her skin as she drifted in and out of sleep.
Around midnight, she vaguely felt a warm body press against her. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and heavy breathing brushed past her ear. She weakly grabbed his hand and whispered, “I’m in pain. Not tonight. Can we wait until I’m better? It’ll be
messy.”
Lucien, whose sense of smell had always been sharp, caught the strong scent of blood under the covers. He frowned slightly.
In a daze, Calista heard the door close. Part of her felt relieved, yet another part of her sank with disappointment.
After all these years, she had gotten used to enduring everything on her own. She didn’t fall asleep until just before dawn.
Chapter 29
Around 8:30 am the next morning, Lucien came downstairs and saw that breakfast was already laid on the table.
Lucien got into the car. As it started moving, Galen glanced at him through the rearview mirror and said, “Mr. Fenwick, there’s something I’m not sure I should mention. It’s about Ms. Marchand.”
Lucien sipped his now–cold coffee and didn’t even lift his head as he said, “Tell me”
“The video of Ms. Marchand kneeling in the street last time was caught on camera. It’s already online and has been shared over a million times. Reporters have also tracked down the hospital where her family is staying.”
Lucien’s gaze sharpened. “Let the PR department handle it. I want this matter settled within three hours.”
“Yes, Mr. Fenwick.”
2/2
At Riverview Medical Center, a swarm of reporters suddenly burst into the room. They had their cameras rolling and microphones shoved toward Clarice.
“Can you tell us what happened in that moment? Why did the person in the video kneel in front of you?”
“What’s your relationship with the person in the video?”
“The video has now reached millions of views. Everyone wants to know the reason behind it. Can you explain what really happened?”
Clarice had already seen the clip on her phone. She never expected that a random video would make her go viral overnight. She took the opportunity to comment that she was the person in the video. In just a few seconds, her follower count skyrocketed by over a hundred thousand.
Now, even talent agencies were reaching out to her with contracts. She could soon be earning tens of thousands of dollars all by herself.
She was still basking in self–satisfaction, caught up in her fantasy of wealth. Anthony had become useless, and his factory was already shut down. She no longer needed to keep her head down around him or watch his mood.
Clarice tilted her chin. She had a smug look on her face as she stood before the reporters and said, “Yes, I’m the one in the video. The other woman was someone my husband’s family took in.”
Just then, a glass cup flew toward her.
“Shut your mouth!“
