Chapter 1 Chapter 1

“Good evening. I’m here for Mr. Joel Asante. Is he around?” Thalassa said to the lady at the front desk of the Astoria Hotel. She felt so tense that she didn’t realize she was tapping her fingers loudly on the desk until a woman standing beside her hissed and glared at her. Flashing an apologetic smile, Thalassa brought her gaze back to the receptionist who was done checking the appointment. “Yes, he is. And he’s expecting you. Suite 13. Take the elevator to the seventh floor and turn to your left.”“Thank you.” Thalassa said as she turned to go, her unease increasing with every step she took towards the elevator. Why did she feel like something was amiss? She had been sent to meet this Joel Asante by her mother in law, Linda Miller. Linda Miller had never liked Thalassa since she began dating her son, Kris Miller, and the dislike had increased even more since Kris and Thalassa got married a year ago. So today when her mother in law had called her and told her to deliver some documents and have it signed if she wanted to earn her approval, Thalassa hadn’t hesitated one bit. Maybe if she managed to earn her mother in law’s approval, then Kris would finally go back to being the man she knew. Her ringing phone cut through her thoughts. Thalassa quickly answered when she saw that it was her best friend, Karen Blade. “Lassa, are you going to do what your mother in law asked of you?” Karen asked. “Yes.” Thalassa answered. “I’m at the hotel now. But Karen, I don’t know why I feel like there’s something off.” Karen blew out a breath of exhaustion. “Lassa, I already told you that you’re overthinking things. Linda wants you to do something so simple in order to earn her approval. Don’t overthink it.” Lassa smiled. “You’re right.” Just as they ended the call, the elevator dinged, slowly parting its doors. Thalassa stepped out, heading to her left like the receptionist had said. Reaching the door with number 13 on it, she pressed the doorbell. After some seconds, she was about to press it again when the door suddenly opened to reveal a half naked man. He was only wearing blue shorts, leaving his upper body bare. Thalassa grimaced slightly as she spoke. “Mr. Joel Asante?”“At your service.” The man flashed her a smile that was surely meant to be charming. “And you must be Thalassa Miller. Please come in.” Thalassa slowly stepped into the living room of the suite. The man pointed at the couch. “Please take a seat.” She hesitated, wanting to remind him that she was just here for his signatures, but when she remembered her mother in law telling her not to annoy the man, she slowly sat down. “What can I offer you? Champagne, wine, beer?” The man asked. “I’d like nothing, thanks.” Thalassa answered, the gritted her teeth. She just wanted him to sign already so she could leave. And why wasn’t he attempting to put any shirt on? “Oh come on. Surely, just a glass of wine won’t hurt, will it?” The man insisted. This time, Thalassa didn’t bother to hide her glare. “I’m sorry, but I’m just here so you can sign these documents.” She pulled a folder from the handbag she’d brought along with her, handing it over to the man. “My mother in law, Linda Miller, said that you already know what the documents contain.” The folder was sealed, and Thalassa herself didn’t even know what was in the documents. Her mother in law had warned her not to open it, so she hadn’t dared to, not wanting to annoy her. “Hmm.” The man hummed as he took the folder from Thalassa and unsealed it, walking around the room as he looked through the document. Lassa shifted. She felt uncomfortable, especially since the man was still shirtless. And why did she feel like he was deliberately delaying. Five minutes later, just as she was getting more impatient, the doorbell rang. The man immediately went to open the door, and a second later, her husband, Kris Miller, stormed into the room. “Where is she?” He demanded in a tone that was too low not to be dangerous, his eyes hardening when he finally saw Thalassa. Thalassa instantly shot to her feet. “Kris you’re here.” She felt relieved. Maybe Kris could finally handle things from here. She walked towards Kris, wanting to hug him, but just as she got close, he placed his hand on her chest, causing her to stumble backwards. “Kris...” Lassa stared at him in shock. Before she could say anything else, Linda Miller, her mother in law, suddenly entered the room, the usual disgust on her face as she stared at Thalassa. “You traitor. After everything my family has done for you, this is how you repay us?” Before Thalassa could even think, a hot slap was delivered to her cheek. Thalassa clutched her cheek, staring at her mother in law in shock. “Mrs. Miller...what...what are you talking about?” Linda Miller scoffed. “Don’t you dare try to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Since you and my son got married a year ago, you’ve been stealing from us, embezzling millions from our company with the help of this man who’s obviously your lover.” Thalassa’s head spun. What was happening? “But...but mother in law, you were the one who sent me here. You sent me to have this man sign some documents. So what are you talking about?” She turned to look at Kris, her heart squeezing at the accusing look in his eyes. “Kris, I don’t know this man, I promise. I haven’t even met him before. Please believe me. Your mother was the one who sent me here to give some documents to him to sign.”“You’re so shameless. You dare try to implicate me?” Linda said, then turned to Kris who still had a stoic expression on his face as he stared at Thalassa. “Son, why don’t you go and see what’s inside those documents.” Kris walked towards Joel and snatched the folder from his hand. His eyes darkened the more he read through the documents. When he finally looked up at Thalassa, his gaze was even more colder than before. So cold that she felt frozen. Her desperation shooting through the roof, she forced herself to move towards him and took the folder from his hands. Her hands trembled as she read parts of the documents. It was all about discretely moving money to overseas bank accounts and everything that was obviously fraud. Thalassa’s eyes burned with tears as she shook her head, finally realising what was happening. She’d been set up. Her mother in law had set her up! “Kris, I didn’t know what documents were in the folder, I swear!” she declared, trying to grab his hand but he jerked it away. “Your mother told me not to unseal it so I didn’t. Please, you have got to believe me. I would never–”“Shut up!” Kris snapped, startling her into silence. “Shut the fuck up! Enough with your lies!” He stepped closer, glaring into her eyes. “Just when I think you can’t disappoint me any further, you make me realise that you’re much worse than I thought. You disgust me.” His words were like a slap, leaving Thalassa stunned. Just as her mind was still struggling to process everything, she heard her mother in law call out, “Come in, officers.” Thalassa’s eyes widened as two police officers walked into the room. She looked at Kris. Surely, he wouldn’t allow for her to be arrested like some common criminal, would he? She got her answer a second later when Kris coldly declared, “Officers, take them away.”

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Tears streamed down Thalassa’s face as one of the officers stepped behind her and took her hands, placing her wrists in cuffs. She stared pleadingly at Kris, hoping he would realize his mistake and save her from this humiliation, but he merely stared at her with nothing but coldness as she was led out of the room. As if this humiliation wasn’t enough, when they got outside, several reporters instantly rushed towards her, flashing cameras as they came. “Thalassa, is it really true that you married Kris Miller all for his money?”“How do you feel after your theft was discovered?” Thalassa had never felt this humiliated in her life, with people staring at her and reporters asking all sorts of questions as she was led into the police car. “Wait! Please, this is a mistake. I’m innocent. You’ve got to believe me,” she pleaded with the police officer who led her into the holding cell. The officer laughed as he locked the gate to the cell. “That’s what they all say. You really should’ve thought twice before messing with a woman like Linda Miller.” Still laughing, he walked off. More tears streamed down Thalassa’s face. She’d known that her mother-in-law had never liked her, but to hate her this much to construct such a plot against her? Her eyes scanned the room and its cold, barren walls before settling on the bed that looked like it had seen better days. This was where she was—a place meant for criminals. Her heart broke a million times over as she sank onto the bed. How could Kris have done this to her? She wasn’t going to deceive herself into thinking that her marriage had been perfect before this. It had been far from it. While they were dating, Kris had been the perfect gentleman, always putting her needs first. He’d gone against his own mother and his family members when they disapproved of their relationship because Thalassa was from a low class. He’d even warned reporters and tabloids who’d insinuated that she was a goldigger. He’d been the perfect man. But all that changed once they got married. Kris transformed into a completely different person. From the man who always treated her like a queen, he turned into a man who made her cry almost every night with his coldness. It tormented her all the more because she couldn’t understand what could’ve possibly made him change so much. To top it off, she’d had to deal with the humiliation from his family members, being treated like a servant in their family home. That was what her life had been like for the past year. Still, she never would have expected Kris to allow her to be arrested and humiliated like some common criminal. It hurt even more because she was carrying his child. Lassa sniffed as she placed her hand over her belly. She was pregnant, but Kris didn’t know about it. She’d found out yesterday, and she’d wanted to tell him, but he hadn’t come home in the past two days, and he never bothered to answer any of her calls. The only person she’d told was Karen, her best friend. Aside from her, no one else knew. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s all going to be alright, I promise,” she said to her belly, even though she knew it was probably still a clot of blood since she was only two months pregnant. “Your father is going to realize his mistake any moment now, and he’s going to apologize, and everything is going to be alright. You’ll see.” The next three days in the holding cell were the most agonizing days of Thalassa’s life. Kris never came to get her out or apologize. In fact, nobody came to visit her. She’d demanded several times for the one phone call she knew she was entitled to, but it was always denied. They hadn’t even given her a chance to call a lawyer. Thalassa had no doubt that this was all Linda Miller using her influence. Was the woman truly intent on having her jailed for something she never did? On the evening of the third day, Thalassa was lying on the prison bed crying silently to herself when she suddenly heard the sound of the prison cell being unlocked. She quickly sat up, her eyes widening with hope as she saw Mr. Sawyer, Kris’s family lawyer. “You’re lucky that the Miller family decided to drop the charges. You’re being released,” the officer said. Thalassa’s heart leapt with joy. Finally, Kris had realized his mistake. He was surely going to apologize for not trusting her earlier. Everything was going to be alright. “Thank you so much,” she said to the lawyer as she wiped her tears. “But where...where is Kris?” She stepped outside of the cell, looking down the hallway to see whether Kris was standing anywhere there, but he was nowhere in sight. “Kris didn’t come with me,” the lawyer clarified. “He merely sent me to drop the charges and have you released.” Thalassa’s heart sank, but she quickly smiled. Kris was probably too busy, that’s why he couldn’t come, but he was obviously waiting for her at home. Everything was going to be fine, she assured herself again. The lawyer began walking to the main station, so Thalassa followed. The cops had taken her handbag and her phone yesterday, so she was led to sign some documents to finally have her things back. Once she was done, she turned to the lawyer. “Didn’t Kris send a chauffeur? Or are you going to be driving me home?” The lawyer looked at her. “That’s one thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Thalassa’s heart skipped a beat. “What about?” Without answering, the lawyer brought out some papers from his bag and handed them over to her. Thalassa’s heart sank as she stared at the words boldly written on top of the first page. DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Thalassa’s hands shook as her eyes repeatedly ran over the bold words: DIVORCE AGREEMENT. Agreement? She certainly didn’t remember sitting down to talk about anything. This surely had to be a mistake. She turned her panicked eyes to the lawyer. “Is this a joke?”“I don’t remember ‘comedian’ being in my job description, Miss Thompson,” the lawyer said, sounding offended. “Then what is this?” Thalassa demanded, her voice louder than she intended, laden with frustration. The lawyer’s nostrils flared as he looked around at the people staring at them. “It’s exactly what you’re looking at, Miss Thompson. Kris wants a divorce.” Thalassa noted how he kept referring to her by her maiden name, as if she and Kris were already divorced. The lawyer took a step closer. “Look, don’t make this complicated. You’re lucky to be walking away with just a divorce. You could’ve spent several years rotting in jail. You should be thankful to Kris that he convinced his mother to drop the charges.” Just like that, Thalassa felt hope spark inside her. Kris had convinced his mother to drop the charges. That could only mean that he loved her. There was definitely an explanation for all this. Mr. Sawyer drew a pen from his bag. “Here, please take the pen and sign the papers. There’s no alimony because Kris said you can keep the millions you stole into your offshore accounts. All you have to do is sign at the required spots, and he’ll have your belongings delivered to wherever you want.” Before the lawyer could finish speaking, Thalassa had turned and began storming out of the police station. Reaching the roadside, she quickly waved her hand at an approaching cab. The car stopped in front of her, and she didn’t waste time entering. “The Miller mansion,” she instructed the driver. She still had the divorce papers in her hand, and her heart pounded as she stared at them. It couldn’t be true. This had to be another one of Linda Miller’s schemes to separate her and Kris. She wasn’t going to believe it until Kris himself told her that he wanted a divorce. When the driver stopped outside the Miller mansion, she reached into her bag and pulled out some dollar notes. Not caring how much it was, she tossed it at the driver and got out. She was just about to enter through the gate when a burly security guard stepped in front of her. “You can’t go in,” he said gruffly. Thalassa glared at him. “What do you mean I can’t go in? This is my house! I’m Kris’s wife!”“I know that. But I’ve been given orders by Mrs. Miller not to let you in.” Of course, it was Linda Miller’s orders. Thalassa roughly ran her fingers through her hair, feeling like she was going insane. Without a second thought, she ran past the security guard onto the mansion’s compound. “Hey, I told you you can’t go in!” the man hissed, running after her, but his speed was no match for Thalassa’s desperation as she ran on and finally entered the house. The Miller family was all gathered in the living room, but Kris was nowhere in sight. All of them turned to look at her disdainfully before storming towards her. “What are you doing here, you thief?!” Cynthia, Kris’s aunt, demanded. “This bitch really has some guts!” Tyler, Kris’s younger brother, scoffed. “I’m going to drag her out by her hair!” Susan, Kris’s younger sister, gritted out. “Ma’am, I tried to stop her, but she just ran past me,” the security guard said as he appeared behind Thalassa, grabbing her by the arm. “It’s okay. Let go of her arm,” Linda Miller said as she finally stopped in front of Thalassa. The rest of her family also stopped behind her, their eyes blazing like vultures, waiting to tear Thalassa to shreds. “You have no shame showing your face here after what you did to my son and our family,” Linda sneered, her voice dripping with disgust. Anger shot through Thalassa as she snapped. “I did not do anything, and you know it! You were the one who sent me to meet that man. Why are you doing this? Why are you lying?” Her voice broke, which only increased the pleasure on her mother-in-law’s face. “My son wants nothing to do with you anymore, Thalassa, so you have no business being here. Get out of here.”“You’re nothing but a snake! I am not leaving until I speak to Kris!” Thalassa stated firmly, glaring back at her. “Don’t speak to my mother like that,” Kris’s harsh voice sounded as he approached. Thalassa immediately ran towards him, holding up the divorce papers. “Kris...your lawyer...he came to me and gave me these papers. He said you wanted a divorce, but I know it’s got to be a mistake. It’s all a mistake, right?” Kris stared coldly into her eyes as he answered, “There’s no mistake.” Thalassa stumbled back, shaking her head in disbelief. “Kris...please, you can’t... Let’s save our marriage. All this is a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything. Please, you’ve got to believe me.”“Do you really still believe that I want to continue being with a woman like you? You don’t even have the decency to admit what you did,” Kris snorted, his cold eyes boring into her. “But I didn’t do anything!” Thalassa declared desperately, grabbing onto his arm. “Kris, please be–“ “Let go of me!” he hissed, snatching his arm from her hold. “Why is the door left open?” A voice came from behind Thalassa. It was the voice of Karen Blade, her best friend. Hope beamed inside Thalassa. “Thalassa...” Karen gasped with surprise when she finally saw her. “You’re out of jail?” Thalassa instantly moved towards her and grabbed her hand, leading her to where Kris was standing. “Karen, please tell Kris. Tell him how I called you after his mother sent me to give the documents to that man. Tell him how I was hesitant because something didn’t feel right. Tell him that I’m innocent.” Thalassa waited. Waited for Karen to tell Kris exactly that, but the next words out of her best friend’s mouth sent her whole world crashing down. “I’m sorry, Thalassa, but I’m tired of always covering up your lies. You never called me.” Karen’s denial was like a slap, causing Thalassa to stumble backward as her mouth dropped open in shock. “But...but Karen...what are you saying? What lies? I called you to tell you about it. You even called me later to ask whether I was on my way to do what my mother-in-law had asked.” Karen’s eyes, which usually always shone with affection, now blazed coldly with malice. “Enough already, Thalassa! Aren’t you tired of always telling lies? I’m so tired of always having to lie for you, but I can’t anymore. Kris is a good man and he doesn’t deserve your deceptions.” Thalassa’s head spun as she tried to process everything. Was she dreaming? She had to be dreaming. Otherwise, why would her best friend, the person she trusted and confided in the most, betray her like this? Feeling like her heart was beating out of her chest, she turned to Kris, looking at him pleadingly. “Baby, please, I... I don’t know why Karen is lying, but please believe me. I haven’t done anything. I’ve never lied to you.”“You lowlife thief! So everyone else is a liar except you?” Susan, Kris’s sister, snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest. Thalassa paid no heed to her words because they didn’t matter. The only person whose opinion mattered to her at that moment was Kris. “Kris, why aren’t you saying anything? Please tell me you believe me.”“I have nothing to say to you apart from the fact that you should sign the divorce papers and disappear from my life. I want nothing to do with you.”“No!” Thalassa declared loudly, throwing the divorce papers to the ground. “I refuse to sign them. Kris, you can’t possibly believe that I could lie and steal from you in such a way.” She grabbed his hand, staring into his hard eyes with her pleading ones. “You promised me that nothing would ever come between us. What happened to that promise?”“That’s because I didn’t know I was marrying a liar, a thief, and a slut,” he hissed, jerking his hand away. “It’s okay. I’ve had enough of this woman,” Linda Miller said. “If she refuses to sign the divorce papers, we can get it another way. Take her away.” Immediately, the security guard grabbed Thalassa’s arm, but just as he was about to drag her away, she yelled, “I am pregnant!”

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

The hall turned silent. So silent that you could hear a pin drop as everyone stared at Thalassa in shock, but the only reaction she cared about was Kris’s. His nostrils flared, his eyes widening as if demanding to know if she was telling the truth. “Yes,” she nodded earnestly. “It’s true. I found out yesterday. That’s why I called you so many times; I wanted to give you the good news, but you never picked up. And when I texted, saying I had something important to tell you, that’s what I wanted to share.” Her breath caught as she gauged Kris’s reaction, anxiously waiting for his response. His eyes scanned her face as if looking for any hint of lying, his gaze turning conflicted. Just as Thalassa began to think that he believed her, his mother appeared. “Son, you can’t possibly believe anything that comes out of this whore’s mouth after everything she has done. She’s lying! She’s obviously telling you this so that you won’t divorce her.”“I am not lying!” Thalassa declared fiercely. “When I found out, I told Karen about it. She–”“Why do you keep trying to involve me in your lies? You did not tell me anything,” Karen denied once again. This time, Thalassa wasn’t surprised by the betrayal, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. At that moment, the look of conflict on Kris’s face transformed back into the hard, cold look as he gritted out, “Get out of here.” Thalassa flinched, her throat tightening. “Kris, I just told you that I’m pregnant. Do you really want me to leave?”“I am not falling for your lies anymore. I want you out of my life because I can’t stand you. I hate you, Thalassa Thompson.” Tears brimmed in Thalassa’s eyes as she shook her head vigorously in denial. “You... You don’t mean that.” Kris let out a chuckle so cold that it sent a shiver down her spine. “You’re right, I don’t mean that. Because I don’t hate you, Thalassa. I fucking despise you.” The tears finally fell down her face. In that moment, the pain that went through her heart was so sharp and intense that it felt like a knife piercing through her. She had to wait a few seconds for the pain to subside. “Fine,” she finally said, wiping furiously at the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Give me a pen, and I’ll sign the divorce papers.” She was done. Done being humiliated. Done trying to prove her innocence to Kris. If he despised her, then so be it. A pen was thrust in front of her. Without even bothering to see who was offering her the pen, Thalassa grabbed it and walked towards the center table in the living room. Squatting, she placed the divorce papers on top of the table and signed all the required spots. Once done, she closed it and walked back towards where Kris was standing. “Here,” she said, her voice and expression now devoid of any emotion. “I’ve signed them. Just like you wanted.” Kris took the papers from her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. “Once you decide, let me know where you want your belongings to be taken to, and I’ll have them brought to you.” And just like that, he turned and walked off, never looking back as he climbed the stairs. Once he disappeared from view, Thalassa slowly turned to look at the people behind her. They all had victorious smirks on their faces, except for Karen who didn’t even have the guts to look at her. “What are you still doing here, bitch? My brother has divorced you already. Tomas, take her away,” Kris’s brother, Tyler, instructed. Just as the security guard grabbed her by the arm, Thalassa jerked herself free and coldly said, “I know my way out.” With her head held high, she began walking towards the door, but just as she was passing by her ex-mother-in-law, the woman grabbed her by the arm and whispered for only her to hear, “Do you really think you’re going to have that bastard you’re trying to pass off as my grandson?” When Linda Miller finally let her go, Thalassa didn’t respond as she continued her way outside. She couldn’t have responded even if she wanted to because she felt tired. Exhausted. Numb. One year of enduring Kris’s suddenly cold attitude and his family’s humiliation, trying her very best to make her marriage work, and what did she have to show for it? Nothing. It had all been for nothing. Once outside the Miller Mansion, Thalassa kept walking. She didn’t know how long she walked. Neither did she know where she was going. All she knew was that her whole world had come crashing down around her and she didn’t know how to pick up the pieces. Her surroundings came sharply into focus when a hand suddenly grabbed her from behind and shoved her into a dark alley. As her heart skipped a beat, Thalassa let out a scream, but the person who had grabbed her quickly covered her mouth with his hand. “Don’t you dare scream!” her attacker hissed. It was a man, and his face was covered with a mask. Thalassa sucked in a breath, realizing how reckless she’d been for wandering alone at this time of night. No, she couldn’t let anything happen to her. She’d been through too much to add this on top of it. With all her might, she clamped her teeth on his hand, biting him fiercely. The man shrieked, letting go of her, but before she could use that opportunity to run, he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall before violently jamming his knee into her belly. Thalassa gasped as pain shot through her abdomen, and her eyes widened with dread. Her baby! “Don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded. “You can take everything I have on me, but please don’t hurt me. I am pregnant.” The man laughed callously. “Who says I care?” Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, “I’ve been sent to give you a message; next time, don’t mingle where you don’t belong.” Then he jammed his knee into her abdomen again, this time more fiercely than before. Thalassa let out a groan of pain, her body going weak as she sank to the ground. She clutched her abdomen as she lay on the ground, her voice weak as she pleaded, “I beg you. Please don’t hurt me. I am pregnant. Why are you doing this? Please have some mercy. Please.” But all her pleas fell on deaf ears. The man began kicking her in the abdomen, over and over again. The more she begged him, the more he kicked. By the time he stopped, Thalassa had tears streaming down her face as she groaned repeatedly in pain. It took her several seconds to realize that her attacker had left. Her whole body hurt as she braced her hand on the ground and forced herself to sit up, but she froze when she realized she was bleeding. Blood was soaking her panties and pooling around her thighs. Panic shot through her. No! Her baby! Her baby! She needed to save her baby. With the last bit of strength she had, she crawled out of the alley, weakly calling out, “Help me. Please, help me.” She tried getting up to her feet, but it hurt too much, so she just kept on crawling as she continued calling for help. She saw a woman approach and stretched out her hand. “Please...help me.” The woman looked freaked out and quickly ran off without even turning back to look at her. “No...please, don’t go. Help me.” She was feeling too weak. The whole world spun in front of her eyes before she collapsed on the floor, and everything went black.

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

“Isn’t that Thalassa Thompson?”“No way! The gold-digger who married Kris Thompson for his money?”“Yeah. She also cheated and had been stealing from him the whole time they were married.”“Yes, I heard about it. Poor man. He married her despite her low-class status only for her to betray him like that. But wasn’t she arrested?”“Both of you shut up this instant! How many times must I warn you not to gossip about our patients, especially in front of them?” Thalassa slowly opened her eyes but closed them instantly when bright lights attacked them. Blinking to adjust to the lights, she finally opened her eyes to find three women hovering over her. They were dressed in healthcare overalls. Two looked to be nurses, and the other looked to be a doctor. “She has woken,” one of the nurses observed, and they all focused on her. “Finally,” the one who looked to be a doctor said, then flashed a small smile at Thalassa. “How are you feeling, dear?” Bracing her hand on the bed, Thalassa slowly sat up, groaning as she did. She felt a dull ache in her abdomen, causing her to grimace in confusion. “What happened? Why am I here?” The last thing she remembered was walking out of the Miller Mansion after signing the divorce papers. How had she ended up in the hospital? “Oh dear, she doesn’t even remember what happened. I wonder how she’ll take the news,” one of the nurses whispered to the other, but it was audible enough. The doctor glared at them chastisingly while Thalassa questioned, “What are they talking about?” The doctor bit her lip. “Last night, a woman found you in a pool of blood on the street and called emergency services. You were rushed to this hospital.” Instantly, the horrors from last night seared through Thalassa’s mind: her walking on the street, being grabbed and shoved into an alley, her attacker repeatedly kicking her in the abdomen despite how many times she’d begged him to have mercy. The doctor was still speaking. “We hope you don’t mind, but since we already knew who you were, the hospital took the liberty of sending a message to your husband’s office. Unfortunately, we haven’t received any reply.”“Kris didn’t come?” Thalassa asked, afraid to voice the one gut-wrenching question that was the most important, but she knew she had to ask it soon. “Doctor,” she began, her lips quivering as tears brimmed in her eyes, “how’s my baby? Please tell me my baby is okay. Please tell me they’re fine.” The doctor didn’t respond for a few seconds, but the forlorn look on her face informed Thalassa of the answer even before she began to speak. “Mrs. Miller, the impacts on your abdomen were very strong, and since your pregnancy was only two months along, it couldn’t withstand it. By the time you were brought to the hospital, you’d bled out for far too long, and saving your life was what mattered. I regret to inform you that we couldn’t save your pregnancy.”“No,” Thalassa whispered softly as a tear slid down her cheek. Then another. And another. “We’re really sorry,” the doctor was saying. “We know you might want a moment to yourself, but due to the nature of the assault, we needed to inform the police. They will be here soon to take your statement. I’m sorry for your loss.” With that, the doctor and the nurses exited the room. Thalassa slowly lay back down as more tears streamed down her face, curling herself into a ball. The position made her abdomen ache, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door before two cops strode into her hospital room. “Mrs. Miller, we know you must be going through a lot, but if we are to help bring whoever did this to you to justice, then we need your statement,” one of them said. Thalassa slowly sat back up, staring at him unseeingly. “Did you see who did this to you?” he asked, his pen poised on his notepad. She shook her head. “No, he was wearing a mask that covered his entire face.”“Mrs. Miller, do these belong to you?” he said, and the other officer stepped forward. That was when Thalassa realized he was holding the handbag she’d had with her yesterday. She nodded. “Yes.” The first officer looked thoughtful. “Well, we realized that your attacker didn’t rob you of anything at all, which means this was an intentional attack. Do you have any idea who could’ve attacked you or why they did it?”“No...” Thalassa began to say, but suddenly, the possibilities began turning in her mind. She remembered the words the attacker had said to her when she’d told him not to hurt her because she was pregnant. “I’ve been sent to give you a message; next time, don’t mingle where you don’t belong.” The realization hit her hard. Someone had sent the attacker to harm her! But who? The only people close to her who’d taunted her with the fact that she didn’t belong with them were her mother-in-law, Linda Miller, and her other family members. Suddenly, she remembered the words Linda Miller had whispered in her ear before she’d walked out of the house: “Do you really think you’re going to have that bastard you’re trying to pass off as my grandson?” Her heart sank. It couldn’t be, right? Her mother-in-law couldn’t have sent someone to attack her and kill her own grandchild, right? But she also remembered how Karen had betrayed her so viciously. it had been obvious that she was in cahoots with Linda. Could it be Karen who sent that man? Or had the two of them worked together to destroy her? “Mrs. Miller, you haven’t responded to my question,” the officer’s voice drew her out of her thoughts. “No, I don’t have any idea who could’ve attacked me or why,” she finally responded. The officer narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Are you sure, ma’am?” Thalassa nodded stiffly. “Yes, I’m sure.” What was the need to tell the police what she suspected? It would be of no use. The Miller family was the most powerful family in Baltimore. They practically ruled the whole city. Even if she tried to report Linda or Karen, the woman would just use her influence to have the case swept under the rug or even turned against Thalassa. “Okay, we’ll leave now, but we might contact you for more information,” the officer said. “Here are your belongings.” After handing her bag and her phone to her, they excused themselves and left. Thalassa immediately turned on her phone, grateful to find that the battery wasn’t out. Kris. She needed to tell Kris what had happened to their baby. Finding his contact, she dialed his number. It rang until it went to voicemail. When she tried again and the same happened, she decided to send a text. Sweetheart, I was attacked last night on the street, and I’m in the hospital right now. Unfortunately, our baby couldn’t survive. Please come see me. I need you. Surely, he would reply. No matter what he thought of her, this was still their child she was talking about. Despite her hope, she was surprised when a reply came in almost immediately. She instantly pressed on it, but as soon as she read the reply, she wished that she hadn’t. KRIS: So what should I do? Deal with it. I don’t care. Thalassa felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured on her. She was so shocked that she read the message over and over again, trying to make sure that she hadn’t read it wrong. When she finally realized that this was indeed the reply that Kris had sent to her, the pain that crashed through her was so immense that she gasped and clutched her chest. She felt like her heart was going to rip out. Maybe that would be better, so that this wouldn’t hurt so much. Deal with it? I don’t care? How could he be so cruel to her when she needed him the most? When she finally got tired of crying, she just lay there quietly, staring unseeingly at the ceiling. A few minutes later, the door opened, and the doctor from earlier walked inside. “Thalassa, we sent another message to your husband’s office and there has been no response, but we need someone to fill out the necessary documentation. What do we—”“Don’t contact him again,” Thalassa deadpanned. “Sorry?” Thalassa slowly sat up as she wiped the tears from her face before she coldly said, “I said don’t contact him again. I’ll do everything myself.” She was done. So done shedding a single tear more for Kris Miller.