Chapter 3

The surgery was done, and when I finally woke up, it was already the next morning. My phone was flooded with over three hundred missed calls. Just as the screen dimmed, another call came through.

"You didn't answer my calls, and you didn't come home. What the hell is going on? Do you think I'm some toy you can just toss around whenever you feel like it?" Lucas's voice cracked with anger. "Get over here and apologize to Skye today. Or the engagement is off!"

Before he could keep ranting, I hung up. The baby was gone. And with it, any reason to stick around.

"Well, well. If it isn't Miss Cooper," a voice I couldn't stand broke the silence.

I looked up to find Skye in the same hospital gown I was wearing, but her smug grin told me everything I needed to know.

"Nadia, what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

Lucas stood right beside her. The lipstick stain on his collar was impossible to miss. They'd obviously been up to... something last night. I turned away, grabbing a glass of water, pretending I couldn't care less.

Lucas stormed over, slamming my glass out of my hand. The water splashed everywhere, soaking my blanket and shirt.

"Skye's talking to you! Can't you hear her?" he yelled, his voice full of rage. "How dare you act like this? Are you trying to provoke Skye again?"

Without warning, he grabbed my arm, yanking me toward him. The sharp movement tore at my surgical wound, and pain shot through my body. I winced, fighting to keep my voice calm as I hissed, "What do you want from me?"

"I already told you, it's over. We're done," I said, my words firm despite the agony.

Then, a slap. Hard and fast, across my face.

"You damn girl! You jinx!" Skye's mom barged in, furious. She threw a cheap fruit basket onto my bedside table like it was a grenade. "You should be grateful that Mr. Madron is even interested in you. Miss Ingram is young, pretty, and rich. What are you?"

My dad followed behind, clutching another basket, this one clearly the more expensive one. It was obvious which one was for me, the cheap one, of course. They didn't even try to hide it anymore.

"Enough with this crap!" I shot back, my voice cold with contempt. "You're all just parasites, feeding off whatever scraps Lucas throws at you. What, now I'm not good enough because I'm ‘old' and ‘ugly'?"

My mom's face twisted with anger. "You're so ungrateful, Nadia! You've been with Lucas for seven years, and now you're throwing it all away?"

Another slap. This time, it burned all the way to my scalp, and my face tilted with the force of it. Blood trickled from my gums, but I held my ground, refusing to let them see me break.

"Enough," Lucas interjected, his voice cutting through the tension. "Nadia's pregnant, and she's my fiancée. I'm the only one who can deal with her. No one touches her without my permission."

He bent down, his fingers brushing my cheek with a tenderness that made my skin crawl. He still treated me like I was his property, something to control.

"Don't touch me," I spat, my voice ice-cold. "I find your touch disgusting."

He froze. The surprise in his eyes was almost comical. He wasn't used to me standing up to him. For a moment, he just stood there, unsure of what to do.