Chapter 5

James froze, his face drained of color as terror took over. He couldn't grasp why the blood was coming from my lower body, not my head. It was like the gravity of the situation finally hit him. He rushed over, lifting me up and shaking me violently, his panic evident in every move. The people around us stood frozen, paralyzed with fear, too shocked to even breathe. All I could hear was James' voice, now frantic.

"Shannon, stop this! Are you done? Talk to me! You think I'll feel sorry for you now? Don't think for a second that this changes anything..."

The blood was pouring out of me, and with every word James spoke, his voice grew more desperate, the confidence slipping from it as my face turned even paler. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flicker of triumph in Lindsay's eyes before she quickly masked it with concern.

After a long pause, she stepped forward, her voice cautious but clear.

"You need to get her to the hospital. Shannon... I think she's had a miscarriage."

At the word miscarriage, James froze, his face going ashen, like he had just been slapped awake from a nightmare. In a panic, he scooped me into his arms and bolted toward the car, his mind clearly unraveling. As Lindsay tried to climb in, he floored the gas, speeding off without her. The final team-building event that was supposed to bring us closer ended in chaos and blood.

As we sped down the road, every bump in the car made the pain worse. My head throbbed, my body was torn apart by the cramping in my abdomen. I could barely stay conscious, the pain blurring everything around me. Blood pooled beneath me on the seat, and I couldn't help but think, maybe this was fate's way of telling me that we weren't meant to have a child together.

For the first time, James had chosen me over Lindsay, but what use was this victory now? I could feel the tears slipping down my face as everything went dark.

When I finally woke up in the hospital, the sterile lights above me made my headache worse. The nurse wheeled me out of the operating room, and James rushed over to the doctor, his voice shaky.

"How is she? Is she okay?"

The doctor didn't sugarcoat it. His voice was cold, sharp, and full of reprimand.

"Are you her family? Don't you know she has a history of miscarriages? This pregnancy needed special care! She was on injections for days and you let her drink? What were you thinking? Are you trying to kill her?"

His words hit like a slap.

"And this head trauma? If this was caused by someone, you need to call the police. This isn't an accident, it's attempted murder! If you'd brought her in later, she wouldn't have made it."

James's face drained of color. The guilt was written all over him.

When I finally came to in my room, James was there, sitting beside the bed, his head buried in his hands. As soon as he heard me stir, he looked up, his voice cracking.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? That was my child, too. If I had known, I wouldn't have, "

I cut him off before he could finish, my voice cold.

"There's nothing to talk about. Even if you'd known, you wouldn't have let me keep the baby."

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

"Let's get a divorce. I've already sent the papers to your office. Just sign them, and we're done."

I paused, meeting his eyes for the first time.

"I never cared about the money or assets. But now, I want what's mine. You gave everything to her during our marriage. I'll be suing Lindsay for that. So, you'd better start preparing."

James's face twisted with disbelief, and for a second, I almost expected him to argue or defend Lindsay. But after a long pause, he clenched his jaw and spoke in a low voice.

"I can explain everything that happened before... But why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? It wasn't just your child. It was mine, too."

I smirked bitterly, not bothering to look at him.

"Tell you? You were too busy spending the money meant for raising a child on houses and shares for Lindsay. What would be the point? You'd just think I was trying to use the baby to fight for your assets."

I watched him freeze, his face falling as the realization hit. For a moment, it was like he was seeing himself for the first time, selfish, manipulative, pathetic.

Just then, the door to the hospital room swung open, and Lindsay walked in, holding a lunchbox in one hand, papers in the other. Her face was the picture of sweet concern.

"Shannon, are you okay? It's all my fault. I didn't know you were pregnant. If I had, I never would've asked you to come eat with us... God, I feel terrible about this misunderstanding between you and James, "

Before she could finish, James's expression darkened, his voice cutting through her like a knife.

"Who told you to come in here without knocking? Do you behave like this at home, too? This isn't the company, and it's sure as hell not your home!"

Lindsay froze, her smile faltering as her eyes filled with shock and hurt. She stood there for a moment, stunned, before her tears started to form, and she dropped the lunchbox and papers, running out of the room.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Are you going to chase after her? This time, even half your company's shares won't be enough to win her back. Maybe you should just hand her the whole damn company."

James flushed with embarrassment, but he didn't argue. He simply bent down to pick up the scattered papers. When his hand brushed them, he froze.

There it was, right on top: the divorce papers I had sent to his office, with Lindsay's pregnancy test report right beneath it.

I saw him hurriedly tear them up and toss them in the trash. A cold smile tugged at my lips. He thought he was clever, hiding it from me as if I didn't already know. But the act was laughable. I'd been so blinded by love that I deceived myself. Now, all those feelings were gone. I saw him for what he truly was: a sad little clown.

I had found out about Lindsay's pregnancy through a sneaky social media post she made, one she had set to be visible only to me. I'd blocked her before, but when I unblocked her, there it was. I didn't need him to tell me.

James's nerves were frazzled, and he muttered something about getting me some water before slipping out of the room, taking the trash with him. When he returned, he was more attentive than ever, hovering over me like he was trying to redeem himself.

But nothing he did mattered. I had no words left for him. After years of constant arguments, coldness, and betrayal, there was nothing left to say.

Finally, after he had finished pampering me, I broke the silence.

"Tearing up the divorce papers doesn't change anything. I've made my decision. You've caused me to miscarry twice. We have no future, James."

James slumped into the chair next to the bed, his hands gripping his hair in frustration.

"I admit the first miscarriage was my fault. But how could you hide this one from me? Don't you think that's wrong? Yes, I acted impulsively, but my heart was in the right place. I just wanted to clear things up with you and Lindsay. That's why I took you to that event. I didn't invite you to the others, did I?"

He was desperate now.

"I know your limits with alcohol. I thought you were just mad and didn't want to reconcile, so I panicked. I didn't want Lindsay to look bad in front of everyone. If you'd told me the truth, I wouldn't have forced you to drink."

His words were pathetic, and I cut him off before he could go further, my voice colder than ice.

"Whether or not you thought things through has nothing to do with me anymore. I don't care about your team-building events. What I care about is a divorce. It's over, James."

His eyes filled with despair as his voice cracked, pleading with me.

"Shannon, I know I messed up, but please... Can't you forgive me just this once? I'll give you everything. The house. All the shares. We've been together so long. I know who my real wife is. I was just making up for my mistakes with her... with the child..."

I cut him off again, my tone sharp.

"Making up for it with a child?"

He faltered, his face paling as he tried to explain.

"It was an accident. I was drunk at a business event, and she came to pick me up…"

The words came out weak, hollow. I saw the panic creeping into his eyes as he realized how bad his excuses sounded. Maybe he thought the baby would be his redemption. Maybe, in his mind, I was just another casualty of Lindsay's good fortune.

But in the end, I had nothing.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

"I've forgiven you so many times in the past. Not just this year, but all those seven years before Lindsay came back. I knew you were still in contact with her, and I pretended it.