Chapter 3

The next morning, I was woken up by my phone's ringtone. Aiden's voice was clear and crisp on the other end of the line. "Come downstairs. I'm taking you out for a meal." He ended the call before I could say anything. Well, Aiden had always been that selfish from the start. I didn't want to cause any trouble before our impending divorce, so I decided to head downstairs. The moment Aiden saw me, he finally remembered that he forgot to buy painkillers for me. "The pharmacy is along the way to the restaurant. We can stop by there first." "There's no need for that. My injury doesn't hurt anymore." Aiden heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good, then. You got injured a few years ago anyway, so your injury shouldn't hurt that much now." My breath hitched momentarily in my throat. Then, I smiled faintly. "Yeah, you're right." Back then, I had pushed Aiden away, only to be sent flying after getting hit by a car. I ended up suffering multiple fractures and ligament injuries. Even now, I still endured frequent episodes of intense pain and agony. I was worried that Aiden might feel bad about what had happened to me, so I never told him the extent of the pain I had to endure. If he truly cared, he would've found out about my episodes a long time ago. As Aiden drove, he told me what happened last night. "I had intended to go home, but Eve was still shaken up from what happened. That's why I stayed a little longer to accompany her. Surely you don't mind, right?" I just gazed ahead. "Of course. Eve's very skittish by nature. You should spend more time with her." Aiden suddenly stopped the car. I wasn't expecting the sudden halt, so I dropped my phone onto the floor by my seat. I knew Aiden was looking at me. This time, I ignored him while bending over to pick up my phone. All I got was a handful of a lace bra that seemed to be made of a few cloth strips. If this were to happen in the past, my expression would have crumbled as though the bra were my greatest enemy. With red-rimmed eyes, I'd have demanded to know why this lingerie existed in Aiden's car in the first place. But now, I didn't say anything. Instead, I opened the compartment and stuffed the bra inside. A rare trace of embarrassment crossed Aiden's face. "Um, sometimes Eve asks me to drop her off at the yoga gym after work. Maybe she accidentally forgot her bra when she was changing inside the car." I just nodded, still looking nonchalant as usual. When we were having breakfast, there was a couple—seemingly college students—sitting at the table next to us. They were about to finish their meals and kept shooting glances at us. The female student couldn't resist approaching Aiden in the end. "May I ask if you're the CEO in Evie the Magical Girl's posts?" Aiden asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?" The student looked a little excited. "Oh my gosh! You're even more handsome in person! May I ask if you're currently in a relationship with Evie?" Aiden fell silent for a few seconds while gazing at me. Then, he replied, "Yeah." I lowered my head with a small smile tracing my lips. At the same time, I could feel a pinprick of pain in my belly. The student followed Aiden's gaze and looked at me in confusion. "Then, who is she?" "That's my older sister," Aiden quickly answered. Before the student left, she exclaimed, "Your relationship with Evie is super sweet! I hope you two stay together forever!" After the couple left, Aiden grabbed my hand and began comforting me. "Noelle, don't be angry. Eve's CEO series has gained a lot of popularity on her social media. I'm just acting in her videos because she asked me to. "Eve has worked hard to gain this many fans, and she's very happy with the outcome. If I denied being in a relationship with her, how could she face her fans in the future?" I wasn't interested in Aiden's explanation at all, so I replied perfunctorily, "Yeah. I get it." The discomfort in my belly was starting to worsen. I clutched it with one hand, my face turning pale with every second. I managed to endure the pain until breakfast was over. Aiden chose to drive me home. On the way home, Eve called him. "Help me, Aiden! I bought a ticket to the amusement park, but I couldn't flag down any cabs because of the morning rush! I've been waiting for half an hour, and my makeup is melting off my face! Can you drive me to the amusement park?" She sounded like an alarmed pet. A hint of affection appeared in Aiden's eyes. "Alright. I'll head toward your place now." After ending the call, Aiden looked at me. "Let's go pick Eve up together." "No way, Aiden!" Cold sweat began forming on my forehead. "My stomach hurts very badly right now. Take me to the nearest hospital first!" "What did you just say?" Aiden's expression crumbled instantly. Rage was evident in his eyes. "I was worried you might misunderstand my relationship with Eve, so I decided to bring you along out of the kindness of my heart. And yet, you're giving me attitude! "I should've known women like you are bitches by nature! The moment I treat you nicely, you decide to take advantage of me!" Aiden then stopped the car. "If you don't want to pick Eve up with me, then get out of the car right now!" "Aiden, take me to the hospital! I'm bleeding!" The pain radiating from my belly was getting unbearable. I could feel warm liquid gushing out between my thighs. "Where are you bleeding from, huh? Is your heart bleeding after hearing Eve's phone call?" Aiden snapped. I gazed at Aiden for a moment before taking a deep breath. Now, I had no choice but to explain my current condition to him. "Listen carefully, Aiden. I'm pregnant. Since I'm bleeding, there's a chance I might be having an ectopic pregnancy. That's why I need to go for a check-up at the hospital right now." Aiden was initially stunned by what he heard. Fury soon coursed through his veins. "Noelle Osmond, how shameless are you to lie about such things? You never got pregnant after all these years of marriage! How could you be pregnant as soon as Eve called me? "Before, you claimed Dylan tried to molest you! Now, you say you're pregnant! You really like fabricating lewd rumors about yourself, huh?" Aiden pointed at the car door and ordered, "Get the fuck out! You said you're bleeding, right? Then get the fuck out of my car right now! Don't taint my car with your blood! "Eve's hitching a ride later! She's used to sitting in the front passenger seat because she's not used to sitting anywhere else!" "Fine." I closed my eyes before reaching for the door handle. But Aiden grabbed my arm again. He gritted out through clenched teeth, "Noelle Osmond, if you dare get out of this car right now, I'll divorce you!" "A divorce?" I turned to look at him. "Since you plan on divorcing me, that makes things a lot easier. I've already had my attorney draft a divorce agreement. Remember to sign it later." Aiden's grip went slack. He stared at me in disbelief. "Are you for real? You'd better not regret your words, Noelle!" Once he was done speaking, he started the car abruptly. I was caught off guard by his actions and was dragged across the road for over 30 feet. Passersby all gasped and screamed in shock at the sight. Soon, I collapsed on the road. As my vision went hazy, the last thing I saw was the exhaust fumes churning from the back of Aiden's car. Blood seeped everywhere from beneath me, like a flower slowly blooming.