Chapter 3

Yasmine's hand froze momentarily before snapping the pen cover back on the pen. She replied, "It's the trust fund I'm setting up for the twins." She scoffed self-deprecatingly as she watched his frosty gaze begin to thaw. "What is it? Are you here to condemn me?" she added. Charlie grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "I'm sorry. I lost my temper back at the hospital," he said, rubbing against her cheek as if trying to placate her. "I checked the cameras. The kids' memories probably got all jumbled up from fear. Let's just leave this in the past, alright? We don't have to bring it up again." He leaned down, clearly trying to solve everything with a kiss, like how he usually did. This time, however, Yasmine turned away to avoid it. She felt a sense of revenge-like satisfaction at the sight of the shock in his eyes. "Let's send Zachary and Rachel back to the orphanage," she said softly. "I'll go overseas to get treated for my condition. We'll have our own kid." Charlie's expression immediately darkened when he heard that. "It's been six years. It would be hard to part ways even with a pet dog, let alone two children. How could you have the heart to say that?" His grip tightened as if he wanted to break her wrist. Yasmine instinctively began to fight back from the pain and accidentally hit her head against the corner of the picture frame behind her. She became dizzy from the impact and could feel blood beginning to drip from the back of her head. Her tears began to stream down her face, dampening the back of his hand. She didn't know if she was crying from pain or heartache. She had raised two ungrateful brats because of how big her heart was. Perhaps due to the heat of Yasmine's tears against his hand, Charlie immediately came to his senses. He softened his tone and said, "Yasmine, I just don't want you to go through the pain of childbirth. It would hurt so much." His deep gaze reminded her of the passionate teenager he had once been. During their high school biology class, he had volunteered to experience a simulation of labor pains. After the class, he had hugged her tightly with tears in his eyes as he said, "Yasmine, let's not have any kids, okay?" Even though he was more mature now, his sincere love had become something fake and rotten. She wanted to pull away from him when his phone began to ring loudly. Charlie looked at the caller ID and immediately pushed her away. He went to the corner to pick up the call. She watched as his gaze softened and the corner of his eyes curved in a smile. "I have to drop by work for a bit," he said to Yasmine before hurriedly leaving. The sight pierced through Yasmine's skin like a thousand tiny needles. She looked behind her and saw that the wedding picture behind her was splattered with her blood. Just like her marriage to Charlie, it had ended in a tragedy. That night, she didn't tuck the kids in for bed. Rachel and Zachary, who had already been discharged, couldn't stop complaining. "Why isn't Mom telling us a bedtime story tonight? We just told a little lie. Why is she so petty?" "I hate Mom! I want Dad to chase her out so that Ms. Zara can be our new mom!" Yasmine turned off her phone, cutting off the live feedback from the baby monitor in the twins' room. They would get their wish soon, once the divorce proceedings were finalized in a month. The next day, she wasn't awoken by her usual alarm at 6:00 am. Instead, it was the loud laughter and voices from downstairs that had woken her up. Charlie was helping Zara put on her apron as she fed the kids their breakfast with a smile on her face. Zara looked more like the lady of the house than Yasmine had. "Zara, you got some milk on your lip," Charlie said as he reached out and held her face with one hand. He gently wiped her bottom lip with his handkerchief. "That's it." "Ms. Zara, your bedtime stories are so fun. You're not like my mom. She's stupid and slow," Zachary said as he gazed adoringly at Zara, complimenting her generously. "Ms. Zara, can you marry Dad and become his wife?" Rachel asked as she held onto Zara's hand and swung it around. Yasmine had never seen such a sweet, obedient side of Rachel. Even though they might not have meant for her to hear it, Yasmine's heart still ached when she heard them. Suddenly, as if they could sense her presence, the four of them turned and saw her standing at the foot of the stairs. When he saw Yasmine, Charlie immediately stepped away from Zara and walked toward Yasmine. "Yasmine, there's a fundraising event at the orphanage tomorrow. Zara would like you to join." His tone was sincere, but it left no room for argument. Yasmine nodded gently and turned to leave when Zara suddenly called after her. She held Yasmine's hand as she looked at her gratefully. "Ms. Steele, thank you for supporting our orphanage." However, as she reached out to hug Yasmine, a smirk flashed across her face as she whispered, "Mr. Listford said he thinks of me whenever he calls out to the kids." Yasmine stumbled back to her room, feeling her palm stinging painfully. She looked at the bloody crescents that Zara's nails had left in her flesh and murmured the twins' names to herself. Zachary and Rachel. The first two letters of their names spelled "Zara". Yasmine's tears began to stream down her face and onto the scratches on her palm, causing it to sting even more painfully. She was so stupid. She was so stupid that she hadn't even noticed such blatant betrayal. … On the day of the fundraiser, Yasmine went to the orphanage on her own. The moment she stepped inside, she saw Zara holding onto Charlie's arm as she smiled sweetly. Zara was wearing a white dress that made her look like a breath of fresh air. Charlie had on a classic suit, making him look sleek and handsome. Zachary and Rachel were next to them. Together, the four of them looked like a picture-perfect family. One of the guests approached them and gushed, "You must be Mrs. Listford! The two of you make such a beautiful couple." Zara's face flushed as Charlie froze momentarily. He didn't say a word to deny the guest's assumptions. Yasmine smirked mockingly. He used to talk about how much he hated Zara. However, he was looking at her with a sweet lover's gaze. The director of the orphanage started the fundraising event soon enough, kicking it off with an opening speech. The crowd's gaze was immediately drawn to the screen behind him.