Chapter 4

Lexi stared at Jeremy in shock, unable to believe what she'd just heard come out of his mouth. But instead of looking guilty, Jeremy stood there like he was above it all. "Lexi, I'm so disappointed in you. You're the one who drugged her, so whatever comes out of it, you have no one to blame but yourself." Tricia clung to Jeremy, throwing a smug look at Lexi. Lexi's body trembled as she stood. She said in a cold voice laced with sarcasm, "Jeremy, are you blind? Do you think I drugged her so that I could use my own husband as the cure? There are a thousand ways to handle something like this, but you—" Before she could finish, Tricia started up again, dragging her nails across her barely healed cut. "Jeremy, just go. Don't worry about me. Let me suffer alone. And don't blame Lexi. She just loves you too much... That's why she did something so foolish." Even though Lexi had already decided to give up on Jeremy, she wasn't about to let Tricia walk all over her like this. "Tricia, do you have no shame? You showed up at my house, hung all over my husband, and then tried to lecture me. Did a dog chew up whatever manners you were raised with?" Just as she finished, Jeremy stood up and slapped her hard across the face. "Lexi, Tricia hasn't said a single bad word about you, but you keep attacking her. You don't deserve anyone's sympathy! If you like drugging people so much, then you can stay right here and listen to what you caused!" Before she could react, Jeremy dragged her to the doorway and tied her wrists to the doorknob with his necktie. Right before walking back inside, he said coldly, "You brought this on yourself. Don't blame anyone else." She was left tied outside the room the entire night. The sounds of a man grunting and a woman moaning echoed nonstop. At first, Lexi cried. Then, when the tears dried up, only hatred remained. Every time she heard another sound from inside that room, she reminded herself that this was the price of loving the wrong person. Eventually, pain twisted in her stomach, and cold sweat broke out all over her body. She wanted to cry for help, but the pain dulled her voice. Compared to the noises coming from inside, her voice didn't stand a chance. The moaning didn't stop until dawn, when Jeremy finally opened the door. "Do you understand what you did wrong?" Those were the first words out of his mouth. But when he looked down, she was already unconscious. A flash of panic crossed his face as he bent down to check on her and found that her body was burning up. He lifted her in his arms, ready to take her to the hospital, but then Tricia's voice called from the bedroom. "Jeremy, you were too rough last night. That area's kind of swollen now. It's not exactly something I can ask for help with… Can you come give me a hand? "Lexi used to get fevers all the time in college. Just grab her some medicine, and she'll be fine. The maids can take her to the hospital. "And you know I have a special status. If word gets out that a maid helped me with something private, my reputation will be ruined..." Even in her haze, Lexi watched with her own eyes as Jeremy handed her over to a maid. ... When she woke up again, she was already at the hospital. The doctor said, "Ms. Shaw, you're three months pregnant. But the fetus is unstable, so you'll need to—" "I don't want the baby. Schedule the procedure." The doctor paused, assuming she was worried the baby wasn't healthy. "Ms. Shaw, it's just an unstable pregnancy. There's no need to terminate—" Lexi cut him off coldly, "My husband cheated on me. We're divorced. There's no reason for this baby to exist. Please schedule an abortion today. Thank you." The doctor kept the rest of his advice to himself and sighed. "Sure. I'll get it arranged as soon as possible." Once the doctor left, she pulled out her phone and sent Henry a message. "A month is too long. Make it three days. Pick me up in three days."