radiated from her womb, a physical confirmation of the loss that had already settled in her heart. She was alone. The baby

e sound of his voice pulled h

worry about," Alexander said, his tone s

is arm was Clara Bell. Clara looked pale and fragile, her large eyes filled with fake

rfect blend of fear and pity. "I never meant for this to happen. If I had known Mrs. Sterling was so... unstable, I w

up. Unstable? Clara had orchestrated this entire event wit

wrong. Eleanor has been under a lot of stress." He walked over to the bed, his gaze cold and clinical. He was

voice low so Clara couldn't hear. "Losing your comp

by," she said, her voice a raw whisper.

on, then dismissal. "Don' t be dramatic. The doctor said it was an early-term miscarriag

he life they had created as an inconvenience. He was

to Clara,"

at him, dumbfou

night, blaming herself for your... episode,"

losing his child because of his cruelty, to apologize to the woman who had manipulated

Mrs. Sterling didn' t mean it. Maybe... maybe she just needs some space. Maybe it would be better fo

y make Alexander more determined to keep her. She was positioning herself as the magnanim

m Clara' s "selfless" face to Eleanor' s

urned his gaze back to Eleanor. "This has gone on long enough. It'

emed to shatter into a million tiny pieces. A divorce. He was choosing Clara

"I' ll have my lawyer, Mr. Harrison, draw up the papers. He' ll be by l

thought he could buy her silence and compliance after destroying her life. She looked at his han

t," she

eano

nd tearing from her raw throat. "

e and empty eyes, arrived two hours later. H

you that he will continue to fund your brother' s medical care indefinitely. All yo

apped in a thin veil of legal

flipped to the last page and signed her name without reading a single clause. S

Mrs... I mean, Ms. Vance," the

f her, but she was the one getting free. And as she lay in that silent, empty room, she made a promise to the memory of her child and to hersel