Chapter 2

The phone on the bathroom counter rang.

"Miss Lockhart, this is the ninth time you've scheduled an abortion at our hospital."

"The first eight times, you canceled just an hour before your appointment."

"Please don't keep taking up appointment slots you don't intend to use. I'm going to have to cancel this appointment for you..."

The staffer on the line sounded thoroughly fed up.

I rested my hand on the slight swell of my belly.

I made up my mind this time.

My voice came out dry.

"No need."

"I'll be there on time tomorrow."

Xavier didn't come home all night.

The next morning, I got up early and headed straight to the hospital.

Three hours later, the baby was gone for good.

I returned to the mansion, still aching from the procedure.

The sound of a party spilled out from inside.

"Congratulations on Zoey waking up!"

"Last night Xavier totally fell for it. He really thought Zoey wasn't going to make it."

"You didn't see the look on his face. He was frantic with worry."

Inside, Xavier's friends were ribbing him.

Then someone made a suggestion.

"Xavier, let’s throw a party to celebrate Zoey waking up!"

"Why don't we have Chloe put on a little show for us? A bowl of rice mixed with industrial chili essence."

I froze, stunned by those words.

My face was still swollen, raw, and unbearably itchy from the chili. It stung every time I moved a muscle.

I couldn't stop myself from reaching up to scratch it, and I heard Xavier laugh softly.

"Why not?"

"Perfect timing. Let's do it to cheer Zoey up."

"Chloe used to do mukbang anyway. A little chili won’t hurt her."

His words were so cold that I could hardly believe they were coming from the man I'd married.

Back when I was doing mukbangs, most of my videos featured spicy food. It took a serious toll on my stomach and nearly wrecked my health.

But to scrape together the money for my mother's chemo, I had no choice but to eat.

After every livestream, my stomach would burn as if someone had set it on fire.

The pain was relentless.

It made me stay awake night after night.

After I got together with Xavier, I never once complained about how much I’d suffered.

I always glossed over it.

"I used to do mukbang. I had to eat all kinds of insane spicy food for every stream."

Back then, Xavier had pulled me into his arms, his heart breaking for me.

He'd whispered the same promise in my ear again and again.

"It's all behind you now. With me, you'll never have to do mukbang again."

I believed him. I shut down the account with its millions of followers.

We got married, and we started trying for a baby.

I never imagined that, just four months into my pregnancy, everything would change so completely.

Holding the abortion paper in my hand, I walked into the mansion, one step at a time.

"Xavier, I'm not going to eat that industrial chili essence anymore."

"What did you say?"

Xavier's brows drew together.

Disappointment darkened his eyes.

"Chloe Lockhart, you're the one who did wrong. Why don't you feel a shred of remorse?"

"Fine, you won't eat the chili essence. Then get on your knees right now and apologize to Zoey!"

His voice thundered with rage as he strode toward me.

He grabbed my arm and roughly dragged me over to Zoey.

Someone emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of rice drenched in industrial chili extract. The mixture was so dark red it looked almost black.

"Chloe, Xavier says you get to pick!"

"So what'll it be?"

Everyone stared at me, eager to see which humiliation I'd choose.

A sharp ache twisted through my lower abdomen, forcing me to hunch over slightly.

I was just about to open the abortion paper, when someone shoved me hard to the floor.

"Looks like she picks kneeling and apologizing!"

I caught myself with both hands, but before I could even figure out what was happening, someone grabbed the back of my head and forced it down again and again, smashing my skull against the hardwood.

Thud.Thud.Thud.

A dull roar filled my ears, drowning out everything else.

After a while, I couldn't even tell how many times they'd slammed my head against the floor.

Then I heard Zoey , her voice dripping with false sweetness.

"It's fine. I forgive you, Chloe."