It would be a lie to say I wasn't hurting.

I buried the pain in my chest and said, "Julian, do you know that our child is gone—"

Tiffany rolled her eyes and interrupted, "Julian, I'm in so much pain. Am I going to die?"

Julian couldn't bear to see someone he cared about worrying about death. When he saw Tiffany in distress, he immediately brought her away.

He didn't forget to turn back and threaten me.

"Chloe, you'd better pray that Tiffany's okay. If anything happens to her, I won't let you get away with it. I never imagined you to be so despicable and lie about a dead child just out of jealousy!"

I gave him one last look as he turned his back, then walked in the opposite direction.

I hoped that Julian would never, ever regret the choice he made today.

By the time I had taken care of my daughter's funeral arrangements, night had already fallen.

Back home, I began packing my belongings, only to realize how little I had in this house.

At the funeral, my parents tried calling Julian. All they got in return was a stern warning.

"No wonder Chloe's always lying—it must run in the family! Even if she's jealous of Tiffany, she shouldn't be lying about a child's death."

My parents were livid but forced themselves to remain composed. "You're the child's father. The very least you could do is attend your daughter's funeral."

Julian's voice grew even colder. "Enough already! I'm warning you. No one will come between me and Tiffany. I don't care if the kid died. Hell, even if Chloe drops dead today, I still wouldn't show up!"

With that, the call ended.

My father looked at me, eyes filled with both frustration and pity. "I told you not to mar

Tiffany walked in while I was packing my things for discharge. I had just begun to feel a little better physically.

Today was the day of my daughter's funeral.

Tiffany said, "So what if you gave birth to his child? Julian never loved you. He only sees you as my replacement."

Once again, Tiffany acted delicate and frail. She looked at me with mockery and disdain, no longer the elegant figure she usually portrayed in front of Julian.

I pursed my lips and looked at her seriously. "Do you really enjoy being a mistress that much?"

Tiffany clearly hadn't expected me to ask such an unrelated question. The words hit a nerve, and I saw her face twist in irritation and embarrassment.

"Why are you still pretending, Chloe? You're terrified, aren't you? What's wrong with loving someone? Just because your heart is filthy doesn't mean everyone else's is too. If you love Julian, you'd let us be to

Chapter 7