    　　Xyrille's jaw was agape, then her eyes were suddenly full of concern. "Zoey, what happened? How… why are you dressed like that? Where have you been recently? I've been looking for you for so long!"

    　　"Enough!” She shrieked. “Stop acting!"

    　　After three months of darkness, it took a while before her eyes could adjust to the sunlight. Outside, the brightness was blinding, but she managed to walk and find them in this dress shop.

    　　It took every ounce of self-control she had to keep from pouncing at Xyrille. She wanted to slap her and tear her hair out. Instead she turned to Jerome. “The baby in her stomach is not yours! I heard her men talking about it, they said her baby was fathered by another man.”

    　　“And also she set me up so you would catch me in bed with another man!”

    　　“She had me kidnapped! Don’t marry her, she's a liar!" On and on she went, raging an

    　　She tugged at Zoey's clothes and begged miserably. "Zoey, I know you hate me. You hurt yourself to slander me. I know you must love Jerome deeply. Even though you got pregnant with another man’s child, it must be because he neglected you. I swear to God that I love him and would never betray him." She spoke softly and was wide-eyed.

    　　“Let go of me!" Zoey angrily tried to pull the hem of her dress out of Xyrille’s hand, but she held on to it tightly.

    　　"Ah!"

    　　Xyrille's eyes widened even more, and she fell back. Jerome saw that she was about to hit the wall behind her, and he quickly stepped forward, and held her in his arms.

    　　"I..." Xyrille's forehead was in a cold sweat, and her hands covered her abdomen. "My belly hurts…our child, we must save our child..."

    　　Whatever doubts he had, they were all swept away, and now he was sure Zoey was really set on hu

    　　Neither sunlight, nor moonlight came through the thick walls of the building she was in. There were no openings, no sounds came from outside. The only human contact she had was with the two men who stood guard, fed her and cleaned up every now and then.

    　　Zoey begged them to let her go, again and again. She offered to give them money and everything they wanted, but they just laughed at her. These men showed no sympathy for her.

    　　The next day, when the men brought her breakfast, Zoey refused to take it. She just lay there and ignored them.

    　　Thinking she was still asleep, they started whispering between themselves.

    　　"I haven't even served my mother like this! Every day I serve this bitch tea and water. Such an angelic face, you wouldn’t think she was a cheater. You’d be fooled into believing she’s innocent.”

    　　“Well, if something bad happens to her, Ms. An will kill you."

    　　"Oh, that one. She’s not as pretty as this one but she is one cunning woman. You wouldn’t want to cross her,” The man mused. He went on, “This one is here…she’s serving time for her crime. But that one…” he shook his head. “She’s getting a new husband! It’s like heaven has rewarded her for what she did!"

    　　The two men chuckled between themselves.

    　　“Look, Ms. An and Mr. Fu are going to be engaged soon. We were told to take good care of this woman. Wouldn’t want Ms. An to be pissed at you for messing up her evil schemes.”

    　　“Goddamn that woman, she could have asked me to get her pregnant, I would’ve done her for free.” The men laughed even louder.

    　　“What if the child grows up to look like you? That would be one ugly kid!” The man snorted in laughter.

    　　“If I didn’t know how much he likes to fool around with escorts, I’d think he’s gay,” the other one noted.

    　　“Maybe he’s impotent?” Both men giggled. “Three years and he didn’t manage to get his own wife pregnant. He’s left her for getting pregnant with another man, and now he’s marrying another. He think he got her pregnant. What a mess!”

    　　“These rich women are such sluts. He has no idea he’s not the father either.” More laughter.

    　　Lying on the bed, Zoey began to connect the dots together.

    　　“You know, women like to be loved. He ignored his wife. Someone else did his duty for him,” the smaller man noted, a little bit too loudly, as if he was addressing her indirectly.

    　　Xyrille had manipulated Jerome even more than she had imagined possible. In the dark, Zoey’s hazy thoughts suddenly turned optimistic. As long as she can reveal that woman, everything will be back to normal, she said to herself.

    　　Though she was hungry, she did not eat all day, and lay motionless in bed.

    　　"You need to eat, for the sake of your child," the smaller man urged her.

    　　Xyrille had given them orders never to let Zoey go hungry. She wanted the child to be healthy.

    　　Zoey feebly answered, "My head hurts. It's like it's going to explode. Am I going to die? Where am I now? Where are Jerome and my parents?"

    　　She pretended to sound delusional.

    　　The man, frightened at the thought that she might be ill, said, "Look, she hasn't eaten all day. I'll find the doctor to come and have a look at her."

    　　"Be careful, don’t let anyone see you. I'll call Miss An."

    　　"Like I don’t know what I’m doing? Don't let her get away!"

    　　"Yeah, whatever."

    　　As soon as the other man was gone, Zoey began groaning. The man came to her bedside and lifted the corner of her quilt. Slowly, she got up and grabbed his hand. "Jerome, is that you? Have you finally come to see me? I’ve missed you!"

    　　Surprised, the man pushed her away. However, his hand brushed against her chest, which was fuller due to the her pregnancy.

    　　His rough palm fell on her slender waist, and his eyes were filled with lust.

    　　In the most luxurious wedding dress shop in the city, Xyrille was happily trying on her wedding dress. Standing in front of the floor mirror, she leaned to her left and right, and raised her hand to caress her abdomen." Jerome, do I look good in this wedding dress?"

    　　The long skirt mopped the floor. The chest was decorated with pearls and lace, and the waist was specially designed to cover up her slightly convex abdomen.

    　　He intended to wait for Xyrille to give birth to the child before marrying her. But Xyrille was worried that Jerome would leave her one day, so to give her a sense of security, he arranged to be engaged in a week. He also had to deal with his divorce from Zoey, and file the necessary paperwork.

    　　For a moment, Xyrille’s smile reminded him of Zoey’s. He shook his head, as if to shake off these unwanted thoughts. "Very beautiful, my future Mrs. Fu."

    　　“Thank you, my love.”

    　　A shrill female voice suddenly rang out from behind them. “Xyrille, you don't deserve to be Jerome's wife at all!"

    　　Jerome and Xyrille both spun around. A dishevelled Zoey, wearing nothing but a ragged nightdress, stood at the door of the shop. Her face was contorted in hatred.


　　Xyrille's jaw was agape, then her eyes were suddenly full of concern. "Zoey, what happened? How… why are you dressed like that? Where have you been recently? I've been looking for you for so long!"

    　　"Enough!” She shrieked. “Stop acting!"

    　　After three months of darkness, it took a while before her eyes could adjust to the sunlight. Outside, the brightness was blinding, but she managed to walk and find them in this dress shop.

    　　It took every ounce of self-control she had to keep from pouncing at Xyrille. She wanted to slap her and tear her hair out. Instead she turned to Jerome. “The baby in her stomach is not yours! I heard her men talking about it, they said her baby was fathered by another man.”

    　　“And also she set me up so you would catch me in bed with another man!”

    　　“She had me kidnapped! Don’t marry her, she's a liar!" On and on she went, raging and ranting.

    　　Even as Xyrille's heart thumped wildly, she managed to shed a tear. She co

Chapter 9