Chapter 5

The housekeeper went upstairs to check on her. She saw the gauze on her head stained with a terrifying patch of red. She panicked and dialed 911 right away.

At the hospital, Nora leaned against the bed after her wound received treatment. She stared blankly, with no reaction at all.

After some time passed, she walked out of her room in a daze. As she passed another room, she heard a familiar man's voice inside.

Her body stiffened. She froze in place.

"I'm worried. Stay in the hospital for a few days and get checked out, to see how things are."

Nora turned sideways to look. She saw Ethan gently stroking the woman's belly, his face full of concern.

She bit her lips hard. She watched, unwillingly.

Madison wiped her eyes beside them. "Thank goodness my precious grandchild is fine. Nora has become more and more unreasonable!"

Jake's tone still carried some anger. "You're carrying Ethan's child. If Nora bullies you in the future, come tell me right away. I'll stand up for you."

Nora's eyes widened as she listened to their obvious favoritism.

Then she heard the man's voice, cold without a trace of warmth. "If she dares harm my child, I'll make her pay!"

His words stabbed into Nora's heart like a knife. They twisted back and forth.

Blood appeared where she bit her lips. Nora remained unaware. She staggered backward, tears streaming down her face. She fled in panic back to her own room.

She lay on the bed and cried silently.

The heart that once beat passionately cooled completely.

For the next week, she stayed in the hospital to receive treatment and recover.

They shared the same hospital, but no one came to see her.

Sometimes she spotted Ethan bringing Lilah for checkups. She glanced once and turned away.

On the day of her discharge, she ran into them again for a prenatal visit.

The moment Lilah saw her, she clung to Ethan's shoulder and sobbed as if frightened. "Ethan, the doctor said everything is okay. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to the baby."

Ethan raised his hand. He gently wiped her tears. He comforted her for a while. Then he looked at Nora coldly. "What are you doing here? Do you know your mistake? Apologize to Lilah now. I might barely forgive you."

Nora curled her lips in a mocking smile. "You think too much."

Ethan's presence turned oppressively heavy. His face darkened. "Remember this. Don't show up around Lilah anymore. She doesn't like seeing you. If anything happens to her again, I won't let you off!"

Nora lifted her eyes slightly. Her gaze skipped over his angry face. "Have you finished? If you're done, can you get out of the way?"

Ethan watched her calm and detached demeanor. A fire rose in his heart.

He gritted his teeth. "I'll settle this with you sooner or later!"

With that, he pulled Lilah along. They left in a furious rush.

After discharge, Nora received the admission guide email from Maren University. Her lips slowly curved up. Her heart filled with anticipation for the future.

Back at the house, Nora began sorting her things.

She dumped all the jewelry from the cabinet. She laid it out there.

She looked at these items, once treasured like gems. Most of them came from Ethan. Without a second of hesitation, she sold them all at low prices.

That included the luxury dresses and bags. She even sold the famous painting she bought for Ethan.

Jake and Madison watched Nora direct people to move things in and out. They thought she planned to move back to her family. Visible joy appeared on their faces.

After selling the miscellaneous items, Nora finally felt a bit lighter in her heart.

At last, she arrived at the cemetery.

She placed a bouquet of roses-her mother's favorite-in front of the grave. She spoke softly. "Mom, I'm leaving. Don't worry. I'll come back to visit you."