Chapter 2

Ding—

The alert from Grand Bank chimed.

I glanced at my account balance.

Just last night, due to the bleeding from the fall, the doctors had completely removed the life inside me that hadn't even had a heartbeat yet.

Along with it, my last shred of hope for Ethan was wiped away.

I decided to leave him and put an end to this ridiculous engagement.

Just then, my phone lit up with Ethan's name flashing on the screen.

Seeing it only made me more irritated. I switched it to silent and flipped it face down on the bed.

Half an hour later, the door to my hospital room swung open violently.

Ethan stormed in, a cold aura surrounding him, his eyes filled with barely contained anger. He held up his phone.

"Emma, what did you mean by that comment?" Ethan's voice was icy. "Who are you trying to be sarcastic for?"

I lifted my gaze to the man I had loved for so long, my tone flat. "The literal meaning. I just thought it was nice to wish her dreams come true."

"You—" Ethan choked on his words.

Suddenly, Chloe peeked out from behind Ethan, her eyes brimming with tears. "Emma, I'm so sorry... I've never seen a meteor shower. I just mentioned it, and Ethan took me to Long Island because he felt sorry for me... Please don't be mad at Ethan."

I felt no ripple of emotion inside me. "It's fine, it doesn't matter what you meant."

"Emma, stop being so sarcastic." Ethan tugged at his silk tie in frustration. "You need to reflect on this. If it happens again, we're calling off the engagement!"

Without asking why I was lying in a hospital bed, he coldly turned and left with Chloe.

Three days later, I checked out of the hospital and returned to our apartment alone.

No one cared that I had just gone through a heartbreaking miscarriage.

I walked into the study and sent an encrypted email to my lawyer, Harvey, instructing him to immediately start on my prenuptial agreement and asset liquidation.

Closing my laptop, I walked over to the bed in the master bedroom.

My gaze fell on the Cartier frame on the nightstand.

It held a candid shot of Ethan and me laughing together on Hampton Beach during our engagement year.

Now, it felt painfully ironic.

Expressionless, I pried open the back of the frame, pulled out the photo, and grabbed a match from the drawer to light it.

The orange flame quickly consumed the fake sweetness of the two of us in the picture. I watched it turn to ash, then let it go, allowing the ashes to scatter.

As I was getting ready to wash up, I suddenly realized my engagement ring was missing.

It was a rare pink diamond that Ethan had bought for three million dollars at a Sotheby's auction. I had taken it off and left it on the sink that morning before the kidnapping incident.

I called Ethan.

It took a while for him to pick up, and his impatient voice came through. "Emma, I'm in a meeting. Don't bother me with trivial stuff!"

Before I could say anything, he hung up.

I took a deep breath, stepped out of the bedroom, and just then saw Chloe standing in the hallway.

"Chloe, did you see the pink diamond ring on the sink when you cleaned the master bathroom?"

At my question, Chloe flinched, and the next second, tears streamed down her face. "Emma, I... when I was cleaning the sink this morning, I lost my grip on the cloth... and accidentally knocked it into the drain..."

Just then, the sound of the fingerprint lock unlocking echoed through the apartment, and in the next moment, Ethan pushed the door open, having unexpectedly returned.

Seeing Chloe with red eyes, Ethan's expression darkened. "Emma, what are you doing now?"

Looking at the man who ignored my cries for help and indirectly caused our child's death, I couldn't help but smirk sarcastically.

"Our engagement ring—she dropped it into the drain."

Chloe immediately clutched Ethan's designer suit sleeve, tears spilling down like a broken string of pearls. "Ethan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! The marble countertop was too slippery; I just wanted to help clean up for Emma..."

Watching this little performance unfold before me, I felt an overwhelming disgust.

"It's fine." I interrupted Chloe's pitiful sobs. "Lost is lost."