Chapter 4
1129 Words
I checked out of the hospital and went home to the Peterson family’s mansion to recuperate.
Darren pulled me aside and said, "Haydee wants to make up for her past mistakes. Right now you're doing your postpartum rest. You don't have the time or energy to take care of our son anyway. So I was thinking, let Haydee look after him for a while. Once you finish your confinement, I'll bring our boy back to you."
He was terrified I'd say no and was just about to launch into another speech to convince me, when I cut him off.
"Okay."
Darren's eyes widened in shock. He never saw my quick agreement coming.
He didn't overthink it, just gave me a relieved smile.
"I'm so glad you can see it this way. Don't worry, that accident from before will never happen again."
I forced a stiff, fake smile in return.
And just like that, Haydee took our baby away to raise.
But only two weeks later, something terrible happened.
She fumbled the baby, and he fell all the way from the second floor to the first. The fall left him in a persistent vegetative state, a vegetable for life.
Haydee sobbed and wailed, carrying on like she was determined to kill herself. "It's all my fault! How could I be so stupid? I couldn't even hold the baby steady! Elena, I'm so sorry. I'll kill myself to atone for what I did!"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she came charging straight for the window, ready to jump.
Darren panicked completely. He lunged forward in the split second she ran and wrapped his arms tight around her from behind, yanking her back.
His heart ached for what happened to our son, but he couldn't bear to let Haydee hurt herself.
His voice tight with grief, he turned to coax me, "Elena, we're still young. We can have more kids. Haydee really didn't mean for this to happen. Even if she dies, it won't change what's done. She's terrified out of her mind too. This really was just an accident, I swear it."
I let out a cold, sharp laugh, but tears still spilled down my cheeks anyway.
"Darren, you really do love her that much, don't you? More than you even love your own flesh and blood."
He opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get a word out, Haydee put on her best fake-penitent act and spoke up.
"Elena, I'm pregnant. I'll carry this baby to term and give him to you. Will that make up for what I did to you?"
I hadn't even gotten a chance to say anything before Darren jumped in to speak for her.
"Haydee has already gone this far to make amends. Cut her some slack, Elena."
Scared I'd say something that would upset Haydee, Darren scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to her room to calm her down.
I stood there alone, a cold, knowing smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
He only came to see me the next day.
When he saw I hadn't gone after Haydee to cause trouble, he sat down on the edge of my bed, laced his fingers through mine, and said, relieved, "Thank you, wife. Thank you for being so generous and understanding, once again. Once you've recovered your strength, we can have as many kids as you want, okay?"
Right in the middle of speaking, he lifted his hand to cup my cheek. I twisted to grab my phone off the nightstand, easily slipped out of his reach on purpose like it was nothing.
"I don't want any."
He assumed I just wasn't ready to talk about it yet, so he went along with it.
"No problem. Just tell me whenever you change your mind."
A cold laugh curled in my chest.
He'd find out soon enough, there would never be another child between us, not in this lifetime.
Now that he'd sugarcoated the small stuff, he finally got to what he really came to say.
"I can't give Haydee a formal legal position as my wife. That's just unfair to her, she's still a young girl. She's carrying the Peterson family's child now, so I promised her I'd host a dinner for all our family and friends. I want to introduce her to everyone, to officially acknowledge who she is to me."
I agreed without a single moment of hesitation. "We've already gotten this far. Do whatever you want."
The corner of his mouth tugged up, and once again he was pleased by how reasonable I was being.
He opened his arms to pull me into a hug.
Just then, my phone buzzed, letting me duck out of his touch without a fuss.
He left, giddy as could be, to go prepare that celebration dinner where he'd announce his mistress to the whole world.
Haydee marched right up to me, preening and looking for a fight.
"You've been completely pushed aside, and you still just sit here and take it? That's just pathetic, for a woman to sink this low."
I smiled, slow and knowing, and didn't waste a single breath arguing with her.
Then, on the very day of their stupid dinner, I had someone deliver all the evidence of Darren's financial crimes straight to the police. Every guest in attendance was either wealthy or well-connected high society.
Haydee showed up head to toe in fancy designer clothes, clinging to Darren's arm as they greeted everyone.
When the pair stepped onto the center of the stage, he leaned into the microphone, grinning wide, and said, "Thank you all for coming today to this dinner in honor of me and my beloved."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Haydee's mother came charging onto the stage like a woman possessed.
She grabbed Haydee by the collar and screamed right in her face, "Give me back my son! You rotten w***e. You traded your own brother just to sneak your way into this rich family! If you don't give him back to me today, I'll raise hell with you today if you don't!"
Haydee stared back, completely clueless. She was just writing this off as her mom was having a random crazy outburst when a swarm of police officers swarmed the venue and surrounded the whole stage.
Several officers cuffed Darren's hands behind his back and dragged him under control.
He froze, staring blankly in utter disbelief, "Why are you arresting me?"
I walked right up to him, my voice steady and calm, "I called them. Remember the day I caught you cheating? I asked you how my father died, didn't I? You're repeating the exact same mistakes that killed my father."
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