Chapter 3

Abbey Blake POV:

My head throbbed, a dull, insistent ache that quickly sharpened into a blinding pain. As my vision flickered, I saw Briana clutching her stomach, a theatrical gasp escaping her lips. It was clear she was playing the victim, exaggerating whatever minor discomfort she felt from the impact of my fall, if any. David, oblivious to the blood seeping from my own head, rushed to her side, his face a mask of frantic concern.

"Briana, darling, are you okay? The baby? My son?" he stammered, his hands hovering around her, not daring to touch. The fear in his voice was palpable, a stark contrast to the distant, almost detached look he' d given me moments earlier.

He scooped her up, his movements surprisingly swift, and made for the door. As he passed me, lying on the cold marble floor, he paused for a split second. "Abbey, I... I'll send someone back for you. We need to get Briana to the hospital." He didn't look at me, his gaze fixed on Briana's pale, triumphant face. His words were hollow, the concern a thin veneer over his desperate need to protect his new family. Then he was gone, their footsteps echoing down the hall and out of the house.

Left alone, the silence in the room was deafening, punctuated only by the rhythmic throb in my head and the sound of my own ragged breathing. My hand, when I cautiously raised it, came away slick with blood. A large gash, I realized, was probably weeping on the back of my skull. The pain radiated through my entire body, making every muscle scream in protest as I tried to push myself up. It was useless. My vision swam, and a wave of nausea washed over me.

A desperate, irrational thought clawed at my mind. What if I hadn't pushed her? What if he really would have chosen me? What if he would have sacrificed the baby for me? It was a foolish, fleeting hope, born of years of loving him. But then I saw his face, the raw fear for her and their baby, the way he' d cradled her, how quickly he' d forgotten me. He hadn't even truly looked at me. My hope, fragile as it was, withered and died.

A single tear, cold and sharp, traced a path through the blood and grime on my cheek. It was over. Truly over.

A few minutes later, what felt like an eternity, the muffled sounds of the household staff grew louder. Mrs. Jenkins, our long-time housekeeper, walked in, her face paling to a ghostly white when she saw me. "Mrs. Blake! Good heavens! What happened?" Her voice was laced with genuine alarm, a stark contrast to David's hurried dismissal.

The next few hours were a blur of flashing lights, urgent voices, and more searing pain. I remember being carefully lifted onto a stretcher, the jostling motions sending fresh waves of agony through my head. The ambulance ride was a cacophony of sirens and the quiet, efficient chatter of the paramedics.

"David Mcconnell, right?" I heard one of them say, a low murmur near my head. "The billionaire. Heard his ex-girlfriend, Briana Rodgers, is pregnant with his kid. Big scandal."

"Yeah, rumor has it the wife, Abbey, was infertile. Must be why he went back to the old flame."

Their words, casual and unfeeling, hammered into my already fractured mind. So, the story was already out. The narrative already shaped. I was the barren wife, easily replaced. The pain in my head was nothing compared to the fresh agony these words inflicted on my heart.

In the operating room, the bright lights overhead seemed to sear my retinas, even through my closed eyelids. Every stitch, every antiseptic wipe, felt like a fresh betrayal. My body was numb, but my mind was a battlefield of shattered dreams and searing anger.

Just as the anesthesia began to pull me into a hazy oblivion, I heard familiar voices outside the recovery room. A cacophony of hushed whispers and sharp tones. When I finally fully regained consciousness, groggy and disoriented, the first face I saw was Gertrude Mcconnell's, her lips thinned into a severe line.

"Abbey, really," she began, her voice cold as ice, devoid of any genuine concern for my well-being. "Must you be so dramatic? Causing such a scene, injuring yourself in the process. And Briana, poor girl, she' s in a state of shock. Carrying David's child, our heir, and you put her through this." She didn't even acknowledge the bandages around my head. Her eyes, instead, were fixed on some point beyond me, as if I were merely a bothersome obstacle. "You knew what was expected of you when you married into this family. A strong bloodline, a legacy. You failed to provide that. Did you truly think David wouldn't look elsewhere?"

My own mother, standing beside Gertrude, wrung her hands. "Abbey, darling," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Your father and I understand this is difficult, but Mrs. Mcconnell is right. You need to think about the family, about poor David. He's so distressed. And what about your brother, Mark? His medical bills... the Mcconnells have been so generous." Her eyes pleaded with me, a desperate look that screamed of the financial leverage the Mcconnells held over my family. They needed the money for Mark's specialized care, and I was their pawn.

My stepfather chimed in, "Yes, Abbey. Don't be selfish. You married into a powerful family. These things happen. David is a good man. You need to make peace with this."

My father, usually quiet, added his own disappointed sigh. "We always taught you to be sensible, Abbey. Don't throw away everything for... for an emotional outburst."

One after another, they piled on, their words like stones thrown at my already broken spirit. Not one of them asked about my injury. Not one of them showed a flicker of genuine worry for me. It was all about David, Briana, the baby, the family legacy, the money, the inconvenience I had caused. I was nothing but a vessel, a broken one at that, and now I was a problem.

Hot tears streamed down my temples, stinging the wound on my head. I was utterly alone.

Then, a voice, raw and choked with emotion, cut through the din. "Stop it! All of you, just stop!" It was David. He stood at the doorway, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot, his arm still bandaged. "This is my fault. All of it. Leave Abbey alone."