Chapter 6

Hazel burst into tears, her sobs theatrical and loud. "My face... it hurts so much." She feigned an apology to me, her voice dripping with false sincerity. "I'm sorry, Clara, I must have made you angry. It was my fault for not being good enough."

Kason immediately pulled her into a protective embrace. He turned to me, his face a thunderous mask of rage.

"How dare you?" he whispered, his voice low and menacing. His eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth I had once known. In that moment, he looked like a stranger.

But I wasn't scared. I was too numb, too broken to feel fear. I just met his gaze, my chin held high.

His phone was in his hand in an instant. He made a call to the head of my firm.

"Clara Spears is fired from the Olympus Tower project. Effective immediately." He paused, listening. "I don't care about the contract. My company will cover any penalties."

He hung up and then made another call, this one to the president of the Architect' s Guild.

"I want Clara Spears blacklisted," he said, his voice like ice. "No firm in this city is to hire her. If they do, they lose the Hanson Corporation's business."

He looked at me, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "You're done, Clara. For the next five years, you won't design so much as a doghouse in this country."

Five years. He was sentencing me to five years of professional exile. I was at the peak of my career, the height of my creative powers. And he was taking it all away with two phone calls.

Even though I had already decided to leave, the finality of his words, the sheer vindictiveness of it, chilled me to the bone. Did our years together mean nothing to him? Was there no lingering affection, no shred of decency left?

The whole situation felt like a sick joke.

That night, I went back to the penthouse to pack the last of my things. The space felt hollow and empty, my personal touches already gone. It was just a house now, no longer a home.

I remembered the day we moved in. Kason had carried me over the threshold, promising we' d fill the rooms with a lifetime of happiness. He was so gentle then, so full of love and promises. It all felt like a dream from another life.

It was over. Everything was gone.

As I was taping up the last box, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The room spun, and a sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I stumbled, grabbing onto a chair for support.

My vision blurred. I needed help. I pulled out my phone, my fingers fumbling as I dialed Kason's number. It was a reflex, a desperate act from a past self who still believed he would care.

He answered on the second ring. "What do you want, Clara?" His voice was cold and impatient.

"Kason, I don't feel well..." I managed to whisper before a fresh wave of pain made me gasp.

"I'm busy, Clara. Don't bother me with your drama."

He hung up.

The phone slipped from my hand. The pain intensified, and my knees buckled. I collapsed onto the cold marble floor, the darkness closing in around me.

I don't know how long I lay there. When I came to, the pain had subsided to a dull ache. I was alone. I crawled to my phone and dialed 911.

In the sterile, white emergency room, a doctor gave me the news.

"You're pregnant, Ms. Spears. About eight weeks along."

Pregnant. The word didn't register at first. It seemed impossible, a cruel twist in an already tragic story. My first thought was that I couldn't have this baby. Not now. Not with my life in ruins.

The doctor's next words stopped me cold. "Your fall caused some complications. If you terminate this pregnancy... you may not be able to have children in the future."

The choice was devastating. I sat in a daze in the hospital corridor, the weight of it all crushing me.

"Well, well. Look what we have here."

I looked up. It was Hazel. She was smirking, her eyes filled with scorn.

"I don't want to talk to you, Hazel," I said, turning away.

She grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "I heard the good news. Don't think for a second that a baby will make Kason take you back. He's mine now. You will never have him."

I laughed, a tired, bitter sound. "You can have him. I don't want him."

I pulled my arm away from her.

She stumbled back, putting on a show, and collapsed onto the floor with a dramatic cry. "Ow! She pushed me!"

And just like a badly written play, Kason appeared at the end of the hall. He saw Hazel on the floor and me standing over her.

He rushed forward and pushed me, hard. "What is wrong with you, Clara? Can't you leave her alone?"

I lost my balance and fell backward, hitting the hard floor. A sharp, searing pain shot through my stomach. I cried out, clutching my abdomen.

Hazel was instantly at Kason's side, crying. "It was my fault, Kason. I shouldn't have provoked her. Is she okay?"

He was already helping Hazel up, wiping her fake tears. He looked down at me on the floor, his expression filled with disgust.

"I'm changing that five-year ban to ten," he snarled.

He scooped Hazel into his arms and started to walk away.

As he passed, he glanced down and saw the blood. A small, dark stain was spreading on the light fabric of my pants.

His step faltered. I saw a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Kason," I whispered, the pain making it hard to breathe. "I'm... pregnant."

"Don't listen to her lies!" Hazel cried out, interrupting me. "She's just trying to get your attention! Let's go, I feel faint."

That was all it took. He turned his back on me and walked away, carrying the woman who had destroyed my life, leaving me bleeding on the hospital floor.