Chapter 3 I leaned against the cold wall. My limbs felt cold as my tears fell onto the floor. Not only did he have Julia in his heart, but he even served the product of our hard work to her on a silver platter. I couldn't sleep all night, so my legs were unsteady when I walked out of the bedroom the next morning. Julia was already sitting in the dining room, drinking coffee. She looked up at me and smiled. Her fingers subtly traced along the base of her neck, where a shiny diamond necklace sat. My breathing hitched. I had seen that necklace before. Three years ago, Zachary saved up three months' worth of salary to buy a bracelet. That necklace belonged to the same set as the bracelet. Back then, he said with me in his arms, "Queenie, when we get rich, I'll buy the entire 'My One and Only' jewelry set for you." Caressing the pendant, Julia asked sweetly, "Queenie, do you think this necklace is pretty? Zach said this one's named 'My One and Only'. He said it's a welcome gift for me and insisted I try it on this morning." She tilted her head and smirked with feigned innocence. "It seems to belong to the same set as your bracelet. How wonderful! It's so kind of him to give us a matching set!" My stomach churned and started to ache. Black spots filled my vision. I could feel warm liquid seeping through my nightgown. The liquid cooled and stuck to my skin. When I looked down, I saw red everywhere. I immediately broke out into a cold sweat. Trembling, I held onto Zachary as he passed by with all my strength. "Zach... My stomach hurts..." As Zachary stared down at me, I saw no sense of urgency in his eyes, only impatience and suspicion. He shook my hand off and asked, "Are you seriously playing sick right after Julia started to feel better? I already gave you so much jewelry. Why are you so hung up on that specific necklace?" The words he tearfully said when he proposed to me echoed in my mind. "I'll trust and protect you forever," were the exact words. Now, they felt like knives cutting into my body. The hope in my eyes slowly faded away. Perhaps because of my pale complexion and the huge amount of blood, Zachary seemed to return to his senses and calm down. Then, he frowned and leaned in to carry me. Suddenly, Julia groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. She wobbled as if she were about to faint. "Zach... I feel dizzy..." He immediately made his choice. He turned and steadied Julia. Then, he asked in a panicked tone, "What's wrong?" Julia leaned into his arms and weakly pointed at the kitchen counter. Someone had placed what looked like a bag of blood there at some point. It was punctured and dripping red liquid. "I accidentally spotted it when I went to fetch Queenie a glass of water..." She panted and cried crocodile tears. "Queenie, you're still angry at me, aren't you? That's why you purposely..." She clung to Zachary's sleeve and sobbed. "It's all my fault. Zachary, leave me be and check up on Queenie! She must have been so angry that she planned this to get your attention. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me..." Zachary's face turned ashen. Anger instantly drowned out the worry he felt for me. He turned to glare at me and scolded, "Do you have to make a fuss now? If anything happens to Julia, I'll make you pay!" Since I managed to pull three all-nighters in a row with him when we worked on a project together, he was sure I was not as weak as Julia, who had lost his child because of her frail body. Scooping Julia up into a bridal carry, he rushed out the door, leaving me curled up on the floor in a puddle of my own blood. I heard him close his car door with a slam. Then, he started the engine and sped away. The world fell silent. My heart shattered into pieces.