Chapter 24 I met his hopeful gaze with a calm, ice-cold voice. "We're already divorced." He scrambled to speak. "I know. I'll pursue you again. I'll throw you an even grander wedding- anything, if you forgive me..." "And if I don't forgive you?" I cut him off, my eyes sharpening to a blade. "You killed my three babies, you let Hillary harm my mother, you nearly killed my brother-what right do you have to ask for my forgiveness?!" Hearing my words, my father and brother stiffened. Tristan stood frozen for a long moment. "You... you knew..." he whispered. When I did not answer, he collapsed to his knees with a thud. 'I'm sorry! It's my fault-I deserve to die. I won't beg for your forgiveness... only... give me a chance to make it right..." My sister put a comforting hand on my back. "If you don't want to talk, don't. We're here for you Meredith. Don't punish yourself for the sake of that bastard." swallowed the sting in my throat and nodded. "Tristan, there's nothing left for us to say. Don' hink a few apologies will stop me from taking revenge on the Palmer and Gibson families. You deserve everything that's coming." turned to my father and brother. "Let's go." At that moment, Tristan noticed the shape of my belly. He staggered forward as if to grab me >ut my brother kicked him aside. Meredith! Don't go! Is the baby ours?" he demanded. didn't look back. "Even if it's yours, it won't change a thing. That child will be raised as my chilc lone. Never yours." Then I got into the car. n the rearview mirror, my sister watched Tristan stumbling after us, and scowled. It's too easy for him to go like this. He should be crippled-let him taste what my brother felt." shook my head. "No-that would be mercy. I'll watch him fall one careful step at a time, until he can never climb back out." Over the next few days, I kept seeing his lonely figure from the window, always watching from a distance. My father and brother wanted to hunt him down, but I stopped them. Wait," I said. "Soon there will be a show worth watching." The next day Hillary arrived while we were barbecuing in the yard. The moment she saw my belly, she shrieked and lunged forward. 'Meredith! You despicable-don't think a fake belly will change Tristan's mind! I'll tear off your disguise-" Before she finished, Tristan grabbed her hair and slapped her twice. "You will not insult Meredith," he snapped. "She is carrying my child." "Impossible..." she whispered, tears brimming. "Tristan, don't be fooled! How could it be such a coincidence? Who knows whose brat she's carrying-" "Shut up!" Tristan shoved her and stamped on her stomach with a dark look. "I'm not done with you yet. You got pregnant by some random man and wanted me to accept it. Did you really think I'm that gullible?!" Hillary gasped, eyes bulging. "You bastard! The child is yours!" she shouted, then turned venomously toward me. 'Hey, Meredith-you don't even know how your baby died, do you? You'll never guess-it was nim!" watched her point at Tristan without a word. He lowered his head; his expression was unreadable. When Hillary failed to get the reaction she wanted, she crawled toward me on her knees, spitting ›ile. Every time you miscarried, Tristan was in the bed next door with me. Your mother-she died ecause of him, haha..." The man you loved for seven years is the one who wrecked your family! Pathetic, Meredith What a sorry sight!" She ranted until she ran out of breath. I calmly finished a piece of barbecue, offering my family a eassuring look. I'm fine. It goes well with the food," I said. Vhen she finally collapsed from exhaustion, I had her restrained and escorted to the police tation.