Chapter 5

Atlas glared at me, his anger burning hot and unwavering. But he didn't see the redness blooming on my cheek, the sharp sting of Ivy's slap. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze with a calm, almost eerie stillness.

“The one who should be apologizing isn’t me,” I said quietly. “It’s Ivy.”

His brows furrowed, irritation flickering in his eyes, but I continued before he could interrupt. “She brought up my father, Atlas. Don’t you think you owe me an apology for what happened then?”

For a split second, something flickered across his face—something unreadable. Then it was gone.

“If it weren’t for me, your father would have died even sooner,” he said, his voice cold and certain. “Celeste, I promised your father I’d take care of you for the rest of your life. But that promise came with a condition—you wouldn’t hurt Ivy.”

I stared at him, then laughed—a quiet, hollow sound. How foolish of me to think, even for a moment, that he might finally see…

Just as my vision darkened, the room tilted violently, and then—nothing.

When I woke up, the sterile scent of disinfectant filled my nostrils. A nurse stood by my bedside, gently removing the IV from my arm.

“Congratulations,” she said with a kind smile. “You’re pregnant.”

My breath caught.

“You need to be extra careful,” she continued. “Your body is weak—you can’t afford too much stress. Try to rest, eat well, and keep your emotions stable.”

My hand instinctively drifted to my stomach. For five years, I had wanted a child with Atlas. I had dreamed of it, longed for it. And now, at the worst possible moment, life had given me one.

Buzz. My phone vibrated against the hospital sheets: Atlas.

His message was short, direct: “[The doctor said you’ll be fine as long as you rest.]”

A second message followed: “[When you apologize to Ivy, I’ll come pick you up.]”

A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips. I turned off my phone.

The nurse returned, her expression hesitant. “Miss Laurent, the doctor has scheduled another test. Please follow me.”

I nodded and trailed after her. But instead of leading me toward the examination rooms, she stopped near the stairwell. Something felt wrong. A familiar voice confirmed my suspicion. “I heard you’re pregnant.”

I turned to find Ivy standing behind me, arms crossed, an unmistakable smirk playing on her lips. She took a slow step forward.

“I underestimated you, Celeste,” she mused. “You’re more stubborn than I thought.”

I said nothing.

She tilted her head, studying my face like a cat playing with its prey. “Do you know why you never got pregnant in the last five years?”

My fingers curled instinctively against my stomach, an invisible chill creeping up my spine.

Ivy leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Because I told Atlas I didn’t want you to have his child.”

The world seemed to slow around me.

“And he listened,” she continued, her words like knives. “Every morning, when he handed you your vitamins, he was actually giving you birth control.”

Ivy smiled sweetly, waiting, expecting devastation.

I didn’t give her the satisfaction. I met her gaze, my voice eerily calm. “I see.”

Her smirk faltered slightly, unsettled by my lack of reaction.

I stepped past her, reaching for the door, but I didn’t make it. A sudden force slammed into my back. My balance was lost.

The world tilted violently as I tumbled forward, my body colliding with the cold, hard steps. Pain exploded through me—white-hot, unbearable. Then a sharper, deeper agony bloomed in my abdomen.

I barely managed to turn my head before I saw it—a crimson stain spreading beneath me. The pain didn’t register immediately, but the realization did. I was losing my baby.

When I woke up, I was back in the hospital. It was over. The life inside me was gone.

Without a word, I reached for the divorce papers I had prepared weeks ago and placed them on the bed. Then, I walked out of the hospital, out of Atlas’s life. I got into a taxi, heading straight for the airport. As I reached the gate, just seconds before boarding, my phone buzzed one last time. A message from Atlas: “[Celeste, I can’t believe you’re still causing trouble for Ivy. Apologize and stop pushing me.]”