Chapter 4

The pendant that was originally on the screen,

Now hangs around Vivienne's neck,

Vivienne deliberately fiddled with the pendant, then looked at me with a smirk,

"Autumn, are you really just easy-going or a total pushover? I'm sure Ezra's already given you some half-assed excuse, right?"

"Let me tell you, this whole launch event was planned by Ezra for me from the start. He was going to keep it from you, but out of the kindness of my heart, seeing how pitiful you are after losing eight kids, I specially told Ezra to invite you. And you're so pathetic, you actually came running!"

I hadn't expected to run into Vivienne here today,

And I didn't want to get too entangled with her,

So I forcefully controlled my emotions and said calmly to Vivienne,

"What's between my husband and me is none of your business. Excuse me, I'm leaving."

My words elicited a contemptuous snort from Vivienne,

She stepped forward, pressing close to me and staring intently,

"What's this? Pretending not to care? Well, let me tell you something you will care about."

"Remember New Year's Day three years ago? That's the day you lost your fifth child. Did you know that? The baby didn't actually die when it was separated from your body. If treated promptly, it could have survived and been perfectly healthy.

But Ezra just coldly watched that bloody mass of a child, and strangled it with his own hands. The baby struggled for a few seconds before its breathing stopped completely. Autumn, don't blame me, and don't blame Ezra. It's your fault as an incompetent mother that your child lost the chance to live!

As Vivienne spoke, she pulled up a photo on her phone and shoved it in my face.

"Autumn, look! This is the baby Ezra strangled with his own hands. It's so pitiful..."

I snatched Vivienne's phone away.

That tiny life just lying there.

I scrolled up through the messages.

What I saw before my eyes made my blood run cold.

After each of my miscarriages, Ezra would send Vivienne a message:

[Vivienne, a car accident. That woman lost the baby. Don't worry.]

[Vivienne, let's try something different this time. I slipped drugs into her food. The baby will die within two weeks.]

[Vivienne, receiving multiple miscarriages had left her devastated, so this year we all took it easy. The doctor said her own mental anguish was enough to make her lose this baby. I've replaced all the pregnancy-preserving medications with vitamins, so you can rest easy.]

...

The messages continued for eight years,

Each year ending with a photo of me in the operating room.

Everything I saw before me left me stunned in place,

In an instant, the fire that had been building in my chest for days surged wildly to my head,

I looked at Vivienne in front of me and raised my hand to grab her throat,

But before I could tighten my grip on her neck,

A pair of strong hands gripped my wrists,

Then swiftly flipped me onto the ground,

My head hit the floor, sending a wave of dizziness through me,

In my haze, I saw Ezra holding Vivienne, comforting her softly,

Then he leaned down to look at me, his tone frighteningly cold,

"Autumn, that's enough. Vivienne knows how tough these years have been for you, and after talking with me, she came specially to comfort you. But look at how you're behaving? You're such a crude woman who's lost her uterus, it's truly disgusting! You're not worthy of being my wife, Ezra's wife!"

With that, he picked up Vivienne in his arms and left.

The keen-eyed reporters, sensing the commotion, had already rushed over.

Ignoring the discomfort coursing through my body, I staggered to my feet and fled the scene.

Ezra didn't come home that night.

Early the next morning, Ezra called.

"Autumn, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was too impulsive. As the uncle, I can't just stand by and watch family members fight. Today's your follow-up appointment, right? Go to the hospital first, and I'll join you there after I wrap things up at the company."

I let out a long sigh and replied softly, "Let's not talk about what's past. I'll wait for you at the hospital. You must come. This is the only time I'll ever ask you for anything."

Hearing Ezra agree on the other end of the line, I finally felt at ease.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, I hung up.

After the call ended, Ezra began to feel a growing sense of unease. Ezra found Autumn's attitude on the phone earlier quite strange,

But remembering Autumn had said the past was in the past,

He actually felt somewhat relieved,

After all, having been entangled with Autumn for eight years, he knew her temperament all too well,

Her gentle nature and good temper,

Thinking of this, Ezra felt more at ease,

He made breakfast for Vivienne and then rushed off to the hospital,

At the hospital, he headed straight for the top floor's special care unit,

It was what his good friend Zoran had prepared for him and Autumn,

But just as the elevator doors opened on the top floor,

The usually calm Zoran came running towards him in a panic,

Looking at him, trembling and stuttering, he said,

“Ezra, something went wrong, the hospital scheduled surgery for Autumn today, just now, Autumn was too weak from too many miscarriages over the years and couldn't make it, she died on the operating table!”