ManyWriters

Xavion's newly acquired seventy-second lover was pregnant. I discovered this just after I had finished dealing with his previous obsessively clingy little bird who was already showing.
Right in front of me, lover number seventy-two cradled her belly as she perched on Xavion's lap:
"I heard that Serenity's opera performances before her pregnancy were among the best in the circle. I'd love to hear it~ Mr. Winters, could you make her change into costume and sing for me right now? If she pleases me..."
She leaned closer to Xavion, her eyes filled with seduction.
"Tonight, Mr. Winters can play however he wants."
Xavion's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then in the next instant, he looked up at me.
He didn't say anything, but everyone present understood his meaning.
With a pale face, I clutched my stomach and pleaded with him:
"Xavion, please, no. Singing and dancing, I'll miscarry!"
The crowd burst into laughter. Xavion, feeling embarrassed, looked at me with disdain:
"It's not like you haven't miscarried before. If you lose it, can't you just get pregnant again? Why are you still standing there?""Strip off your clothes now! If you can't cheer Vivienne up, you might as well not come down from that stage tonight!"
With that, the crowd roughly tore off my outer garments.
I was stripped bare, their mocking gazes roaming over every inch of my body. Their disgusting stares made my pregnant belly ache with pangs of discomfort.
Finally, having had their fill of looking, they tossed me a costume like some kind of charity.
With trembling hands, I put on the costume, watching as Xavion and Vivienne shared a passionate kiss surrounded by the adoring crowd.
In the chaotic breeze, I began to sing, my laughter bitter.
Xavion, this is the seventh time, and it will be the last.

My Heart Ached Seven Times In the Harsh Winter

Xavion froze, instinctively glancing in my direction.


After a long moment, a soft chuckle broke the silence.


"As if you're worthy of asking for a divorce?"


I was stunned, and before I knew it, Xavion had pinned me by the neck against the altar table in front of the memorial tablets.


His grip was incredibly strong, as if he was determined to end my life right there.


"You haven't atoned for your sins yet, and you're already trying to leave? You think you can just walk away after causing someone's death? Serenity, life isn't that easy!"


He threw me aside, and the momentum sent me crashing into a nearby flower bed.


I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, followed by something warm trickling into my clothes.


When I came to, I found myself lying in the villa from our newlywed days.


Seeing me awake, Xavion brought me a cup of hot water, his face cold and expressionless.


I drank it and dozed off again, feeling groggy.


Chapter 5