Chapter 4

[Susanna's POV]

I lowered my eyes as I stroked my lower belly with my hands. The sharp pain seemed to still linger in that area.

So… it was actually a baby?

After seeing the doctor out, Robert walked up to me, his expression conflicted. He tucked me in and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't dwell on your grief for too long. What happened this time was my fault. I shouldn't have allowed you to leave home alone.

"That said, we can always have another baby."

He rose to his feet and tried to stroke my head. But I turned my head away, avoiding his touch. I fought through the pain as I pushed myself up from the bed, but Robert grabbed me to hold me back.

"Where are you going? The doctor said you should remain hospitalized overnight for observation."

I shoved him away, struggling frantically. "Get away from me! I need to find the things my mother left for me!"

I had lost my child. I could not lose the slippers, too.

Robert crouched, put my shoes on for me, and straightened my garments. "Quit making such a fuss. I've asked Dee Dee to look for the slippers, and she told me this morning that she managed to find them. You'll be able to see them once you get home."

Robert handled my discharge from the hospital on my behalf as I was in so much pain that I could barely even walk. Even though I had bitten my lip until it bled, I forced myself to stay composed, refusing to show any sign of weakness in front of him.

Robert probably saw right through my hollow defiance. He scooped me up into his arms, ignoring my struggles.

There was a time when I had found warmth in his arms a thousand times over. But now, the thick, cloying scent of osmanthus-scented hair oil—the very scent Daisy loved—that wafted into my nose made me sick to my stomach.

Half an hour had passed by the time we arrived back home.

I watched as Robert entered a string of numbers in a well-practised manner. It was my birthdate. When the digital lock indicated that the passcode entered was wrong, a rare look of bewilderment briefly crossed his face.

Softly, I prompted, "The passcode is Daisy's birthdate."

When the door was opened, Daisy was carrying an insulated food container.

"Oh, Rob, you're back. I was just about to bring some food over for you."

After saying so, she looked at me timidly and continued, "Susan, please don't be mad at Rob anymore. It was all my fault. I'm sorry.

"I heard you had a miscarriage. I made this bowl of soup specially for you. It'll be really nourishing for you."

As she said that, she presented me with the greasy-looking bowl of chicken soup, acting as if she was about to feed it to me.

I extended my arm to push her away, but before I even touched her, she fell to the floor all on her own. The boiling chicken soup splattered all over her, causing her to wail loudly.

Robert let go of me immediately, dropping me heavily to the floor. The metallic taste of blood rushed to the back of my throat, triggering an unstoppable coughing fit. Yet, he did not even spare me a glance.

He knelt on the floor and picked Daisy up, his brows furrowing with intense worry.

"Dee Dee, are you okay? I'll get an ambulance for you right now!"

Daisy clutched onto him, with tears in her eyes. "I'm fine, Rob. Don't blame Suze for what happened. It was all my fault."

Robert looked at me, disappointment heavy in his eyes. "Susanna, when did you even end up like this? I really can't believe I actually used to be in love with you!"

I couldn't help but chuckle softly at his criticism of me. As it turned out, these were his true inner feelings. I was already a thing of the past to him. He used to be in love with me. He was no longer in love with me.

His love for me was history, but his love toward Daisy was something of the present.

Robert stared at me, his gaze perplexed, as if unable to understand how I could even bring myself to laugh out loud.

Thanks to Daisy's groans, he couldn't be bothered to pursue the matter regarding my behavior. So, he simply shook his head and said in a frigid voice, "You are beyond saving, Susanna. Perhaps it was for the better that the baby didn't end up with an evil and insane mother like you.

"I'm glad that the baby is gone."

As I watched him turn around and walk away with Daisy in his arms, I suddenly coughed up the fresh blood I had tried so desperately to hold back.

Frankly speaking, I, too, was glad the baby did not end up being born into this family that was teeming with resentment.

In my mind, the silhouette of the youth whose warmth used to rival the sun faded into nothingness, replaced entirely by the image of Robert walking away with such cold resolution.

This was how he had led me toward a new life back then. Now, with the same hands, he pushed me into utter despair.

Robert Howell, from this moment on, we were entirely through.