CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: I HAD A MISCARRIAGE, TIME TO DIVORCE (CLIMAX, MUST READ!)

As I browsed through the email content, my heart seemed to be slowly tightened by an invisible giant hand.

The private detective had gone to the school Timothy Xavier attended during his studies in Westmere, seeking confirmation from his teachers.

Many teachers said Timothy Xavier and Naomi Sawyer were the envy of everyone on campus.

Naomi Sawyer was known as the campus ice beauty, only showing her smile to Timothy Xavier.

It’s said that if not for that accident that paralyzed Naomi Sawyer, Timothy Xavier was already planning to bring her back to the Xavier Family after they graduated.

Suddenly, I recalled those years Timothy Xavier was abroad, and my unanswered texts that sank like stones in the sea.

Turns out, the signs were there all along.

At that time, I was almost ready to give up this unrequited love.

But in the year I graduated from college, Timothy Xavier suddenly came back with a diamond ring to propose to me.

At that time, Naomi Sawyer should have just recently become paralyzed from that accident.

Considering Timothy Xavier’s feelings for her, shouldn’t he be in utter pain?

Why did he turn back and decide to marry me?

...

After I finished browsing through all the content, I sent a message to the private detective, arranging to have Naomi Sawyer’s hair sample given to me the next day.

However, the next day, I arrived at the agreed-upon café on time.

I waited for more than half an hour, and yet the other party never showed up.

At this moment, the phone rang abruptly.

The three words "Timothy Xavier" on the screen startled my heart.

I answered the call, his voice carrying a cold, heavy chill, said: "Come see me."

"I’m not free."

I refused, suppressing the bitterness in my throat.

"The person you’re waiting for won’t come."

Each word he spoke seemed to be ground through clenched fingers, carrying a profound, sinister force.

My heart leaped to my throat in an instant.

Did he find out I sent someone to investigate him and Naomi Sawyer?

If so, I definitely shouldn’t see him now, who knows what he might do to me?

I said, "Timothy Xavier, if you’ve done nothing wrong, why get angry? Some things can be explained over the phone, no need to say it face-to-face."

"I’m in my mother-in-law’s hospital room. Come or don’t, it’s up to you."

The sound of the phone being disconnected made my heart shrink tightly, and I grabbed my bag and dashed out the door.

To be honest, even when Timothy Xavier was angry before, I’ve never heard him sound like this.

Like the deathly silence of molten lava before a volcanic eruption, ready to consume everything in the next second.

On the way, I thought of countless possibilities, how would Timothy Xavier question me? How should I respond?

Should I lay it all out, ask him for an explanation, and clarify why he deceived me all these years? Why did he marry me?

Or should I try to explain why I had someone follow him?

My mind was a bit tangled, with a lot to say and ask, but not knowing where to begin?

However, when I reached the hospital, I found it wasn’t just Timothy Xavier, Serena Sawyer was there too.

I hadn’t even had time to question why he brought this woman to my mother’s place when Serena Sawyer rushed towards me.

"Zoe Ellison, hate me if you must, but why did you go after my sister? My sister never offended you, why did you harm her!"

She cried and shouted, fiercely tugging at my clothes, shaking me continuously.

Timothy Xavier stood by the hospital bed, his eyes turbulent with crimson, his entire being cold as an ice sculpture.

My heart sank.

It seems Timothy Xavier really did come to settle the score with me for following him and uncovering things about Naomi Sawyer!

I was utterly perplexed by Serena Sawyer’s attack, and I became angry as well.

I pushed her away and frowned, "If you have something to say, just say it; stop causing a scene!"

Timothy Xavier supported her, his gaze laced with venomous poison as he looked at me, "Your composure is impressive. Even in front of your mother-in-law, you remain unfazed."

I took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I did hire a private detective to investigate you. After four years of marriage, don’t I have the right to know the truth?"

"Zoe Ellison!"

Timothy Xavier sternly interrupted me, his tone suddenly plunging, "Only her death will satisfy you, is that it?"

I stood frozen in shock, staring at him in disbelief.

Naomi Sawyer is dead?

How could this happen?

Serena Sawyer leaned in Timothy Xavier’s embrace, crying bitterly, "My sister committed suicide last night! Surveillance captured a stranger sneaking into her hospital room, they say you sent them. You’re too cruel! You’re truly too cruel! My sister left without even saying a word to Timothy!"

I stood dazed, even though I didn’t know Naomi Sawyer, the sudden loss of a person was truly shocking.

Timothy Xavier’s face was ashen, his gaze like daggers that could cut through my flesh, "What exactly did you do to Naomi? What did you say?"

I said calmly, "I only asked the private detective to help me collect a hair sample from Naomi Sawyer. At the time, the detective said Naomi was already asleep and she didn’t know. Therefore, her death has nothing to do with me."

Serena Sawyer’s eyes flickered with sharpness, vehemently arguing against me, "But why was my sister always fine before, and why did she suicide after you sent someone? Did you have someone say something to her? My sister has serious mental health issues and can’t take any provocation."

Timothy Xavier’s gaze froze, each word heavy, "I want to hear the truth."

"This is the truth!"

I raised my voice, "If you think I’m lying, or if you have evidence, then go ahead and report me for murder! If you have no evidence, don’t make baseless accusations!"

Serena Sawyer continued crying beside, "There’s no surveillance in my sister’s hospital room, that’s why you dared to harm her so recklessly, right? Just because we have no evidence doesn’t mean you didn’t do it!"

Timothy Xavier no longer pressed me for the truth, but in his mind, he was convinced that I was responsible for Naomi Sawyer’s death.

He stopped looking at me, his gaze falling on his comatose mother on the hospital bed, his voice calmly brutal, "Naomi cannot die in vain. Should your mother atone, or will you atone yourself?"

I instinctively felt a chill and went over to grab him, yelling angrily, "Timothy Xavier, the problems between us should be solved by us. If you harm my mom, I’ll report you for murder!"

Timothy Xavier’s lips curled with disdain, "Report me? Do you think knowing Madam Sinclair or Julian Sinclair allows you to challenge me this way?"

His fingers slowly glided across the tubes connecting my mother to the equipment, as if ready to unplug them and cut off my mother’s chance to live.

"Remember, as long as this equipment isn’t on the market, as the decision-maker of Xavier Group, I have the power to stop the clinical trial of this device."

I trembled as I asked, "Then what do you want?"

Timothy Xavier looked at me and said, "If you want your mother to survive, atone for Naomi. Go to Westcliff Monastery, kneel from the foot of the mountain to the top, bowing at every step."

My body trembled slightly, and instinctively my fingertips stroked my belly.

This time, I wanted to leave this child’s fate to him.

"Timothy Xavier, I’m pregnant."

Surprise briefly flashed across Timothy Xavier’s cold face, then he said coldly, "Do you think I’d believe these lies of yours?"

He was confident, having been meticulous with contraception, believing it impossible for me to be pregnant.

Timothy Xavier called for bodyguards, sparing not even a glance, ordering them to take me away.

As I passed by Serena Sawyer, the curve of triumph at her lips betrayed no hint of grief for her sister’s death.

I no longer struggled in vain, looking at the man’s resolute back, smiling sadly.

Even a tiger won’t eat its cubs, but Timothy Xavier did just that.

...

Westcliff Monastery.

The heavy rain slammed against the gray-white steps, crackling.

I was already soaked to the skin.

A temple meant to help people through tribulations, but it had become my ordeal.

With each kneel and bow, my knees felt like they were being smashed by a blunt object, the pain blurring my vision.

The bodyguard said Timothy Xavier ordered me to kneel and bow at each step, saying "I’m sorry" each time.

Because this was what I owed Naomi Sawyer.

I lost count of how many times I knelt, how many times I bowed?

But when I said "I’m sorry," it wasn’t for Naomi Sawyer, it was for the baby in my womb.

By the time it was almost dark, I was also nearly at the top of the Summit Temple.

My heart was damp and cold, numb from pain, yet the sharp tugging pain in my lower abdomen was so clear.

I knew my baby had been stubbornly enduring alongside me.

But now, he could endure no longer.

Warm liquid slowly trickled down the inside of my thigh, pooling on the ground, blending with the rain into a winding red.

The red looked like a snake, coiling around me and the little life in my belly whom I never had the chance to meet.

"I’m sorry..."

I opened my mouth, and the three words were shattered by the sound of the rain, barely audible even to myself.

I looked up at the golden Buddha at the mountaintop, seemingly standing among the clouds, benevolently overseeing all life, yet unable to see me alone.

The rain continued, relentlessly washing away the blood on the steps, until it erased the last trace of my baby from the world.

But these wounds had long been carved into my bones and blood, indelible for a lifetime.

The two bodyguards watching over me turned and left once I had completed Timothy Xavier’s orders.

And I, my body could hold on no longer.

In the last moment of my fading consciousness, I seemed to see the candle in front of the Buddha flicker, as if someone had sighed soundlessly.

...

When I opened my eyes again, the empty ache in my lower abdomen reminded me that I had lost my second child.

The nurse, adjusting the IV bottle, noticed I was awake and asked softly, "The doctor just performed a D&C on you. How are you feeling now?"

"Okay."

I responded numbly with two words.

The nurse hesitated and asked, "Did you know you were pregnant?"

I lightly murmured an "Mm."

The nurse was even more puzzled, asking, "Since you knew you were pregnant, why did you do such a thing? Did you go to the temple in the rain to pray for your family? Is someone in your family... sick?"

"Mm, yes, he... is very seriously ill."

The boy who once cherished me in his hands had become terminally ill, turning into a devil.

I asked, "Who brought me here?"

The nurse sighed lightly, "It was a monk who brought you here and paid all the expenses."

I asked, "Has he left now?"

If he hadn’t left, I wanted to thank him and return the money.

The nurse said, "He left once he knew your surgery was successful. Give me your husband’s contact info, I’ll reach out to him."

"My husband..."

I said faintly, "He’s dead."

The nurse looked as if she suddenly understood, thinking I had gone to the temple in the rain to kneel and pray for my deceased husband.

She looked at me sympathetically, "Is there anyone else in your family?"

"No need to worry about me, I’ll have my friend come."

After the nurse left, I called Jenna Sutton and told her simply what had happened.

...

Half an hour later, Jenna Sutton rushed into the hospital room, out of breath.

She was stunned for two seconds before suddenly breaking into tears.

Seeing her tears, the grief of losing the child hit me unexpectedly.

Jenna Sutton came over and gently touched the bandage on my forehead, choking on her words, "It hurts, doesn’t it?"

I didn’t speak, my tears silently trailing down my face, "I... still couldn’t keep my baby..."

Jenna Sutton kept taking deep breaths to control her emotions, yet she still trembled with anger.

She said, "That bastard Timothy Xavier didn’t even spare his own child?"

"He didn’t believe I was pregnant."

I curved my lips bitterly, "But whether he believes it or not, it doesn’t matter anymore. The child is gone, there’s nothing left between us."

Jenna Sutton was enraged to tears again, "You should have told me first back then, I would have hired a private detective. Even if he found out, he wouldn’t dare do anything to me for the sake of the Sutton Family! He only bullies you like this because you’re isolated, with no one to back you up!"

Having said that, she picked up the phone to call Timothy Xavier.

I stopped her, "I don’t want to see him. He doesn’t need to know anything, it’s best if he never remembers I existed."

Jenna Sutton nodded, "Yes, with two years of separation, you can get a divorce. Since he likes eating crap, the Sawyer sisters can let him enjoy it thoroughly! One’s gone, but isn’t there still another one?"

...

Just like that, Jenna Sutton set aside all her work for me.

She even went to learn cooking from the family maid and auntie, changing up the soups she made for me every day.

Though under her care, my body recovered well.

But the mystery of "Naomi Sawyer’s strange suicide" still loomed over my heart like a dark cloud.

Naomi Sawyer was Serena Sawyer’s older sister; could it be that Serena would kill her own sister just to harm me?

That night, once Jenna Sutton left.

As I was about to turn off the lights and sleep, I heard Timothy Xavier’s voice outside the door, "Is she in this room?"

"Yes." Jack Sullivan said, "Do you need me to ask the doctor about her condition?"

"No need."

He didn’t care about my condition at all.

The next second, he pushed open the door to my room.

After a week of not seeing him, he looked much more haggard, the always meticulously groomed him hadn’t even shaved his stubble.

It was clear that Naomi Sawyer’s death had hit him hard.

His dark eyes glanced at the thick bandages on my forehead and knees, and he spoke coldly, "Consider yourself lucky! You’re only injured on the surface, but Naomi lost her life!"

I closed my eyes, my voice soft as a sigh, "I’ll say it again, I didn’t harm her."

Timothy Xavier suddenly walked to my bedside, his tall, lean body bending down, his hands tightly gripping my shoulders.

His bloodshot eyes stared intently at me, his breath seething with anger he couldn’t quite disperse, "Zoe Ellison, do you know, I really want you to pay with your life for hers!"

Pain creased my brow, a barren, cold laugh rising in my heart.

Pay with my life?

I already have!

I only took a few strands of Naomi Sawyer’s hair with the private detective’s help, yet I ended up losing my unborn child.

Is that still not enough?

I painfully said, "Timothy Xavier, do you know, I miscarried..."

Before I could finish the three words ’miscarried,’ he abruptly interrupted, "Let’s divorce!"

In that moment of shock, an odd sense of relief overtook me, like a cage that had trapped me for four years was suddenly opened.

Timothy Xavier straightened, looking down at me, "You have no right to be Mrs. Xavier. I’ll have the divorce papers drawn up by a lawyer soon."

I suddenly laughed.

Divorce?

Does he think divorce is a punishment for me?

How dare he think he gets to bring it up first?

I gazed into his cold eyes, deliberately articulating, "The gift I gave you on your birthday, you didn’t even open it, did you?"

Timothy Xavier remained silent, admitting it implicitly.

As expected.

He’s never held me in his heart, all my efforts were lighter than dust in his eyes.

Too lazy even to look at.

I pulled a slight curve at the corner of my lips, calmly and indifferently stating, "I’ve already signed the divorce papers, they’re in the birthday gift I gave you. We can go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce anytime."

His pupils shrank sharply, shock finally cracking the icy facade of his face.