Chapter 7

Rosalie laughed silently, not wanting to hear anymore. However, when she turned, she saw Isabelle exit the restroom. Her heart skipped a beat, and she reflexively turned to detour to the stairs. She'd only taken a few steps when Isabelle called her name hesitantly, "Rosie, is that you?" Rosalie ignored her and quickened her footsteps. She was about to turn a corner when Isabelle caught up with her and grabbed her hand. She didn't want to have anything to do with Isabelle there, so she tried to break free and leave. However, Isabelle refused to let go. She said anxiously, "I know it's you, Rosie! You must've misunderstood something—I can explain!" As they tussled, Rosalie struggled hard to break free. However, she used too much strength and swayed on her feet, about to fall down the stairs. Isabelle's expression changed, and she hurriedly pulled Rosalie back. The latter leaned against the staircase railing, barely managing to stabilize herself. However, Isabelle lost her balance and rolled down the stairs, landing at the foot in a pool of blood. Rosalie's mind went blank. Then, she hastily ran down to check on Isabelle. Just as she reached out, a force shoved her from behind, making her smack her head against the wall. Blood gushed out, quickly soaking her face. She gasped from the pain and forced herself to keep her eyes open. That was when she met Lucas' murderous gaze. He lifted Isabelle into his arms and bolted out of the place, but not before leaving behind a threat. "I'll make you pay tenfold if anything goes wrong with Isabelle!" His footsteps faded, and Rosalie couldn't hear anything else. Her vision turned blurry. She felt a nerve in her head was being yanked on, throbbing painfully. As the blood pooled, she slowly faded out of consciousness. Darkness shrouded her, and her body felt light. Soon, she passed out. … Rosalie didn't know how long she had been out. When she opened her eyes, she saw a doctor sigh in relief. "Thank goodness your willpower is strong enough, or you would've ended up brain-dead and in a coma forever." She thanked the doctor and picked up her phone, which buzzed incessantly. She heard Lucas' panicked voice on the other end of the line when she answered the call. "Rosie, where are you?" She was silent for a long time before telling him which hospital and ward she was in. Ten minutes later, Lucas burst into the room, looking anxious. The first thing he did was ask how she was doing. "Are you badly injured? How's the baby? I was only that mad because I thought you pushed Isabelle… "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have done that without getting to the bottom of things. Can you forgive me, please?" Rosalie could tell that Isabelle had woken up and told him what had happened, judging from his performance. He wouldn't look so guilty and uneasy otherwise. She lowered her gaze and said weakly, "I'm fine. The doctor said I just need to rest for a few days." Lucas thought that meant the baby was also fine. He finally relaxed and crouched, wanting to feel her belly to make sure everything was okay. Rosalie stopped him with a question. "Are you and Aunt Isabelle college mates?" His hand froze in midair. "Yeah, but we were in different majors. What's up?" Her lashes fluttered as she watched him retract his hand. She said calmly, "Nothing. I just saw you two attending the same reunion. Lucas' Adam's apple bobbed, and he awkwardly switched the subject. "Are you hungry? I'll get you breakfast." Rosalie checked her calendar after watching him flee. She counted down the days—ten more sleeps before the divorce cool-down period was over. She would soon be able to escape this marriage built on lies.