Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Timothy's black pupils looked at her indifferently with a heavy gaze. It was almost as if there were a million things he wished to say, and yet at the same time…it looked empty.

He raised his hand, covered her hand using his big palm, and said in a low voice, "You have to rest now, Sammy. Don't overthink."

'Don't overthink.'

Samantha thought about those two words and became even sadder.

She had considered several possibilities—both good and bad—after choosing to confront Timothy and even thought about how to deal with a worst-case scenario.

It had all been given due thought and consideration.

However, when it came for her to truly face it, all her strategies of handling it turned into shambles.

Human feelings cannot be precisely calculated and predicted. It was impossible to have a set method of dealing with them.

She was feeling heartbroken, even if her reasoning was telling her to deal with it calmly, there was absolutely no way she could calm herself down.

Samantha took a deep breath and tilted her head back to stop the tears from flowing. After about half a minute, she looked at Timothy again and said hoarsely, "Since you're not interested in being reasonable, then there's no point for me to continue reasoning with you!"

"Didn't you say you want to live happily with me? Didn't you say you love me? Didn't you say you love our baby?"

"Well, I'm suffering now that the child is gone. I want you to get justice for our baby, and I don't care if the evidence is insufficient. I'm convinced that Harmony did it, and I want her to pay the price. Can you do that?"

After a pause, she added mockingly, "Don't tell me that you can't, Timothy. It's only a matter of snapping your fingers if you want someone to get the justice they deserve!"

Timothy looked at her silently and did not speak for a very long time.

The huge ward was pin-drop silent.

Samantha did not need to wait for his reply because his silence was already the answer.

He would not touch Harmony, and would even venture to protect her.

Samantha felt out of breath and the discomfort was such that she felt as though she was being pinched by the neck.

After what happened two years ago, she continued to warn herself to not repeat the same mistakes and refrain from falling in love with such a heartless man.

She treaded and consolidated carefully every step of the way in her marriage.

Had it not been for Timothy's perseverance in slowly breaking down the walls of her heart, she would never have let him breach her defenses.

Who could have known that it was all a huge scam?

His acting skills were even more refined than they were two years before.

Samantha gulped heavily, suppressed her sadness, and tried her best to keep her tears within her eye sockets because she was unwilling to let them fall again.

She glared at him stubbornly and spoke clearly, "I can't do this, Timothy. I can't have you by my side while your mind is filled with thoughts of another woman. I can't share a husband with someone else either. I don't want something that's not mine!"

She bit her lower lip hard and added, "It's either me or Harmony. You can only choose one!"

Timothy continued to look at her silently and did not say a single word.

Samantha counted silently in her heart.

'Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…'

With one more number to go, her eyelashes trembled fiercely as she looked at Timothy's hand in her grip. She wanted to hold on so tightly and was reluctant to let him go.

However, it seemed she could no longer continue holding on to him.

'…one.'

Samantha's fingertips loosened slowly and she pulled her hand back resolutely.

She moved her lips and wanted to speak, but her throat felt dry and her words were all stuck in her throat. Her lips opened and closed for some time before she forced out some words. "I'll help you choose if you can't, Timothy."

"We…"

Her hand covered her heart unconsciously. That was where the pain was most severe and she could not even sit still at all.

She pressed her hands firmly over her heart and said clearly, "…should get a divorce."

Timothy lowered his eyelids and looked at her pale face from the side. He pursed his thin lips and finally said, "Have you thought it through?"

Samantha had mentioned divorce several times during their marriage. He would get angry and reproached her whenever she mentioned it, going so far as to tell her not to ever bring it up again.

At that time, however, he merely asked her calmly: 'Have you thought it through?'

She was useless now that the child was gone, so he could burn bridges with her, forget about her, and no longer needed to act around her...

Samantha clenched her cup tightly. She raised her eyes to look at him and replied, "Yes. Let's get a divorce."

Timothy's black pupils made eye contact with her. Two seconds later, he uttered a single word, "Okay."

It was to the point, without beating around the bush.

"Heh."

Samantha was surprised that she could still laugh at that moment. Laugh she did. "So Harmony was telling the truth when she said you were always waiting for her."

"And since she can't have children, you needed me to give you an heir. I became your fertility tool to pave the way for your relationship, right?"

"That's why you don't feel sad now that the child is gone. Are you disappointed that I survived? If I died, you wouldn't even need to patronize me."

Timothy's expression remained the same regardless of what she said and he never said a word.

She would be deceiving herself if she continued to be oblivious.

She wanted him out of her sight. Sharing the same space with him was making it difficult for her to breathe.

Samantha raised her voice all of a sudden. "Get the hell out of here, Timothy!"

As she said that, she grabbed the glass on the bedside table and threw it right at him. "LEAVE!"

She did not know if Timothy did not manage to avoid the cup in time or whether he had no time to react, but the cup smashed against his forehead and he frowned slightly without uttering a single word.

The cup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Seeing her get more and more emotional, Timothy turned around and walked out.

Samantha looked at his back with teary eyes and watched him take slow steps to the door. Something in her heart seemed to disappear too.

Timothy placed his hand on the doorknob and was about to turn the knob when his movements stopped.

Samantha held her breath when she saw that and had a faint glow in her eyes.

He lowered his hand and turned around to look at her.

"Rest well," he said.

Did he still show concern for her after that massive falling out?

Samantha bit her lip without answering.

Timothy was silent for a second before continuing, "Once you're back on your feet, call me and tell me when you want to get divorced."

That was it…

He was not worried about her body—he was afraid that something might happen to her and there would be no way for her to divorce him.

If that happened, he could not give Harmony the status of Mrs. Barker which Samantha presently held.

As expected of Timothy.

He knew just how to hurt others.