Chapter 5

"I was so angry that I couldn't hold back anymore. I worked hard to raise him, and he brought me so much pain. But I despise you even more. Without you, I wouldn't have suffered like this, and everything you have now would have been mine."

Raven's excitement grew, her voice getting louder and her face turning red. "Taylor, you might think your life is tough, but compared to the unbearable things I've been through, what have you really faced?"

Facing Raven's anger, Taylor listened carefully, staying calm until Raven finally stopped talking and relaxed. "If you hadn't taken matters into your own hands, you wouldn't have gone through that. Your struggles have nothing to do with me."

"If you hadn't pursued Alexander, he would have been with me. How did things turn out this way?" Raven's emotions were getting out of control as she yelled.

"You should know that you're the cause of all this!" Taylor calmly retorted.

Even though she seemed composed on the surface, inside, she was struggling and deep in thought.

Raven paused before continuing, "At my most desperate moments, I thought of Alexander. I wanted to have him, and you—I wanted you to experience the pain and helplessness I felt. Alexander believed I couldn't conceive due to a medical condition. To save Henry, you had to carry his child. But what worried me more was that if I got pregnant and gained weight, Alexander might not love me anymore. So, in the end, you were the one to take on that role. Thank you very much, ha!"

Raven laughed in triumph.

Before Taylor could respond, she suddenly noticed Henry, playing alone by the pool. He stumbled toward the water and seemed about to fall in.

"Watch out!" she urgently shouted.

Henry appeared to hear her cry and then fell to the ground, crying.

Taylor hurried over to Henry, who called out, "Mommy, hold me."

Raven's expression showed impatience. She didn't pick up the child; instead, she turned away and continued, "Honestly, I don't care whether Henry lives or dies. If it weren't for Alexander needing to save Henry, I would have just let things happen naturally. But that's not something I need to explain to you."

Taylor was angered by Raven's callousness and exclaimed passionately, "You're heartless and merciless toward your own child. Are you even human?"

"Yes, he's my child, but as long as he's alive, those painful memories keep haunting me. Do you understand?"

Raven appeared both excited and ashamed when reminded of her unbearable past.

Taylor listened, a sense of foreboding washing over her. She couldn't help but offer a comforting remark, "At any rate, you should attend to the child first."

Raven's tone turned icy. "I don't care about Henry or the child in your womb. I'm afraid their presence will eventually steal Alexander's love away from me."

Taylor fell silent for a while, questioning Raven's sanity.

How could a mother be so heartless toward her own child?

Unbeknownst to Taylor, Raven suddenly stood up, lifted her foot, and kicked Henry, who was clinging to her leg, into the pool.

Taylor's complexion turned pale. She hurriedly got up to rescue the child but, weighed down by her pregnancy, she stumbled and fell into the water. The child had already been kicked into the water.

Her outstretched hand hovered over the edge of the pool.

"Mommy!"

Henry cried out in misery.

Alexander, who had just returned, heard Henry's cries and rushed over, witnessing the scene before him.

"Taylor, what are you doing?"

Alexander saw Henry fall into the water while Taylor reached out.

He charged forward angrily, leapt into the water, and lifted Henry out.

"He's just a child. I didn't expect you to be so heartless!" he yelled at Taylor.

Taylor withdrew her hand, seeing that the child was fine. She explained, "I didn't push Henry in. How could I do something so cruel?"

"You still won't admit it?" Alexander didn't believe her at all, his anger evident.

Raven suddenly looked at Alexander with teary eyes, appearing wronged. "Taylor, you're really wicked. You resentfully want to save Henry only because you're pregnant. But you wouldn't dare kill Henry for that reason."

She wiped away her tears, looking pitiable. "Alex, I was so scared just now. If something happened to Henry, how could I go on living? You have to decide for me."

Alexander held her hand, full of concern. "I've called for the best doctor, and they'll be here soon. Raven, don't worry."

"Okay!" Raven obediently nodded, appearing vulnerable, a stark contrast to Taylor's disgust.

Alexander turned to Taylor, his tone heavy with resentment. "Taylor, don't just deny it. Today, you have to give me a reasonable explanation."

"I didn't mean to hurt Henry. Raven kicked him down," Taylor explained.

Alexander interrupted angrily, "Enough, Taylor. I saw it myself. Stop trying to frame Raven."

Taylor knew he wouldn't believe her, just like before.

Feeling a mix of stomachache and heartache, she felt helpless. She was the victim, but no one trusted her. She looked at Alexander, "You never believe me. When Raven gave me medicine, you blamed me. When she kicked me, you didn't believe me. Now she kicked Henry into the pool, and you still don't believe me. Will you believe me if I say I saved you from a fire?"

Alexander hesitated, looking at Taylor's sadness.

"Don't fall for her lies, Alex! To save you, I got burned. She didn't. You know that," Raven whispered.

Alexander turned cold, "I love Raven, not you. You're just a tool for having kids."

Taylor felt shattered. Her hope vanished. "Why won't you trust me? She's the one behind all this."

Before she could finish, Henry coughed up blood.

Panicked, Alexander blamed Taylor.

Taylor retorted, "Is one life worth more than another? You wanted my child early for Henry. Who will save my child, you or Raven?"

Raven said, "If you can't save your child, it's your fault."

Taylor looked at Alexander for his response.

Alexander sighed, "I'll do my best for your child."

Her heart ached as his words hit her.

"I'll end this," she whispered and jumped into the pool.

As the water engulfed her, she felt a dark shadow approach and save her.

She resurfaced, gasping for air, eyes fixed on Alexander.

"Taylor, are you crazy? Why would you do this?" he shouted.

She weakly replied, "I'm crazy because I realized you'd sacrifice my child for Henry. Isn't one life enough for you?"

Alexander looked defeated. "If you care about what I say, why ignore my plea to have the child?"

"My heart's already dead."

Raven rushed over, crying about Henry vomiting blood.

Taylor's hands trembled.