Remember That Hurt

Chapter 9 Ugly face

　　Anna woke up in pain, groaning as soon as her eyes opened and instinctively reaching for her stomach.

　　"Ouch..." She hissed, pulling her hand back quickly.

　　Feeling the tight bandage wrapped around her belly, she froze in disbelief.

　　"A miscarriage... needed surgery?" she thought, mind buzzing with confusion.

　　Right then, the door rattled and slowly opened. Jasmine struggled to push herself inside in a wheelchair.

　　"You're up?" Jasmine asked casually as she closed the door behind her.

　　Anna had always felt weird around Jasmine—definitely not in a good way. But when she saw Jasmine's legs covered up with a blanket, she managed a weak smile.

　　"Yeah. Thanks for coming to check on me."

　　"Check on you?" Jasmine suddenly laughed, all sarcasm. "Girl, I wish you were dead."

　　Anna's smile froze. She awkwardly fiddled with the edge of the bed. Honestly, she got why Jasmine hated her.

　　Then, without warning, Jasmine stood up from the wheelchair, leaned in close, and whispered,

　　"Guess what? They took out your uterus. You'll never have kids again."

　　Anna's mind went blank. It took a few seconds before her lips trembled and she stammered,

　　"W-what... what did you do to me?"

　　Jasmine shrugged like it was no big deal, her face glowing with satisfaction as she eased herself back down into the chair.

　　"Not my idea. Ethan just wanted to make sure you wouldn't pull any tricks by getting pregnant later. Told the doctors to take care of it permanently."

　　Anna felt like she'd been thrown into a freezing lake.

　　"...Your legs? They're fine?" Anna finally noticed.

　　Jasmine scoffed, giving her a look that said "obviously."

　　"What do you think? You think I'd ruin my whole modeling career over someone like you? Give me a break."

　　"You—!" Anna was so furious she couldn't even get the words out. She grabbed the cup by the bed and flung it at Jasmine.

　　Hearing the door unlock, Jasmine didn't flinch, just turned her face away slightly to avoid being hit.

　　"What the hell are you doing?!" Ethan stormed in, rage all over his face.

　　Striding over in just a few angry steps, he yanked Anna off the bed and dumped a bunch of medical instruments onto her without even blinking.

　　Only after that did he turn to help Jasmine, gently guiding her out while she clutched her head, acting all fragile.

　　"I told you not to come in. That woman's crazy," Ethan said, his voice tight with concern. "You need to stay away from her."

　　"I didn't mean for this to happen... I just wanted her to apologize to you," Jasmine muttered, curling into his arms with that helpless look.

　　"You just need to care about me." He sighed. "Once she signs the divorce papers, she's out of our lives."

　　As their footsteps faded, Anna gritted her teeth and pushed herself up off the floor.

　　She lifted her shirt—red soaked through the gauze; the blood was spreading fast. The color stung her eyes and made her dizzy.

　　How did she ever fall for someone like Ethan?

　　After the doctor came and changed her bandages, Anna passed out again.

　　When she woke up, Ethan was standing beside her bed.

　　Anna stared straight ahead, her expression unreadable. She knew he wasn't here to check on her.

　　Sure enough, he tossed a document onto her. His voice was cold.

　　"Sign it."

　　Anna didn't need to look. She knew what it was.

　　"You want a divorce? Not happening." She said it firmly.

　　Before, she'd agreed to the divorce just to save her baby—and he wouldn't let her sign then.

　　And now, after losing everything, he expected her to play by his rules again? No way.

　　She glanced at Jasmine nearby, then suddenly smirked and lowered her head.

　　"At least I'm still your wife for the next three years. She'll never be more than your dirty little secret."