Thinking she was about to become the young mistress of the Payton Family, Kelly was so full of herself that she couldn’t tolerate the insult. She raised her hand to slap me, but I blocked it. She stumbled back a few steps and fell hard to the floor.
“Do you think you’ve won, Jane?” she hissed as she rose from the floor, venom flashing in her eyes. “Let me tell you something... you won’t be smiling for long. When that thing in your belly is born, it’s going to call me mommy. And if you don’t start kissing up to me now, I swear I’ll make sure that bastard child suffers!”
At those words, cold fury flashed through me. Without hesitation, I slapped her hard across the face.
Kelly stared at me in disbelief, clutching her cheek. Then, in a fit of rage, she charged at me.
Caught off guard, I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs from the entryway. My head slammed against the ground and pain exploded instantly.
At that moment, Simon’s furious voice rang out from the doorway. “Janey! Are you okay?” He turned sharply to Kelly. “Are you insane? How dare you push her down the stairs?”
He rushed over, scooping me into his arms without giving Kelly another glance and carried me outside.
Behind us, Kelly’s voice rang out, full of disbelief. “Simon! How could you yell at me for that cheap woman? She hit me first! I was just—”
“Enough!” Simon cut her off coldly. “She’s pregnant. No matter what happened, you should never have laid a hand on her.”
Without another word, he rushed me to the hospital.
As soon as the doctor finished the initial check-up, Simon anxiously asked, “Doctor, is the baby okay?”
The doctor hesitated, clearly puzzled, but before he could speak, I quickly interrupted, “I’m fine. The baby’s fine too. There’s no need for further examination.”
I couldn’t let Simon know I had already terminated the pregnancy. If he found out, there was no telling how mad he would get—and escaping from him would be so much harder.
Simon still looked worried, but I sounded so certain that he didn’t press the doctor further. Instead, he insisted I stay for a few days for observation. Since I didn’t have the strength to argue, I just agreed.
He gently kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back tenderly. “You really scared me just now. Just stay here for a few days, okay? Listen to the doctors, get some good rest. Be good, alright?”
I nodded faintly, a hint of irony flashing across my face.