A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 257 Insignificant

"That child?" Maria closed her eyes and tears streamed down her cheeks. "I had a miscarriage on the day I was brought to prison."

Shock and disbelief were overwhelming James at this point.

"It was raining heavily that day. I was at the bridge over H River. I bled all over the ground, and the next thing I knew, the police were taking me away."

She opened her eyes, and he could see that she was lost in her memories even as she continued to recount what had happened. "I had begged the Song family, Sebastian, Judy...and even the Tang family. No one was willing to help me, no one would take me in."

And she had decided to jump off the bridge and end everything once and for all. But reality had been cruel to her, to the point that she had even been denied the chance to die.

"It's not like I didn't understand them though. After all, I was just a woman kicked out of the Xi family. If anyone had the guts to help me back then, they would have had to deal with the wrath of your family. James Xi, what you lost was just another significant woman and a dispensable child. But I lost my two children and the whole world."

'An insignificant woman and a dispensable child...'

James clenched his hands into fists.

"I won't forgive anyone in this life, not even you! I won't allow any of you to live in peace. We will all descend to hell together. I want you to know how it feels to lose your child."

However, what Maria didn't know was that she would eventually forgive James only because she loved him deeply.

James slowly fell to his knees in front of her. He held the back of her head and forced her to look at him. "You have a hundred possible ways to make me suffer. I would gladly taken them all on. I would welcome your revenge. But you chose to do it this way. Why did you have to go this far, Maria?"

She had extinguished a small life. Their own child. How could she bear to do such a thing?

He had never imagined that her hatred for him would reach an extent where she could no longer see reason.

"Why don't you just kill me then? I'm pretty tired of this miserable life, too, actually."

She hated him very much, but she still couldn't help getting close to him. She loved him and couldn't help wanting to hug him and kiss him.

James' eyes blazed with furious resolve. "I won't kill you; that would be giving you the easy way out. Instead, will torture you slowly. From now on, you are not allowed to go anywhere. You must pay for what you did to my child!"

"Do you mean to lock me up?" She looked at the man, incredulous at the words he was spouting.

"You can call it whatever you like."

Maria shook his hold away and struggled to rise. "No-"

"You have no right to refuse!" he snapped, putting an immediate end to her efforts to protest.

She took a deep breath and said, "I don't want this house, you can take it back. We're even now. What I do with my life after today has nothing more to do with you!

Then she pushed him away with all of her strength and hurried to the door.

James was quicker, though, and he instantly grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "And where do you plan to go? Colby Zheng or Norman Shen? That's never going to happen, Maria Song!" She tried to get away again. "Let go. I don't want to be with you anymore. Let go of me, James Xi!"

"If you don't want to be imprisoned here, then there's another way you can choose."

That made her pause, and she felt hopeful for a brief moment. "What is it?"

"Apologize to me!" If she did, he would forgive right away.

'Apologize?' The woman sneered and slapped his hand away. "Why should I? I suffered in jail for two years. You claim you didn't do it, so who should apologize to me?" "I'm already investigating this matter."

"Forget it. You don't have to, because I don't care. Just let me go. You don't have to cancel your engagement to Alina Tang either. You can marry whomever you want." "Why, so you can be free to go to another man?"

"That's none of your business."

James grabbed her again, more forcefully this time, and dragged her to the bedroom.

Maria panicked. "James Xi! The doctor said I'm not allowed to engage in sexual activities!"

He stopped at his pace and turned to her with mockery in his eyes. "I'm not interested in sleeping with you!"

She quieted down, feeling somewhat relieved.

He proceeded to throw her on the bed and gaze down at her. "I don't care whether you spend your days here working or just staring at the walls and ceiling. Either way, you are forbidden from stepping out of this room without my permission!"

Then he turned on his heel and made for the door.

"James Xi!"

He stopped at her call, but he didn't bother looking back.

"It's not like you love me, anyway, you don't even like me. You just happen to like having sex with me. I have the skills, and I don't cling to you. You just don't want the hassle of replaceing another sex toy at your disposal, do you?"

A pregnant silence fell and hovered over them for a tense moment. Then he nodded. "That's precisely how it is."

Maria didn't speak again, and he walked out of the door, leaving her alone in the empty apartment.

She had never imagined things to turn out this way. She had thought that after the abortion issue unfolded, James would break up with her.

James never set foot in the Golden Mansion for the rest of that week.

Maria didn't set foot outside either. Every day, a chef came to cook for her, and a servant came to clean the place.

On the tenth day of her confinement, she opened the front door and saw two bodyguards. They stepped forward and blocked her way. "Excuse us, Ms. Song. We apologize, but Mr. Xi's instructions forbid you from leaving the apartment."

Narrowing her eyes, Maria took out her phone and dialed James' number. The line rang two times before connecting, but she was met with silence on the other end.

"I'm going to visit your grandparents."

The call ended.

In the next second, one of the bodyguards' phone rang. In the next two minutes, Maria was leaving the apartment.

Her bodyguards were with her, of course.

She headed to Augustine's villa.

They had already known about her recent quarrel with James.

She now sat facing them inside the tea room, all three of them quiet and expressionless. After a moment, Maria spoke up. "Grandpa, Grandma, I want to tell you something."

Charlotte heaved a sigh. "I'm so disappointed in you, Maria."

She had learned about the abortion from her grandson, albeit he she ended up having to force him to tell her.

"Well, the truth is..." Maria had never intended to lie to these two since the beginning. "I wasn't pregnant at all, so I never took any abortive substance. I just... I lied too James. I wasn't expecting him to tell you everything."

James had never been the talkative type, after all. Indeed, she had been surprised to replace that his grandparents had known of her "pregnancy" so soon.

Augustine snorted angrily. "What a load of nonsense!"

Maria hung her head, willing to accept any criticism.

"You must have known," Charlotte said slowly. "What you've done has no other effect except harm on your relationship."

Maria remained silent. Her goal had indeed been upset the man. The results might not have brought him at death's door, but she had at least managed to shatter his heart.

But she had never accounted for the possibility of Augustine and Charlotte being upset as well.

The tea room grew quiet once again. The floral scent of tea wafted into the air and lingered there.

Augustine sighed inwardly. It was, overall, a good thing that Maria hadn't been pregnant. Compared to his earlier depression, he was only feeling disappointed now. He cast a long glance at the silent girl, feeling sorry for her. It seemed as though she had been suffering all her life.

"There is a way to make us forgive you," he said out of the blue, his voice deep and full of resolve.