"Please....let's talk Phoenix," Ace insisted, this time he was pleading with me on his knees. My expression remained as hard as stone as I looked down at him for a change.

He brought this upon himself. He deserved every second of pain and anguish he was going through. I gave him the coldest look I could muster, cold enough to freeze the depths of hell, and met his eyes which were red and swollen, already wet with tears.

How pathetic.

"Ace, there's nothing we should talk about. You asked for a divorce and got Angela pregnant. So you should be responsible for your actions! You must be a good father to her unborn child, the kind of father you've never been to our dead daughter." I swallowed hard and clenched my fist at my side. The mention of our daughter brought up a lot of unpleasant memories. My chest ached painfully as I recalled each one of them.

Ace remained kneeling on the ground, begging me to listen. But no matter how hard he begged, my hardened heart refused to succumb to his pleas. I recalled the night of our fifth wedding anniversary where I pleaded to him to give me another chance but he insisted we divorce, my heart hardened even more at the memory.

He did not deserve another chance. He broke my heart and he will break it again if I give him another opportunity.

My lips stretched into a chilling smile. I felt no sympathy towards him even if he looked so pitiful. I was in love with him for years. I had to admit that. But the love I felt towards him was quickly replaced with intense hate.

All the pain and suffering I went through because of him made me numb. Call me heartless, but I would never take him back. I wanted him to suffer too.

He opened his mouth to speak but no words emerged out of his lips.

With my head still held up high, I walked past him, my back turned in his direction.

"I hate you Ace, I hate you more than I could express in words. But I hated you the most for believing that I cheated on you and got pregnant with another man's child." I let the words out painfully, closing my eyes to stop the tears.

Only when I felt slightly better did I open my eyes and turn to face him. "Believing that Vien was not your child was the biggest insult to me as your wife."

"Vince admitted that he was Vien's real father--" He started to explain but I cut his words off with a glare.

"And you believed him? You, the high and mighty CEO of a gigantic empire believe such a lie? Where did your brains go? Down the drain!" I snapped, overcome with rage.

I shut my eyes firmly. The tears I tried so hard to suppress broke free. A warm stream of tears drifted down my cheeks and reached my lips, I tasted the saltiness in my mouth.

"Vien died without feeling the love of a father. And it was all your fault Ace! I refuse to forgive you for that!!" My tears escalated to a sob. My legs collapsed and I slumped on the bed, burying my face into my palms.

As if a button had been pushed, the memory of the night I lost Vien came to my mind.

It was a starless evening. The air was cold and the pitch-black sky showed the first sign of impending rain. Lightning carved through the sky, it was followed by the deafening sound of thunder.

The room was dark but the faint light emitting from the lampshade was enough for the couple on top of the bed to be seen. The man lay on the top of the woman and both of them were naked. I abruptly stopped by the door after witnessing the scene. The couple, unaware of me entering the room, continue to satisfy their carnal needs.

The man on the bed has the same tattoo as Ace on his right shoulder. Instantly, I knew it was my husband having sex with another woman in our marital bed. The betrayal hurt me beyond words.

Without a moment's delay, I hurriedly went to my daughter's room. Surprisingly, Vien was awake. Perhaps it was the sound of thunder that woke her up, and her two year old self was frightened. She reached out for me with pudgy hands, and I picked her up into my arms.

I was going to take her out of here. I wasn't going staying in Greyson Mansion with my daughter while Ace committed sexual acts with his mistress just down the hall.

I grabbed the car keys and safely settled Vien into the backseat with her seatbelt on. She made a few gurgling cries, confused at the impromptu trip.

Consumed with pain, I drove the car away from the mansion. I stepped on the accelerator and drove furiously with tears streaming down my face. I was in so much pain and all I wanted to do was to get away from Ace.

"Mum...cared." Vien burbled from the child seat. I took a quick look in the rearview mirror and froze at the sight of my daughter's terrified face, the way her ocean blue eyes stared at me pleadingly in worry and fear as she began to cry.

My heart broke at the sight, and I snapped out of my pain. Her crying was a wakeup call for me.

What was I doing? How could I have taken my young daughter out in the middle of the night when it was storming when she was so scared?

I pulled the car into a sudden stop at the side of the road.

"I'm sorry, Vien, this is all Mama's fault... don't cry baby" I mumbled to her as tears streamed down my cheeks. I was such a terrible mother!

I quickly removed my seatbelt, planning to take her into my arms. I needed her to know that everything was going to be alright.

From a distance, a car was hurtling at full speed in my direction. Loud honking blared in my ears. Sharp bright headlights blinded my eyes, and I winced in pain, screaming as I realised that a car was speeding right towards me.

WHAM!

BOOM!

Sound of metals colliding shattered the silence of the road.

Without a seat belt on, my head slammed painfully hard on the dashboard. The smell of leaked gasoline wafted into the night air, causing it to reek.

But what scared me most was Vien's loud cry of pain before I lost consciousness.