Chapter 4
Phoebe couldn't help but shiver. She was afraid of Theodore, a fear that had been deeply ingrained in her since their first meeting after growing up.
Moreover, in the three years of their marriage, her fear of Theodore had only deepened.
On the day the new CEO of the Reynolds Group took office, Phoebe, who was still an intern at the time, watched as the usually arrogant company executives surrounded Theodore and walked into the lobby.
Theodore was wearing a well-tailored black suit that accentuated his striking features. He stood on the stage to give a speech and then swiftly fired several high-level executives involved in bribery and corruption, putting them in jail.
Theodore's ruthless and decisive actions led to a purge among the company's top brass, creating an atmosphere of fear and tension. Everyone was afraid they might be next.
For a long time afterward, the company's employees would speak of Theodore with fear in their eyes.
At this moment, Theodore's face was terrifyingly grim, and the cold aura he emitted was even more frightening than it had been in the courtyard earlier.
Phoebe lowered her eyes. She wanted to resist Theodore, to point at his nose and curse him out. But her body was uncontrollably trembling with fear.
She was in a sorry state, wearing a tattered dress. Anyone who saw her would know what she had been through.
No matter when, Theodore was always impeccably perfect. Going against Theodore, the most wretched person was always her.
"Speak!" Theodore's deep voice sent shivers down Phoebe's spine. She averted her eyes from his icy stare, at a loss for words.
At six months pregnant, the baby was already quite large, but she suffered a miscarriage due to an accident, leading to severe bleeding and damage to her uterus. During a follow-up visit to the hospital, the doctor had told her that she might never conceive again.
When Phoebe received this devastating news, she almost fainted from the shock. She returned home in a daze, intending to tell Theodore about it. But just when she needed comfort the most, Theodore, in his anger, refused to listen to her explanation and even have a rough sex with her.
Theodore was still staring intently at Phoebe.
Evelyn stood nearby, terrified. She cautiously spoke up, "Theodore, Phoebe was just annoyed with me for talking too much. She said that to upset me."
"Evelyn," Theodore forcefully interrupted her, "I'll take Phoebe to the hospital for a check-up first. We'll know if she's lying after the examination."
With that, Theodore grabbed Phoebe's wrist and dragged her toward the parking lot.
Evelyn had never seen Theodore so angry before. She was anxious and wanted to follow them but she was scared that Theodore's anger might turn towards her.
No matter how arrogant Evelyn was in front of Phoebe, it was only because Phoebe was her biological daughter.
When faced with someone truly powerful, Evelyn immediately turned into a quail, trying to fawn over them. This was the survival skill she had learned over the years as a nanny in wealthy households.
While Evelyn hesitated, Theodore had already dragged Phoebe far away.
He threw Phoebe into the passenger seat and drove toward a private hospital.
On the way, Theodore asked coldly, "We still got half an hour 'til we hit the hospital. This is your final shot. Spill everything to me right now!"
Phoebe turned her head to look out the window. The window, like a smooth mirror, reflected her anxious face.
What was she supposed to say? What did Theodore want her to confess?
After the accident years ago, whenever she brought up the miscarriage, Theodore would go berserk like beast and interrupt her with sex. What was the point of saying anything now? So he could make love with her in the car again?
Even just recalling that scene made Phoebe tremble.
That was the first time she realized how terrifying Theodore could be.
She bit her lower lip hard and stubbornly remained silent.
Theodore gripped the steering wheel, and as time ticked by, the veins on the back of his hand bulged. When he saw the hospital building ahead, he knew Phoebe wouldn't speak.
The car turned into the hospital and stopped.
Theodore got out, yanked Phoebe out of the passenger seat, and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.
Theodore glared at Phoebe, enunciating each word. "Phoebe, you know the deal if you try to pull a fast one on me.."
Whether out of fear or anger, Phoebe stubbornly turned her gaze away, refusing to look at him.
Theodore was so infuriated by her passive resistance that he laughed. He stepped back and sneered, "Fine, I hope when I find out everything, you'll still be this stubborn."
The private hospital was fully equipped, and a series of gynecological exams took only ten minutes.
In the gynecologist's office, Theodore sat in a chair, exuding an ominous presence that made everyone around him feel oppressed.
The gynecologist swallowed nervously, speaking carefully, "Mr. Reynolds, Mrs. Reynolds' last miscarriage caused her endometrial lining to thin and her fallopian tubes to become adhesively blocked. Additionally, long-term use of contraceptive pills has lowered her progesterone levels below normal. It will be extremely difficult for her to conceive in the future. You need to be mentally prepared."
Theodore had already braced himself in the car, but he hadn't expected Phoebe's condition to be this severe. Even so, Phoebe hadn't said a word to him.
Theodore asked, "When did she find out?"
The gynecologist hesitated, then pulled up Phoebe's medical records on the computer and said, "About two and a half years ago. The doctor informed Mrs. Reynolds during a follow-up visit."
Upon hearing this, Theodore's face darkened even more.
Phoebe had hidden this from him for two and a half years!
He thought about the contraceptive pills he had been forcing Phoebe to take for the past two and a half years. He believed he was humiliating her, but in reality, he was humiliating himself.
What had Phoebe thought of him every time she took those pills?
The gynecologist hesitated again before adding, "Additionally, during our examination, we found that Mrs. Reynolds is allergic to contraceptive pills."
Theodore's breath hitched. The gynecologist's words felt like a sledgehammer to his chest, knocking the wind out of him. His vision blurred, and each breath became a struggle.
