Love Had Come Too Late and It Dissolved Like Smoke

When I was eight months pregnant, my husband forced me to take care of his childhood sweetheart, who had just a miscarriage. She then spilled chicken soup on her thigh and accused me of deliberately scalding her.

Enraged, my husband had me tied up and thrown into an oversized steamer in the employee cafeteria. He determined to make me experience the pain of being burned.

"You dared to harm my child and mistreat my precious Sofia? If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll never learn!" he scolded.

Amidst the suffocating heat, I pleaded with him and begged for mercy for the sake of our unborn child. I swore I would never fight for him against Sofia Gonzales again.

He just smirked as he said, "Don’t use the child to gain sympathy. I had done my research, it said that pregnant women experiencing some stress before labor actually leads to healthier mothers."

His tone was icecold. "Rest assured, I won’t divorce you. However, for the pain you caused Sofia, I’ll make sure you'll suffer a thousand times worse."

To make me scared, he deliberately cranked up the temperature to its maximum setting.

I was so scared it sent me into premature labor and I could hear the baby's faint cry under me. My baby was born.

Desperately, I begged them to take my child to safety. However, my husband thought I was faking and ordered his men to lock the steamer with heavy iron chains then ordered, "No one opens this without my permission."

That night, while he served food to Sofia, my husband frowned in displeasure. "Did Chiara still not want to admit that she’s wrong? If she keeps being stubborn, who will take care of you, Sofia?"

"You tell her that I give her a chance and that as long as she knells, begs Sofia, admits her mistakes and promises to cook food for Sofia for a week, I'll let her go to the hospital to get birth."

His subordinates were all afraid to say anything.

——

Finally, one of them stepped forward and said with a pale face, " Mr. Johnson … it seems, Madam … has lost her consciousness. She hasn’t made a sound for an hour and when we called her, she didn’t respond."

My husband scoffed. "Don't be afraid, I know her too well better than you. She is very good at pretending. She must have realized that using the baby to trick me is useless and now she is acting as if she died. If she doesn’t suffer enough, she’ll keep bullying my Sofia."

His subordinate wiped the cold sweat. His face had gone pale. "Sir … we really heard the sound of a baby crying inside, but it only cried for a few seconds, then it stopped."

"She must be faking it," my husband said with certainty. Although his subordinate wanted to say more, Sebastian Johnson waved his hand impatiently to cut his words. "Enough. Nowadays, the home appliances are smart. They will automatically shut off the power if it detects people inside. Just let her stew there for a while. She’s not that fragile."

His subordinate was afraid to say anything anymore and with his face drained with color, he left the room.

Meanwhile, Sebastian brought dinner into the master bedroom. In Sebastian's master bedroom, Sofia lay on the bed. She was wearing my pajamas and leaning on the bed while playing with her cell phone. Occasionally, she even let out sweet smiles.

"Sofia, what are you watching? What's making you so happy?" he asked.

Seeing that she had stopped crying, Sebastian’s mood improved. He stepped forward, leaned in, cradled the back of her head and fed her a spoonful of chicken soup. "You need to nurture your body properly so I as your brother, can feel at ease."

Sofia gave him a guilty smile before she suddenly threw herself into his arms as her tears welled up. "My best friend is worried about me. She keeps telling me to leave you. However, whenever I think about how nice you treat me, I just can’t bring myself to let go. That’s why I was smiling stupidly."

"This is all my fault," she said sadly, "I couldn’t control my feelings for you. That night when you were drugged with the herbal medicine, I was determined to give myself to you then leave silently with our baby and never disturb your happiness again and yet …. "

Her voice broke. "I lost the baby. If I lose you too, I won’t be able to go on."

"I know I’m selfish," she cried. "So no matter how Chiara punishes me, I accept it. It was just a little burn, nothing serious and it only hurt a bit. Even if she stabbed me, I’d endure it, as long as you don’t make me leave you!"

Her words shattered Sebastian's heart. He held her tightly and blew the little burn mark on her thigh gently, even though it was only as big as a fingernail. "Sofia, you are too kind. It's because you love me so much and love me so humbly that this evil woman, Chiara, dares to treat you so badly. You don’t know how much it breaks my heart to see you cry.”

“You’ve given me everything. You’ve saved me time and time again. You are both my savior and my love. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you, not even Chiara, my wife, who is carrying my child," he promised.

A flicker of unease flashed across Sofia’s face. Then, she blushed and said coyly, “Brother, actually, I was burned in more places than just this one, but ... I was too embarrassed to ask the doctor to check.”

Sebastian's eyes instantly darkened with desire. He immediately pushed her down. “Then let me see personally if my Sofia is all red and tender.”

Sofia lay beneath him. She was wearing the couple’s pajamas that Sebastian had personally designed for me for our wedding night. She rolled on the silk sheets I had chosen so carefully and had intercourse with my husband.

When Sofia was almost at her climax, Sebastian grabbed her leg and as a result Sofia's leg swayed and she accidentally kicked off the framed photo on the bedside table.

It was a picture taken by a passerby the day Sebastian and I registered our marriage. It was a photo that was supposed to symbolize our happiness on that day. Now that the shattered glass had divided us both into two.

It was impossible to fix a broken glass so it could be whole again and yet I still foolishly hoped that if I gave birth to our child, maybe Sebastian would come back to me and our child. It turned out, that even after my death, I could still feel heartbroken.

As I listened to Sofia cooing to Sebastian asking to have another baby from him, a fresh wave of agony gripped my soul.

Sebastian had been right, though. In that scalding and excruciating pain, my baby had been born in a very fast way.

I just hope my child could have stayed in my womb a little longer. Just for a little while so, I as his mother could endure the pain of the high fever for him and I could give him a slim chance of survival.

However, my child was too obedient. Within minutes, he was born.

I used all my strength to push open a crack in the steamer and begged the people who were waiting outside. “I’ve just given birth! My baby isn’t crying and he’s barely breathing! Please, I beg you, just take him to the hospital, save him, even if you don’t save me!”

The guards outside looked horrified. One of them reached out his hand toward the power switch.

However, before he could act, a wailing voice rang out from the cafeteria entrance. “Sebastian, how could she use her own child’s life to gain your sympathy? Does she not realize that saying bad things might actually harm the baby?” Sofia sobbed.

“She was lucky enough to conceive your child and give birth safely, yet she doesn’t cherish it at all. Instead, she’s cursing her own baby!”

“She knows how much I long for a child. Is she saying this on purpose? Is she trying to rub salt into my wounds?”

When he watched Sofia wept pitifully in his arms, Sebastian's anger flamed into another high.

“So, my punishment wasn’t harsh enough. Do you still have the energy to use your child to provoke Sofia? Bring me that iron chain! Tie up the steamer! I don’t want her to have the chance to shout!" he roared.

None of the subordinates dared to move. Sebastian became so angry that grabbed the chain and personally bound the steamer shut with the chain as tight as he could.

As he tied the steamer, he heard a faint sound of the baby crying. Its kittenlike cry echoed from within the steamer and for a moment Sebastian struggled with doubt.

However, then Sofia whispered in his ear, “Chiara is really good at imitating voices. It reminds me of that night ... how it was supposed to be our first time together. Then the next morning, she faked my voice and tricked you into believing it was her instead ...”

Sebastian's expression twisted and his eyes were full of disgust as he ordered, “All of you, get out. Don't let that wretched woman, Chiara, deceive you any longer. Lock her in."

"She'll be released only when Sofia's wounds no longer hurt. I’ll personally release her when that happens."

He drove all staff out and left me trapped inside the scorching steam chamber. Without care of my wailing cry, he closed the cafeteria door and sealed my fate.

My baby, my poor, fragile baby, cried only a few times before his tiny body stiffened in my arms. His skin had lost its elasticity, his breath had faded into nothingness.

I sobbed but my cries of agony eventually swallowed by the searing heat. My body slowly disintegrated and turned into boiling water.

While my flesh melted away, Sebastian was busy making grand gestures of love for Sofia to compensate for the six months of being pregnant alone. Sebastian would orchestrate a grand proposal that shook the entire city.

Even without a marriage certificate, he swore to give her the honor of being his wife.

As my lifeless body turned into a bloody mess, he dominated the top ten trending searches with headlines celebrating his love for Sofia. Every major city’s billboard broadcasted his vows to Sofia in an endless loop.

As I took my last breath, he stood aboard a helicopter and showered the city with rose petals in a publicized, extravagant proposal that was broadcast live to millions of netizens.

Now, I watched them spend their wedding night while lying on what was once my marital bed.

Sebastian held Sofia lovingly in his arms and said, "I'm sorry, Sofia. Chiara tricked me back then. She claimed she willingly gave herself to me that night to save me from the effects of the herbal medicine that I took. I married her because I felt responsible to her, after all, we had already done it and I was not the kind of person that abandons someone after having sex."

"You don’t have to worry though. She owes you too much. This time, I made sure she paid for everything. From now on, she’ll have to behave. She won’t dare interfere with our life again. Once you're fully recovered, we'll have another child. The three of us will become a family and ..." He hesitated for a moment. "Since Chiara already has a child, she and her baby can live with us. The five of us will coexist peacefully."

Sofia’s smile faltered, a flicker of unease and malice flashed in her eyes. "What?"

"Don’t worry," Sebastian reassured her. "She may still be my legal wife, but to the world, you're my true partner. Just think of her as a livein nanny. She will help you to cook and clean for us. Besides, our child will have a playmate."

When she heard this, Sofia's eyes flashed with a hint of viciousness and satisfaction that she quickly masked it with a soft smile. "Of course, I agree. I'll get along with her."

I laughed bitterly at the absurdity of it all.

After everything he had done, he still did not want to let me leave. He truly believed I would willingly watch him showering Sofia with love while serving as a maid in my own home.

I took a deep breath but my tears were now nothing but an invisible memory.

I understood why he was so confident that he thought I would never leave, no matter how much he hurt me. It was because I had endured everything in silence.

A month ago, Sofia, Sebastian's first love collapsed at my doorstep. Out of compassion, I rushed her to the hospital. However, when she woke up, she cried to Sebastian and accused me of pushing her down and causing her to lose her child.

Shocked, I tried to explain to him that I did not do anything to her except take her to the hospital.

Sebastian's eyes turned icy as he stared at me.

Seeing the doubt in his eyes, I pulled out her medical report to prove that she had lost the baby long before I ever found her. However, before I could show him, Sofia burst into tears and sobbed pitifully in his arms.

With a cold glare, Sebastian struck me across the face and sent me sprawling to the floor.

"Enough! You’ve gone too far! Sofia has already forgiven you, yet you still refuse to admit your wrongdoing! “He ordered the guards to take me home and lock me up while demanding that I reflect on my actions.

I foolishly believed that once he calmed down, he would listen to reason. However, after half a month of imprisonment, when I finally saw him again, his gaze held nothing but seething hatred and he looked at me as if I were his greatest enemy.

Back then, I couldn't understand how things had come to this. I had clung to a sliver of hope and believed that maybe, just maybe, once our child was born, he would change his mind.

However, I finally understood that all of these stemmed from what happened a year ago. At that time, Sebastian’s company faced a major crisis and it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

At that time, Sofia disappeared after she took every last penny that he had and left him without saying a word.

The double betrayal crushed him. In his devastation, he shut himself in his room day after day.

I became frantic and did everything that I could to pull him back from the edge. I worked tirelessly, chasing every potential deal and searching for clients.

Day after day, I drank with a potential client and finally got a big order that could bring the company back to life.

I rushed to his place, fell to my knees and begged him to remember the man he once was and to give himself another chance and not give up.

Something in my words must have reached him. He agreed to meet with the client.

That night, the business mogul we were negotiating with brought along his mistress. However, the woman fell in love with Sebastian. She determined to have her way with him and slipped a drug into his drink.

This caught me in a dilemma. If I made a scene, I was afraid the boss would cancel the deal if he knew. On the other hand, I could not stand to see Sebastian struggle in agony.

So, I claimed to be his girlfriend and led him away to a hotel room. That night, he held me tight, his burning body pressed against mine and we had intercourse all night.

The next morning, when I woke up, panic took hold of me. I feared that if he knew that his former partner had become his bed partner, he would push me away. So, I ran in a hurry.

Then three months later, when I discovered I was pregnant, with a blush on my face and a thumping heart, I went and met Sebastian then confessed.

Sebastian stared at me for a long time in silence. There was a complicated look on his face. Just when I thought he wouldn't take responsibility, he suddenly exhaled, smiled pulled me into his embrace and said, "Chiara, maybe you are an angel sent from heaven to save me. Help me to start over."

I laughed through my tears. I cried for how pitiful I was and laughed at how foolish I had been.

Now, I realized that while I was being locked up for half a month, Sofie had managed to twist the truth of that night and told him her version. She told Sebastian that she was the one who had given herself to him and ran away with a child in her womb. Meanwhile, I, a vile and scheming woman, had stolen her place and tried to saddle him with a bastard.

No wonder Sebastian looked at me with such deep hatred.

“Boss, it's already been a day and a night ah, you are really going to kill someone if this goes on …." the subordinate said jitterily,” Maybe even, she's already...”

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Sebastian cut his subordinate off impatiently. "It’s just one night. What could possibly happen?"

His voice dripped with irritation. "The appliances in the cafeteria are all hightech. There are builtin safety measures. If they detect someone inside, they’ll shut off automatically. I was only trying to scare her."

The subordinate’s face was pale. He swallowed nervously. "Um but … but the fire was always on …"

"Enough!" Sebastian slammed his tableware onto the table. "Did Chiara put you up to this? If you plead for her one more time, I’ll lock her up even longer!"

The subordinate fell silent.

Sofia spoke hesitantly, "Maybe we should stop now … If this goes on any longer, sister might truly hate me and if she ever…"

She trailed off, her voice soft and pitiful. "I’m not saying she would hurt me. However, … if she did, I suppose I’d deserve it. It’s only right for her to resent me …"

Seeing her eyes glisten with unshed tears, Sebastian pulled her into his arms protectively. “Sofia, she has made you scared like this. She deserves everything that’s happening to her. You are my love, my savior. I won’t let anyone hurt you."

I will never hurt the woman you love ever again and so, you already got what you wanted.

Sebastian had an unexplainable irritation settling in his chest. The food on the table, which usually satisfied him, now felt unbearably bland.

As he served a bowl of soup to Sofia, he watched as she imitated his previous actions. She took a sip before pressing her lips to his and fed him mouthtomouth.

He should have enjoyed her shy yet daring teasing, but instead, the unease in his heart grew stronger.

"Why does this soup taste awful!" He blamed his frustration on the food. "If the chef can't do his job properly, he should just leave!"

"Even Chiara’s cooking tasted better than this." He spoke without thinking and ignoring the way Sofia’s face instantly darkened. He said to himself, "Speaking of which, Sofia needs proper nourishment. We should let Chiara out to prepare her meals."

His expression softened slightly as he remembered Chiara was about to give birth. "She keeps using the baby as an excuse, doesn’t she? Fine. Tell her she has to prepare meals for Sofia for a week. In return, I’ll make sure she has a proper maternity ward so she can have a safe childbirth."

His subordinates exchanged uneasy glances as if they had something to say but didn't dare to tell him.

"Why are you all just standing there?" His impatience flared.

"Sir, y … you should check the cafeteria," one of them stammered. They wiped the sweat from his forehead and they looked very panicked.  "The steamer ... it's full of blood."

Sebastian looked panicky but he soon chuckled, "Ah, it's fine. She may have gone into labor and her water probably broke."

"Well, this's truly a perfect timing. She should take this opportunity to apologize properly to Sofia and then I’ll take her to the hospital."

The subordinate shuddered. "Sir ... Madam … she is already dead." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Yesterday afternoon ... she stopped making any sounds and then ... there was a smell ... like cooked meat from the steamer."

"What! “Sebastian shot up from his seat. His move was so powerful that it knocked over the table and chairs and they fell in disarray all over the floor.

"That’s impossible!" His face turned deathly pale with anger. "I personally chose those kitchen appliances. They were designed with advanced safety features to prevent accidents. I heard the power cut off before I left … I heard it myself! How could something go wrong?""

"You’re all lying to me, aren’t you?" He laughed coldly while striding toward the cafeteria. "You’re all in on it with her and try to scare me. I’ll see for myself what trick she’s playing this time."

When he arrived at the cafeteria, a group of employees stood frozen outside the locked door. Their expressions were stricken with terror.

"Why are you all just standing here? Don't you have work to do?" Sebastian roared. He then had the door opened and stepped inside.

The moment the door was unlocked, a weird, nauseating stench filled the room. "What is that smell?" He frowned. "Who’s responsible for cleaning? Did your cafeteria staff fail to clean up?"

No one dared to speak. All eyes were fixed on the enormous steamer in the center of the room in horror.

A sharp, suffocating pain spread through my chest. Even though I couldn’t see what had happened, the agony of being burned in my final moments made me choke back a sob.

I whimpered and walked over to see that poor child of mine.

Sebastian, his face dark and unreadable, approached the steamer as well. He hesitated before placing a hand on the lid then immediately yanked it back after a while.

"Hah," he actually let out a short laugh. "See? I knew Chiara was just being stubborn and trying to fool me again."

"The metal is cold," he stated flatly. "I told you. The appliances have automatic shutoff features to kill the power. There’s no way anything could have happened."

Knocking on the steamer, he smirked. "Chiara, have you learned your lesson?"

I smiled bitterly. How could I possibly answer him now?

Sebastian’s expression darkened even more as the silence stretched for a long time. His hands trembled slightly as he reached forward and opened the streamer.

Inside the steamer was something wrapped tightly in a white cloth, its shape could not be seen clearly.

Sebastian stared at it, frozen. Beneath the white cloth, he could faintly make out a pool of darkened blood seeping through.

For a long time, he stood there, unmoving, until finally, as if he finally managed to summon all his courage, he reached out to lift the cloth.

"Ahh!" Sofia's sharp scream echoed from the cafeteria entrance.

Sofia clutched her nose, her expression twisted in disgust. "How could Chiara come up with such a disgusting way to scare people? This is just a dead pork! “She shuddered dramatically and pressed herself into Sebastian’s arms. "That was terrifying!"

Sebastian pulled her close as his protective instincts kicked in. His anger flared again and with a forceful shove, he overturned the steamer and sent it rolling into the grease disposal pit with a loud clatter.

"Trying to scare people with pig meat, huh? All you ever do is lie to others! Now you’re resorting to tricks like this, huh? It seems I’ve been too soft on you! That’s why you think you can keep deceiving me over and over again!"

"I won’t tolerate this anymore. Report her to the authorities! Tell them Chiara had stolen company secrets and caused major financial damage! “His eyes darkened. "Well, seeing that being locked in the steamer and treated wasn’t enough to make her change her deceitful ways, she can go to prison and learn her lesson there!"

I watched helplessly as the tiny, fragile remains of my child slipped through the white cloth and, swallowed by the swirling filth below.

"No!" I screamed desperately and, lunged forward to catch it, but my hands passed through thin air. All I could do was watch as my baby was lost forever and vanished into the greasy drain.

A raw, broken sob tore from my throat. The sheer absurdity and horror of it all crushed me.

My lifeless body lay before him, right before his eyes, yet he still believed the flawed lies that Sofia spewed. He even refused to give our child's body a proper burial.

This was the man I had loved for years, the man I had given everything to protect.

As you sow, so shall you reap. If you betrayed a person who had a genuine feeling for you, you deserved to have painful consequences. Sebastian, one day, you will regret this!

"Are you all deaf?" Sebastian roared when no one moved. "Didn’t you hear me? Call the police!"

His subordinates stood stiff, their faces ashen. One of them, his hands trembling, weakly pointed toward the drain.

"Sir ... that really was, your wife, Madam Chiara, ... and your child ...."