Now it was two against one.
Fortunately, they were in a hospital. Security rushed in quickly, separating them before things escalated further.
"You insane woman!" Venice shouted, disheveled and furious. "Did you escape from a mental hospital?! I don't even know you, and you suddenly attack a pregnant woman?!"
She clutched her stomach instinctively, playing up the role as she glared daggers at her attacker.
"I'll sue you!"
Naturally, the surrounding crowd began to murmur. And just as naturally, their sympathy tilted toward Venice.
After all, a pregnant woman being attacked in public?
The woman showed no fear. Instead, she sneered, her gaze dripping with contempt as she looked at Venice.
"So what if you're pregnant? You're just a mistress dreaming of replacing the legal wife. If anything, that child of yours should be aborted."
A stunned silence fell over the crowd, the air turning heavy with shock.
Venice, who had been arrogant and furious just moments ago, froze. The words struck like ice water, draining the color from her face as fear quietly took hold.
Who is this woman… and what does she know?
It was Linda who snapped out of the daze, her voice sharp and shrill as she lashed out.
"How dare you accuse my daughter of being a mistress? Who do you think you are? Damn it, someone call the police! I will make sure my daughter gets justice today!"
Only then did Venice find the courage to respond, though a chill still crept through her body.
"I've never even seen you before. You came up to me asking for my name, clearly you're just a lunatic picking a fight at random," she shot back.
The woman chuckled, unfazed, and challenged Venice to call her so-called husband or boyfriend to prove she wasn't a mistress.
But Linda was already spiraling, loudly insisting that they had no reason to entertain a madwoman's accusations, demanding that the hospital staff throw the troublemaker out.
"Even if you don't know me," the woman said coolly, "you must know Hadi, right?"
Both mother and daughter flinched.
Before she could stop herself, Venice blurted, "Who… who are you to Brother Hadi?"
The woman snorted. "That's none of your business."
Linda, however, was far more seasoned in such matters. Having lived in the shadows of similar arrangements, she could recognize the scent of scandal from miles away. Her eyes sharpened as she pointed accusingly at the woman.
"You call my daughter a mistress, but what about you? You're not even wearing a wedding ring. What exactly are you to my daughter's boyfriend?"
The woman hesitated for a split second, and Linda seized the opening.
"Ha! Look at you- guilty! If anything, you're the mistress here, throwing accusations to cover yourself. Honestly, have mistresses become this brazen nowadays?"
"I'm not," the woman snapped. "And I know who Brother Hadi's wife is and it's definitely not this ugly bitch."
"'Brother Hadi'?" Linda scoffed. "There are countless men with that name. How do you know we're even talking about the same person?"
The woman glared at her but remained silent, refusing to say Hadi's surname.
Venice noticed it too.
A thought slipped into her mind like a shadow. Perhaps this woman was connected to Serenity… seeking revenge on her behalf. And yet, she seemed wary of dragging the Keir family into this mess.
Slowly, Venice steadied herself. A smug smile returned to her lips as she pulled out her phone and dialed Hadi.
The call connected.
A mildly irritated voice came through. "Babe?"
With a trembling, aggrieved tone, Venice spoke, "Brother Hadi, some woman just attacked me, accusing me of being your mistress. She nearly caused us to lose our baby."
A beat of silence then Hadi's voice erupted with fury. "Who the hell is it? I'll make sure they pay for trying to harm my son!"
Before Venice could respond, the woman suddenly stepped forward and shouted,
"Brother Hadi, it's me Jade! How could you have a child with someone else? Don't you love me anymore?"
The crowd collectively froze, confusion rippling through them like a disturbed pond.
…So was it the same man after all?
Or had this turned into something far messier than anyone expected?
For a moment, a muffled clatter came from the other end of the call, as if the person had nearly dropped his phone.
Venice shot the woman a venomous glare. "Brother Hadi, this lunatic came out of nowhere and attacked me, shouting nonsense. Do you know her?"
There was a brief pause before Hadi finally spoke, his tone controlled. "Don't worry about that. Take care of yourself. How's the baby?"
Venice clutched her stomach, her voice turning fragile. "I feel a bit uncomfortable… my stomach hurts."
Hearing his concern directed solely at Venice and the child, the woman's eyes widened in disbelief, her composure shattered like thin glass.
She lunged forward, trying to snatch the phone, but security blocked her. Even so, her voice cut through the air, sharp and unrelenting.
"Hadi Keir, you damn liar! Were all your promises to me just lies? You said you'd divorce your wife and marry me, yet you got another woman pregnant? You scumbag!"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, whispers rising like startled birds.
"Hadi Keir… did she just say Hadi Keir?"
Venice froze, staring at the woman as if seeing her for the first time.
Is she really talking about Hadi Keir?
Her first instinct was denial. Impossible!
Aside from his wife, she had never heard of Hadi being involved with any other woman.
…but then again, given her own position in his life, who was to say she knew everything?
"I'm not Hadi Keir. What is that crazy woman talking about?" Hadi's voice rang out from the phone.
"He's not?" someone in the crowd murmured. "Then she must've mistaken him."
A few people began trying to reason with the woman, telling her she had the wrong person, that she had attacked someone unrelated.
But at the same time, if the woman truly believed she was Hadi Keir's lover… then it meant only one thing.
Hadi Keir had a mistress.
The woman suddenly laughed, the sound sharp and almost unhinged. "You're not Hadi Keir? Hahaha… did you think I wouldn't recognize your voice?"
Venice's face drained of color. Hadi's denial only confirmed one thing in her mind: He knew this woman.
Before the chaos could escalate further, security finally dragged the woman away, her protests echoing faintly as she was taken out.
The crowd began to disperse, though not without lingering whispers.
"That Hadi Keir really is the black sheep of the Keir family. If I remember correctly, this isn't the first time he's been involved with another woman outside his marriage," someone remarked.
"Yeah, and now there's another one. What bad luck, having the same name as him," another added dryly.
"Look at that girl… she seems completely shaken."
Some cast Venice sympathetic glances, pity hanging in their eyes like an unwanted gift.
Venice stood frozen.
She didn't even realize the call had already ended. In that very moment, it felt as though all her carefully woven dreams had unraveled into nothing.
She had truly believed Hadi loved her… that he had been forced into an arranged marriage with Serenity.
After all, those had been his words.
But now… were they all lies?
Even if he divorced Serenity, what guarantee was there that she wouldn't spend the rest of her life fending off other women like this?
"What are you standing there looking so dejected for?" Linda snapped, her voice slicing through Venice's thoughts. "It's just some bitch trying to drive a wedge between you two."
Venice's lips trembled. "She knew it was him… and why would he deny it?"
Linda glanced around before lowering her voice. "Are you stupid? If he hadn't denied it, wouldn't that be the same as admitting you're his mistress? Everyone knows he's married. Maybe that woman is just some ex-girlfriend from years ago. Don't forget, you're carrying his child. That's what matters most."
Venice swallowed, bitterness pooling in her chest, but her mother's words wrapped around her like a fragile shield.
It made sense… didn't it?
Hadi was only trying to protect her from humiliation. And he hadn't acknowledged that woman at all.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
A message from Hadi.
[Don't listen to that woman. We've been over for a long time, but she refuses to let go. She even used to harass Serenity. I don't know how she found out about you, but for your safety, I'll assign people to protect you.]
Venice bit her lip, clutching her phone tightly as relief seeped in, slow and warm.
Like a drowning person convincing herself the water wasn't rising after all.
Coupled with Linda's constant whispering, urging her not to overthink, Venice finally steadied herself.
---
"Serenity!"
Hadi's furious voice tore through the air as he stormed into the back garden.
Fresh from the swimming pool, Serenity wrapped a towel around herself, water droplets trailing lazily down her skin.
She didn't even turn to look at him, as if his anger were nothing more than background noise.
"Were you the one who told Jade about Venice?" Hadi demanded, veins bulging along his neck and forehead, his composure hanging by a thread.
Serenity tilted her head slightly, her tone light, almost curious. "Who's Jade? Who's Venice?"
The innocence in her voice was so flawless it felt rehearsed.
Hadi's expression darkened. "You- stop pretending, you poisonous woman! Did you think I wouldn't find out? You've been threatening my past girlfriends as well! Venice also told me you even went to the hospital to harm her!"
Serenity finally looked at him, one brow arching ever so elegantly.
"I tried to harm her?" she repeated, almost amused. "Husband, I was merely hinting at the existence of your… other companions. How could she misunderstand something so simple?"
Hadi "...."
Serenity continued, her voice smooth as silk hiding a blade beneath. "Really, your taste in women is quite… consistent. As long as they're passable in appearance, you don't seem to mind the rest. Jade or whoever she is, fed enough empty promises, anyone would eventually snap."
Hadi's glare sharpened, fury simmering beneath his skin.
Lately, nothing had been going his way. His bank cards had been frozen, his authority quietly stripped, only for him to discover that he now needed Serenity's approval to access his own funds.
How had things spiraled this far?