"Sharon Jennings, I'm bringing my sworn sister to stay with us for a few days!"
"She's pregnant, and I don't trust anyone else to take care of her."
I was about to respond when Maxwell Head fixed me with a stern look. "You can't even have kids yourself, so don't start getting jealous!"
I could barely contain my laughter. "Sure. Leave it all to me."
"I don't mind helping take care of someone else's baby."
Maxwell broke into a grin. "When did you get so obedient?"
I swallowed my smile. When he found out the baby wasn't his, I hoped he'd still be grinning like that.
The next day, he brought Vera Galloway home.
——
I waited on her hand and foot, treating the woman and her swollen belly like royalty. Steak, lobster, sushi — if she so much as glanced at something, I whipped up a new dish. I rotated the menu daily, making sure she never ate the same thing twice.
Even my mother couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled me aside and called me an idiot.
"Vera Galloway is not Maxwell's sworn sister. She's his mistress!"
"He brought his side piece right into your house, and you're playing maid with a smile on your face? Have you lost your mind?"
I just kept smiling.
My mother was seething. "Say the word. Just say the word, and I'll go in there and beat that baby right out of her. I don't care if I go to prison!"
I told her I had a plan.
She slapped me across the face, furious and heartbroken, and refused to speak to me after that.
Two months before Vera's due date, I took her to the BMW dealership to pick out a car.
"See anything you like? Take your pick."
Vera stared at me, stunned.
"You're not mad at me? For... being involved with your husband?"
I smiled. "You're giving the Head family an heir. I should be thanking you. Why would I be mad?"
She opened her mouth, then hesitated. I knew what she wanted to say.
I cut her off gently. "Pregnancy hormones are no joke. Don't overthink things. Just pick a car."
Then I walked over to a six-figure luxury sedan.
"Like this one?"
Vera barely nodded before I waved the salesman over and handed him my card. Full payment. No financing.
The clueless salesman looked at me. "And whose name should I put on the title?"
I glanced at Vera. "Hers, of course."
Vera burst into tears on the spot.
"Don't cry," I said. "It's not time for tears yet."
She froze, confusion flickering across her face.
"You think it's over once the baby's born?" I said. "That's when the real work starts."
"But don't worry. I've already booked the best postnatal recovery center in the city."
"And the best night nurse money can buy."
That seemed to put her at ease.
That evening, Maxwell came storming in with the receipt. "Sharon, you dropped six figures on a car without even asking me?"
"Did you ask me before you started cheating?"
"You know damn well why I cheated!"
"Fine. Blame me for not wanting kids."
The moment I backed down, Maxwell lifted his chin, exhaling through his nose like he'd won something.
"She's carrying your child," I said. "And you can't even give her a car?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to earn that kind of money?"
"What if Vera's having twins?"
Maxwell's expression finally softened into a satisfied grin.
"I knew I had it in me!"
"You take good care of Vera, and I'll make sure you stay the lady of this house. Always."
I gave him a smile that said nothing at all.
When Vera was close to her due date, I made a special trip out to the countryside to bring Summer Head into the city.
My mother-in-law never missed a chance to whisper behind my back about how I couldn't produce an heir, did she?
Well, with a show like this coming up, I certainly wasn't going to let her miss it.
The moment Summer found out she was about to become a grandmother, she set off firecrackers in the village for an entire day. Every dog and pig within a mile was howling from dawn to dusk.
