"Don't focus so much on work that you neglect Calvin," Sonya chastised, her tone dripping with faux concern. "And what's this about three years of marriage without even getting pregnant? I know a good doctor; maybe you should get a consultation."
The words stung, each one a needle pricking Amber's already frazzled nerves. She bit back a retort, unwilling to give Sonya the satisfaction of seeing her react.
Sonya, however, wasn't done. She demanded tea, then steak for dinner, her entitlement as suffocating as the air in the kitchen. Amber, irritated and distracted, slipped while chopping vegetables, nicking her finger. Blood welled instantly, a vivid contrast against the cutting board.
Feigning concern, Sonya quickly offered to drive Amber to the hospital. But there was no genuine sympathy behind her suggestion.
As if fate conspired against her, they ran into Iris in the hospital hallway.
"Sonya! You came to see me? That's so sweet of you!" Iris exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she clutched Sonya's arm. Without giving Amber or Sonya a chance to explain, Iris cheerfully dragged them into her hospital room.
Amber's head throbbed. She knew all too well the precarious line Calvin walked between his family and Iris. He despised Sonya and Felix, his illegitimate brother and made it clear they were not to have any interaction with Iris. Calvin's resentment toward them ran deep, stemming from complicated family dynamics.
Amber hesitated for only a moment before following them into the room, her unbandaged finger forgotten. She couldn't risk leaving Sonya alone with Iris, knowing full well how volatile the situation could become.
Inside, Iris was all smiles, blissfully unaware of the tension simmering beneath the surface. "Calvin, you brought mango cake for me again?" she squealed, her face lighting up as she noticed the box in Calvin's hand. "How did you know I've been craving this so much lately? It's like we're connected!"
Amber froze as Iris bounced over to Calvin, taking the cake from him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Driver lady, will you be staying to eat cake with me?" Iris asked, her tone light and casual, completely oblivious to the significance of her words.
Though she couldn't figure out when the Sawyers had hired a female driver, Iris had seen Amber twice now, always accompanying family members. This woman had to be a driver, there was no doubt about it.
Amber's heart sank. The fact that Calvin had introduced her to Iris as his driver the other day only deepened her pain.
"Driver lady, do you like mango cake?" Iris asked with a curious smile.
Amber felt her throat tighten. Even Iris, who barely knew her, had the decency to ask her preference. Yet the man she had spent three years married to had never bothered to notice she couldn't eat mangoes.
"No," Amber said softly, meeting Iris's innocent gaze. "I'm allergic to mangoes."
The room seemed to shift. Sonya's gaze sharpened, her calculating mind quickly piecing together the power dynamics at play. How was it that after three years of marriage, Amber's status in the Sawyer Family remained beneath that of an outsider? To Sonya, Amber was no longer even worth the pretense of respect.
Calvin, however, turned to Amber with an incredulous expression. "Since when are you allergic to mangoes?" he asked, his tone accusing.
Amber blinked at him, caught off guard by the disbelief in his voice. The words she longed to say burned on the tip of her tongue: "Since forever. But when have you ever cared enough to notice?"
"I've already cut it," Iris said hesitantly, holding up a plate of cake adorned with golden slices of mango. She looked genuinely remorseful, though unsure why.
"It's just a piece of cake," Calvin snapped, his frustration bubbling over. "Stop making a big deal out of nothing—it won't kill you."
Before Amber could respond, he picked up the plate and thrust it into her hands. The motion was forceful, almost dismissive, as though her allergy was a trivial inconvenience.
To Calvin, it was simple: Amber was trying to embarrass him. She had eaten the mango cakes he brought home for their anniversaries before—why make a fuss now?
Was it because Iris had cut this cake instead of him? Was Amber so petty, so jealous, that she would fabricate an excuse just to disrupt the moment?
The thought hardened Calvin's resolve. He didn't see the hurt flickering in Amber's eyes, nor did he notice the way her hands trembled as she held the plate.
