I felt like someone had just jabbed a needle into my chest. “Didn’t you just say on the phone that Anastasia is your wife and Blair Evan is your son? So why act pathetic now?”
Jordan didn’t meet my eyes. He turned his face away, looking guilty, “Genevieve, that was an emergency. The staff at that private hospital all know Mrs. Sinclair. If they hear the truth, they might refuse to give Evan his blood. I had no choice.”
No choice? My chest tightened and my tears burned my eyes. I wanted to tell him that we weren’t just a name on paper, that the whole thing was fake, but the words stuck in my throat.
Then he squinted at me, his voice too calm, too smooth, “So you’re jealous of Anastasia, right? You think I care about her more than you? You’re letting your feelings for me make you use your daughter to compete?”
My jaw dropped. “That’s insane! You think I’d ever—”
“Come on, Genn. Just because she had a son and you had a daughter, you deliberately try to cause trouble? Admit it.” He didn’t even give me a chance to speak.
Then his phone rang, and he glanced at it. “Stay home, reflect on your behavior. Don’t even go to the company today.” And he was gone, leaving me shaking and furious.
My chest burned and my hands trembled. The fake marriage certificate I had with him meant I couldn’t even touch Anastasia legally. Not a single thing in this house was safe from her. Not a single thing that belonged to me.
I counted my shares again, thinking about transferring them quietly to protect what was mine, to make sure Anastasia didn’t get even a fraction. But before I could even move, my phone rang.
“Miss Genevieve! You need to come back immediately.”
“What is it?” I asked, my heart hammering.
“The woman claiming to be Mr. Sinclair’s assistant… she just barged in with a child. She says Mr. Sinclair personally told her to come in. We couldn’t stop her.”
Anastasia. My fingers went white around the phone. I didn’t even think. I drove home like my life depended on it.
The nanny was pacing when I got there. Her voice trembled as soon as she saw me. “Miss, I couldn’t stop them at all… Mr. Sinclair personally called and told them to come in.”
I pushed past her and froze for a second. Blair Evan was lying on the floor, rolling colorful marbles everywhere. He spotted me and screamed, “Mommy, look! That wicked woman who stole my blood is back!”
Anastasia was in front of Jennifer’s crib, fingers hovering near her cheek, smiling like she had done nothing wrong.
I ran at her and shoved her hard. She stumbled back a little but didn’t even look mad. She just smiled, all smug and cold.
“Genevieve, let me make this very clear to you,” she said slowly, “Jordan and I are legally married. You’re just a mistress who can’t be seen in public. This house? It’s ours. I can kick you out whenever I want.”
I felt every word like a knife in my chest. I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached, my fingers clutching the edge of the crib until they went white. “I didn’t even want that kind of trash Jordan a long time ago. I’m done with him. But before I leave, get out of here. Or I’ll call the media and expose everything you’ve done.”
Anastasia screeched, her face red and veins popping, “Who do you think you are? You don’t get to talk to me like that! The law’s on my side, not yours! You should be leaving, not me, you crazy woman!”
I lifted my chin and stared at her coolly, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “The law? Even if I walked away, I’ve got the Sinclair and Fitzwilliam family backing me up. And you? A nanny who seduces her boss and hides behind a piece of paper calling yourself his wife. You think that marriage certificate makes you anything? Jordan wouldn’t dare show you off in public, would he? You two are just hiding in the shadows, like cowards.”
“Shut up!” Anastasia’s eyes were wild, burning with hatred. She swung her hand and slapped me across the face hard.
The smack echoed, and my cheek stung, but I didn’t flinch. I hit her back harder, letting her feel every ounce of my rage. The cameras in the living room would show the truth anyway.
Then I froze. A tiny, whimpering sound came from the crib. My heart stopped. I whipped around, eyes wide, and saw what Blair Evan had just shoved into Jennifer’s mouth.
A glass marble.
“Jennifer!” I screamed, rushing over like a lunatic. I grabbed her into my arms, patting her back, my fingers shaking. “Spit it out now, baby! Mommy’s here, it’s okay!”
Jordan stormed in like a hurricane, his face dark. “What are you doing to our daughter?”
Anastasia flew to his side, her voice all fake sweetness and panic. “Baby, you’re back! Don’t worry, Evan just wanted to play with her using the marbles. He didn’t mean anything, Genevieve, calm down.”
Calm down? My voice cracked as I tried to pry Jennifer’s mouth open. “Baby, it’s okay, it’s okay now… Mommy’s here, you’re safe…”
Jordan snatched Jennifer out of my arms. “Are you insane? You’ll hurt her if you keep this up!”
Snap.
I slapped him across the face as hard as I could. “You think you get to play judge now? Look at what your little bastard did to my daughter!”
Jennifer vomited violently at the sound, and a marble rolled across the carpet with a heavy thud. She cried out, her tiny face bright red, and my own chest ached watching her.
“Did you see that?!” I pointed at the marbles, my eyes red and burning. “That little bastard shoved marbles into your newborn daughter’s mouth! Are you blind or just another useless bastard like your father?!”
