Claudine was confined to her bedroom, but gossip had a way of seeping through the walls.
“Mr. Graves spent the night in Maeve’s room again. Looks like there’s a new lady of the house.”
“Yeah, I heard Maeve was his first love. Somehow he ended up marrying Claudine by mistake.”
“Mistake or not, Mr. Graves brother died saving him and now Maeve’s carrying the Graves Family’s only heir. It makes the real lady of the house pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“I feel bad for Claudine. She’s an orphan and back when Mr. Graves had nothing, she stuck by him through thick and thin. And now—just because of some fortune teller’s nonsense—her only child was ripped out of her… all so Maeve could be cured.”
The maid didn’t finish her sentence. A chill crept down her spine.
Claudine was standing behind her.
Her face was eerily calm.
“M-Mrs. Graves…”
No one knew how broken she truly was inside—her heart was already in shreds.
The maid quickly fled, but not before throwing in one final blow as she walked off:
“Don’t call her Mrs. Graves anymore. Mr. Graves said from now on, there’s only one lady of the house–—Mrs. Melvin Graves.”
That night, Claudine came down with a high fever. Burning up and barely able to stand, she forced herself to find the family doctor—only to be met with rejection.
That night, Claudine came down with a high fever. She dragged herself to the family doctor, only to be turned away.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Claudine,” the doctor said, not meeting her eyes. “Mr. Graves instructed us to prioritize Mrs. Maeve from now on.”
Claudine gave a bitter laugh, her body trembling as she made her way back. As she passed Maeve’s room, she heard something through the door.
Moans. Gasps.
She froze.
Through the crack, she saw Elliot—shirtless—pressed against Maeve, kissing her feverishly.
“Mmm, Elliot… careful. I have baby in there.”
“Relax, Maeve. Of course I’ll be gentle,” he murmured against her skin. “This baby’s the Graves Family's only heir, after all.”
The air was thick with passion and Claudine felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“I just wonder,” Maeve purred, “if Claudine is as stiff in bed as she is in real life…”
“Don’t talk about her,” Elliot grunted. “She’s like a corpse in bed—stiff, unresponsive. Not like you. You drive me crazy. You’re the one I’ve always loved.”
“If you hadn’t broken up with me back then, I never would’ve married her.”
His words slammed into her like a freight train.
Claudine bit down on her lip so hard it bled, not even realizing it.
When she finally snapped out of it, her face was soaked with tears.
She turned and walked away. She didn’t even know how she made it through the night.
The next morning, she sent her brother a text.
[I’ve made up my mind. I’ll join you and the family overseas. I just need to settle something first.]
His reply came almost instantly.
[You serious? That’s amazing, Claudine. Mom and Dad are gonna be thrilled. I’ll take care of the immigration paperwork.]
[What about your husband.]
[I’ll divorce him.]
Her whole body felt drained. Her forehead still burned.
Before she could rise, the door creaked open.
It was Maeve.
Smirking, she gently touched her still-flat stomach.
“I take it you saw everything last night? Elliot’s been sleeping with me every night now. And this baby… it’s his.”
Claudine’s heart clenched. So it had all been intentional. Maeve had wanted her to see.
“Oh, and that bracelet? I smashed it on purpose. And guess what? I casually mentioned that your baby’s stem cells might help cure me and Elliot didn’t even hesitate. He personally took the baby out of you.”
She gave a mocking laugh.
“You have no idea, Claudine… That thing was nearly formed. Almost a little person.”
“Enough! Get out of my room!” Claudine’s voice shook with rage.
She didn’t want to hear anymore. Couldn’t bear to think about it.
That baby had been her whole heart.
And they’d destroyed it like it meant nothing.
