"Your sister had a fight with Antonio. She wants to stay at your place for a while—Tomas already agreed."
"Just go along with it, okay? If not, seeing you will only remind her that you were once engaged to Antonio. You know how she is..."
"But, Mom, why?" I choked up, cutting her off.
"Why what?"
There was a brief pause before my father’s drunken voice came through the phone.
"Sweetheart, I know you still blame us for agreeing to let Camila marry Antonio. But if we hadn’t, the Reyes Family would’ve been finished…"
My chest tightened. I had heard these excuses too many times before.
That wasn’t what I wanted to ask though. I wanted to know—why were they so willing to sacrifice me and hide the truth?
Was protecting Camila, the switched heiress and the Reyes Family’s reputation really more important than their own daughter?
On the other end, my father kept rambling on. It only added nausea to my headache.
"I understand. I’ll do as you say."
The moment I hung up, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up.
Staring at my pale, exhausted reflection in the mirror, I made up my mind. If everyone only cared about Camila, then fine—I would leave.
I went back to the living room and dialed the number of the orphanage director who had once taken care of me.
"Mama Doria, I want to go abroad with you to open a new orphanage."
Then, I responded, after hearing her response, "Yes, I've made up my mind. I can leave with you at the end of next month."
After I was done with the call, I dialed my private doctor's number.
"Don't tell Mr. Graciani about my pregnancy yet—I want to surprise him."
"What surprise?" At that time, the living room door opened just in time for Tomas to hear the second half of my sentence.
"Your birthday is at the end of next month. It's a birthday surprise," I replied calmly.
Tomas's face lit up and he stepped forward to hug me. "Thank you, Samita. You don’t have to do all this. I just want you to be happy every day."
If this had been before, I would have been deeply moved by his words. But now, I just felt cold all over.
"My parents called just now. They told me not to cause trouble during my sister’s pregnancy. Tommy, I’m really upset."
He tightened his arms around me. "Don’t be sad. They mean well. My brother said that ever since Camila got pregnant, her temper has been terrible—he even fled abroad today to avoid her."
I shook my head slightly, my eyes turning red. "I'm not upset about that. I'm just sad… that I can’t give the man I love a child, like my sister can."
Hearing my words, Tomas froze for a moment, a flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Tommy… I've been a burden to you." I bit my lip as my tears slipping down.
Tomas's expression softened again. "Don't think like that, Samita. I told you two years ago—even if you can't have children, I would still love you just the same."
"By the way, I promised my parents that Camila could stay with us for a while. What do you think…?" He phrased it as if he was asking for my opinion, but there was a quiet plea in his eyes.
"Sure, that's fine. I wouldn’t want to put you in a tough spot with your parents."
His face lit up with relief. "Samita, you're amazing!"
I forced down the bitterness rising in my chest and asked, "Amazing how?"
"You're a wonderful wife, a great sister, a good daughter—you’re just good in every way!"
I pulled my lips into a faint, bitter smile.
So, this is what being "good" gets me?
Watching all my family members take Camila’s side? Protecting a criminal? Covering for her while hurting me?
Noticing my slight tremble, Tomas pulled me into his arms, his voice gentle. "Are you tired? Come on, let's get you to bed."
Late that night, after making sure I was sound asleep, he carefully pulled his hand away and slipped into the study.
