Sam hurried toward the figure and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her out of the hidden chamber. “Tania, let me introduce you. This is Raline. You should understand how important she is to me.”
Raline? Ra… line?
A wave of revulsion hit me. Sam had truly sunk into obsession—he had gone so far as to find a living double and hide her in the villa’s secret room.
He stroked Raline’s hair tenderly and commanded, “Tania, go to the kitchen and make something for Raline to eat. Keep it light—her health is always fragile.”
I sneered and refused outright. “Sam, why on earth should I cook for your mistress?”
Raline flinched slightly, then looked at Sam with a fragile, pitiful expression. “Sam… it seems she doesn’t want to make me food.”
Sam’s face darkened. “I’ll say it again—go make something for Raline.”
“I’ll say it again too. It’s impossible,” I said, standing my ground and meeting his gaze without fear.
Smack!
A sharp slap landed on my face without warning. I clutched my cheek, staring at Sam in disbelief.
A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes, but then his fingers gently pressed back onto my still-flat stomach.
“Tell me… if I didn’t want this child, do you think it could survive until tomorrow?”
My whole body stiffened. He knew? I had been keeping it hidden so well.
He looked at my suddenly pale face. “If you don’t want to cook, then stay quietly in the guest room. Don’t scare Raline, or you’ll regret it.”
My body trembled uncontrollably. I couldn’t risk the child I had worked so hard to have again. Sam clearly didn’t care whether his own child lived or died; otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost my first one.
Reluctantly, I lowered my head and stepped out of the master bedroom.
When I opened the guest room door, an overpoweringly sweet and cloying fragrance hit me, making my head spin.
Didn’t he usually avoid scented candles?
But at this moment, I was too exhausted to probe the sudden, overwhelming fragrance.
I leaned against the door, sliding slowly to the floor, one hand pressed tightly against my stomach, the other sending a desperate text to Kendrick, my childhood friend. Right now, he was the only person I could trust.
The next day, Sam almost forcibly brought me to the city’s most prestigious auction house.
Alongside us was Raline, who had only appeared yesterday. She trailed Sam obediently, occasionally casting provocative glances at me.
A woman who looked exactly like Celine, standing next to me—his wife—was enough to stir endless gossip among the guests.
I kept my head down the entire time, wishing only to see this farce end.
Until a piece was presented: a translucent, dewy jade bangle. It was a piece I had always loved.
By some strange impulse, amidst the roar of bidding, I raised my paddle.
“All right, this lady bids 100.000.”
Almost the moment I raised my paddle, Raline tugged on Sam’s sleeve, her voice soft and coquettish. “Sam, the bangle is so beautiful… so green! I really like it.”
Sam turned his head, smiling at her with extreme tenderness and made a gesture. “100.001.”
I bit my lip and raised my bid again. “125.000.” This was almost the limit of the cash I could mobilize personally.
Sam responded without hesitation, calmly stating, “125.001.”
“Only one extra dollar? Mr. Freight is clearly doing this on purpose, humiliating the wife in public.”
“Looks like Tania is really falling out of favor. Mr. Freight never treated her like this before.”
“Is Mr. Freight still hung up on the past? This woman looks way too much like Celine.”
A ripple of suppressed gasps and stifled laughter spread through the auction hall.
He had successfully announced to everyone in the city that I had “fallen out of favor,” and that Raline—the substitute—held an unrivaled place in his heart.
I clenched my fists, refusing to raise my bid any further and silently stood up, heading toward the corridor.
