When I went up to the second floor, I saw Dwayne working on his computer while Eva sat in his lap, feeding him fruit.
Even though I had long stopped hoping for anything from Dwayne, a dull ache still pierced my chest.
From the day we got married, his study had always been off-limits to me.
“Teacher Hemsworth is here? Did you come to scold us again?”
Eva looked smug, like a wildcat flashing its claws.
“I’m here to paint for you two.”
Eva giggled, her voice coy as she curled into Dwayne’s arms.
“Dwayne, how did you talk her into this? Teacher Hemsworth’s paintings are priceless. Most people can’t even dream of owning one.”
Dwayne rubbed her head.
“Didn’t you say you wanted her work? Forget Kate’s trash artworks, if you asked for the stars, I’d still find a way to give them to you.”
He turned and glanced at me.
“Aren’t you going to get the paper ready?”
I turned and went downstairs, set up my brushes and prepared the paint.
Among all the wealthy wives in Roseville, none had fallen lower than me.
But the doctor’s words kept echoing in my mind.
“Keanu still has time. From a medical standpoint, the best solution would be for you and Mr. Cavill to have another child. Cord blood would have the lowest chance of rejection.”
I stood there, dazed, when Eva’s voice floated down from upstairs.
“Why is Teacher Hemsworth setting up the easel in the living room? Shouldn’t it be in the bedroom?”
I had known Eva and Dwayne were shameless, but I never imagined they’d ask me to paint them being intimate.
“Dwayne, do you have no shame?”
Furious, I threw down the brush.
Dwayne, half-dressed in his pajamas, kissed Eva’s cheek like I wasn’t even there. His hand slid under her nightdress without hesitation.
“Aren’t you an artist? Why are you so narrow-minded?”
“Teacher Hemsworth, don’t blame Dwayne, it was my idea. We wanted to capture the beauty of our love. You’re the most skilled master we could find.”
Eva said sweetly, eyes glinting with provocation.
The sight of the two of them drained the last bit of strength from my body.
“Dwayne, I’m begging you. Come with me to the hospital. Keanu is really sick. I need—”
“Is Teacher Hemsworth about to suggest we have a second child to save Keanu?”
Eva cut me off.
“Been reading too many Hollywood dramas, haven’t you? Was it Keanu’s nosebleed last time that gave you the idea?”
“Keanu’s nosebleed was just because he was being naughty and got disciplined by his loving father. I think Teacher Hemsworth should switch to writing novels instead of painting.”
I glared at Dwayne.
“Keanu had a nosebleed. Was it because you hit him?”
He raised a hand to his child. All for her. What kind of father does that make him?
“He dared to put a centipede in Eva’s water glass. That kind of behavior deserved more than a slap.”
My fists clenched, pain burning in my chest.
That day, Keanu had wanted to visit Dwayne at the company. He had just been diagnosed and insisted on telling his father in person, asking me to wait downstairs.
When he came down, his face was covered in blood, hiding the handprint on his cheek.
I panicked and rushed him to the hospital. He kept saying he didn’t see his dad and claimed he fell on his own.
I couldn’t bear to imagine how much pain, how much sorrow that little boy had buried in his heart.
“Dwayne, Keanu is really sick. Please, just come to the hospital with me.”
As I reached for his arm, he threw me to the ground without hesitation.
“Kate, when you begged me to marry you, you promised not to interfere in my private life. And now you’re clawing and grabbing like some street shrew.”
Dwayne and I had grown up as family acquaintances.
But later, the Hemsworth family fell into decline and my father became seriously ill, with little time left.
His final wish was to see me married with children.
So when Dwayne forced himself on me after drinking and I found out I was pregnant, I begged him to marry me.
