People all around stared at me with contempt.
“You look like a decent wife and mother, but you’re capable of cheating on your husband?”
“A woman like that sneaks around even while pregnant. Who knows whose child she’s carrying?”
“She’s the one who bought all those expensive things. I bet that money isn’t even clean.”
Each cutting remark reached my ears like small blades. I tightened my fists but stayed silent.
Lucas putting on a false kindness as he held the car door open, saying, “Darling, let’s forget our old arguments. Come home with me.”
I got into the car under their scornful stares. Lucas quickly sprayed alcohol all over the seats as if I were some kind of disease. Once home, he held my hand and guided me carefully to the sofa, his voice sweet again.
That was when I saw an elderly man arrive. It was Mr. Joshua Powell, the old Mr. Powell himself. No wonder Lucas had been acting with two different faces. Inside, I sneered, but outwardly I put on a bright smile.
Before I could speak, Mr. Powell motioned for his butler to bring over a pink box. I opened it cautiously. Inside lay my favorite item from the auction, the Jesus and Mother Mary’s pendant.
“My precious great-grandchild will soon be born,” Mr. Powell said warmly.
“This is just a small gift from his great-grandfather.”
My eyes filled with tears as I thanked him sincerely. That night, I returned to my usual place in the stairwell. I had noticed the old Mr. Powell’s worried expression before he left.
Lucas, still pretending to be gentle, helped me up the stairs. His hand felt warm, but all I felt inside was sadness. I quietly pulled away from his arm.
When the bedroom door closed, his fake kindness disappeared. My husband tossed the quilt onto the floor and jerked his chin toward the bathroom. He and Veronica climbed into the soft bed.
I held my belly as I crouched painfully to pick up the quilt. After that, I supported myself against the wall as I slowly walked to the bathroom.
‘It was large, at least,’ I thought to myself, chuckling bitterly.
But the smooth tiles cut into my skin when I tried to lie down. Listening to Lucas’s snores through the door, I turned over and over as I was unable to sleep. Suddenly, the bathroom door was swung open.
“Give me that pendant!” Veronica shouted, grabbing my chin between her fingers.
“You know it’s useless keeping it. Your baby won’t live long.”
Veronica slapped my face in disgust. Hearing her speak of my child made something in me snap. Immediately, I spat on her face.
“My baby is sick. It will need the pendant. The baby will needs someone to protect them,” she muttered to herself.
After that, she struck me again. This time, it was harder than the previous one.
“Hand it over! You’re so disgusting right now.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Go ahead. Hit me! Beat me to death … you’ll never find where the pendant is.”
Her anger boiled over. She kicked me to the ground, pressing her palm over my mouth so I wouldn’t wake Lucas. I curled around my belly, shielding my baby and let her vent her rage. It was only at dawn that she stomped back to the bed, still fuming.
I got up and washed my face. The mirror showed a woman with messy hair and cheeks swollen from slaps. I studied my reflection carefully, promising myself I would never forget this night.
At breakfast, Lucas acted the perfect husband. He kept serving food onto my plate, smiling sweetly. It was a performance for everyone else. Meanwhile, Veronica stood among the servants, her face twisted with rage.
Mr. Powell looked at Lucas coldly and then turned to me with concern.
“Yvette, why are your eyes and face so swollen?” he asked.
Before I could speak, my phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message from Lucas:
[If you dare tell the truth about last night, I’ll make sure the baby is gone!]
