On Christmas morning, Jasper returned with Kimberly cradled in his arms.
Once they were inside, he called my name. His tone slowed.
"Roxanne, Kimmy is pregnant." He paused, then added, "I have to marry her."
I looked at him without blinking. "Marry her?"
Three years earlier, after my miscarriage, I had woken on a cold operating table. He had held my hand and spoken each word with the solemn weight of a vow. "Roxy, we will have children again. I will only ever choose you in this life."
Now he had gotten another woman pregnant, and he wanted to marry her.
Under the pressure of his stare, my expression did not change.
"You forgot," I said evenly. "It's Christmas today—"
Before I could finish, Kimberly suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me. She moved fast and positioned herself in front of Jasper.
She looked up at me. Her face was pale, and tears were spilling down in heavy drops.
"Roxanne, if you want to blame someone, blame me," she cried. "I was the one who couldn't control myself. Jas just… couldn't resist. Night after night, there wasn't even time to take precautions."
She swallowed, her voice trembling. "Roxanne, you have been pregnant before. You should understand."
Jasper rushed to pull her to her feet, his face tight with distress. He was about to scold me when I spoke first, calm and composed. "You misunderstood. I only wanted to remind you that it's Christmas. Government offices are closed."
I met their stunned expressions and continued in a polite tone, "You will have to wait until after the holiday to register the marriage."
Of course I could give them what they wanted. I only wondered whether Jasper could afford the price of betraying a witch who stole fortunes.
My words landed, and Jasper froze.
At that moment, Kimberly tugged timidly at his sleeve. "My uncle works at City Hall. He can come in and help us process it today."
She lowered her eyes as her fingers tightened on his sleeve. "Jas, I don't want the baby to wait."
Jasper looked back at me. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished. He spoke in a tone that sounded reasonable, almost righteous. "Roxanne, I was devastated when you lost your child back then."
He exhaled slowly. "I can't let another child carry the label of an illegitimate birth."
So they had planned even this.
I watched the way he instinctively shielded Kimberly, and I almost laughed.
"When I miscarried and nearly bled out, you were in bed with your secretary until morning," I said steadily. "When I had a high fever and passed out, the only thing you cared about was whether I could appear in public and issue a statement. The best three years of my life were spent cleaning up after you—"
Before I could finish, Kimberly broke in with a sob. She shook her head and stumbled backward, tears streaming down her face. "Forget it, Jas. Forget it."
Her voice cracked. "Who am I, really? I should have understood long ago…"
She turned suddenly and ran toward the open balcony.
"Kimmy!" Jasper's face drained of color.
She had already climbed onto the ledge. One leg hung outside as she sat on the narrow edge. She looked back at him, tears falling in heavy drops. "As long as I can be with you, I don't care if everyone calls me a whore. But I cannot bear to let our child be despised as a bastard…"
"Kimmy, don't do anything stupid!" Jasper shouted, panic tearing through his voice. "I'll divorce her right now!"
He spun toward me. The fear in his eyes hardened into something ugly, a mix of rage, accusation, and command. In the next instant, he lunged forward and seized my wrist.
"Come with me and get the paperwork done," he barked. "Right now. Stop provoking her."
He dragged me toward the stairs. His grip was brutal, his fingers digging in hard enough to grind bones.
I stumbled and fell hard, crashing onto the floor. Sharp pain flared through my knee.
I lowered my head. Blood had already begun to seep through the fabric.
Rage surged through me like a rising tide. I forced myself to breathe and pushed it back down. I still needed the conditions to be met.
Jasper glanced at me, irritation plain on his face. "Roxanne Lockwood, don't put on an act at a time like this. Get up. I don't have time for your pathetic tricks."
His grip never loosened, but his eyes remained fixed on Kimberly, who sobbed softly near the balcony.
At that moment, the sound of the front door opening cut through the room.
My mother-in-law, Bertha Green, stepped inside with grocery bags in hand. Her gaze swept over me on the floor, then shifted to Jasper's clenched grip and impatient expression.
Her brows knit at once. "What is all this nonsense?"
