Chapter 2

"For my sake?" I almost laughed out loud. "So that means using my money to arrange exclusive, personalized services for her?"

My question made him lose his dignity, and his tone turned cold.

"Cecilia, do you have to be so unreasonable? Em's father showed me great kindness. On his deathbed, he asked me to look after her. What else could I do?

"She's an orphan with no family, and her health is poor. What's wrong with helping her? It's just a few thousand dollars in treatments. That's nothing for our household. Can't you be a little more generous?"

"Generous?" I repeated the word. It felt absurd.

He always had endless reasons.

Emma was his mentor's daughter, so she needed his care. Emma's health was poor, so she needed his concern. Emma was alone in the world, so he had to give her the warmth of family.

What about me? I was carrying his child. What did that make me?

In the end, this standoff concluded with my retreat. I did not want to make a scene in public like some shrew. That would only make me look more pathetic.

Zachary drove me home. The atmosphere in the car was suffocatingly tense the entire way.

He seemed to realize his words had been too harsh. He softened his tone and started trying to placate me.

"Alright, Cece, don't be angry. It was my fault. I should've told you beforehand. I promise it won't happen again. I'll change the password on that card tomorrow. From now on, only you can use it. Is that okay?"

He parked the car downstairs and turned to take my hand. His palm was warm and dry, capable of providing a sense of security as always.

"As for Em, I'll be more careful about boundaries from now on. But she is my mentor's only living relative. I can't just abandon her completely. Just take pity on her and don't hold it against her, okay? She's different from you. You grew up cherished by your parents, and now you have me. She has nothing."

This script was no different from the one I had heard countless times before.

I was tired. I did not want to argue anymore. I nodded and said quietly, "I'm not feeling well. I want to go upstairs and rest."

Seeing that I was no longer pressing the issue, he visibly relaxed. A smile returned to his face. "That's right. Pregnant women shouldn't get angry all the time. It's bad for the baby. Come on, let your husband carry you upstairs."

He was always so attentive to me. He peeled fruit for me. When I was sick with morning sickness, he patiently rubbed my back and helped me breathe. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I might have believed he truly loved me.

Just like that, the matter seemed closed.

Zachary did as he promised. The next day, he went to the spa and changed the password. He canceled the secondary card, leaving only the primary card in my hands. He became even more gentle and considerate toward me, practically granting my every wish.

My mother hired the best nutritionist, who prepared different broths and nutrient-rich meals for me every day to support the pregnancy. The first thing Zachary did when he came home from work each day was make sure I finished the broth.

"You've worked hard, honey. For our baby's sake, drink a little more." He would carefully skim the oil off the surface with a spoon and feed it to me spoonful by spoonful.

I was almost fooled by this version of him, convinced that everything at the spa that day had been nothing but my imagination.

Until one day, I accidentally discovered an identical thermos in the trunk of his car. It was empty, but the inside still carried the faint scent of herbal broth and chicken.

That was the broth I had drunk the day before. I remembered clearly. I did not like the taste of the herbs, so I only drank half a bowl of it.

Zachary took the remaining half, saying it would go to waste otherwise. He claimed he would drink it himself. It turned out he had not drunk it. He had packed it up and given it to Emma, who apparently also needed the nutrition.

My heart sank to the bottom at that moment. I did not make a fuss. I simply placed the thermos back where I found it.

A few days later, it was time for my prenatal checkup. Zachary had promised long ago that he would come with me, but just as we were about to leave, he took a phone call. His expression changed instantly.

"What? A leak? Alright, drive carefully on your way back. I'll head over right away!"

He hung up and looked at me apologetically. "Cece, I'm sorry. The pipes burst in Em's apartment. The place is flooded right now. She's on her way back, and I need to go help her deal with it."