Chapter 3

From that day on, Frank reined himself in quite a bit and started coming home on time every day. Occasionally, he would even bring me small gifts, and I accepted every single one without hesitation.

The baby was right. Frank's only redeeming quality was that he had money. Since he was offering me the gifts himself, it wasn't wrong for me to accept them.

Soon, it was time for my prenatal checkup. For once, Frank skipped work and accompanied me to the hospital.

After seeing the doctor and stepping out, I noticed Natalia standing not far away, glancing around nervously. The moment she saw Frank, she seemed to panic. Her eyes clung to him, but her feet turned as if she were about to leave.

Frank instinctively went after her, while I followed at an unhurried pace.

Soon, Natalia's tearful voice echoed in the quiet hallway, "Mr. Jackson, I didn't follow you here. My period is half a month late, and I was worried, so I came to the hospital today. Don't worry. I won't disturb you and Mrs. Jackson anymore. I'll handle this myself."

I stopped in my tracks, instinctively holding my breath. What would Frank choose?

Within my line of sight, Frank pulled Natalia into his arms.

He said in a helpless tone, "You silly girl. You're just a young lady. How are you supposed to deal with something like this alone? Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

I stood rooted to the spot stiffly and mocked myself for still placing hope in Frank.

Natalia met my gaze and flashed me a smug smile.

My baby cried out furiously, "Mommy, she's provoking you! Go over there and slap her! And while you're at it, give that scumbag dad a slap, too!"

The ranting went on and on. If she weren't so tiny, she'd probably be boxing inside my belly by now.

I patted my stomach to soothe her and took a deep breath.

She was right. Since I was already planning to divorce Frank, why should I keep putting up with this? If my tolerance couldn't earn his loyalty, I might as well go a little crazy and fight more for myself.

I walked straight toward Natalia, pulled her out of Frank's arms, and slapped her hard.

I hissed in pain as my hand hurt. But it felt so good!

The baby giggled inside my belly. "Mommy, you're amazing! That slap sounded so crisp!"

The smug smile on Natalia's face froze.

Frank reacted quickly by shielding her behind him and snapping, "Have you lost your mind, Zoey?

I shook my stinging hand, then raised it again and slapped Frank. Since I already hit Natalia, I might as well complete the set.

Frank's eyes widened in disbelief.

A few seconds later, he growled through gritted teeth, "Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you're pregnant!"

The bottled-up frustration I'd been nursing for a long time eased quite a bit. Sure enough, instead of always putting myself last, it felt better to lash out at those who wronged me.

I stared straight at Natalia and said coolly, "If she's pregnant, then she has to get rid of the child before we get divorced."

Natalia jerked her head up and shouted, "Why should I? This is my child! What right do you have to make me get rid of it? Mr. Jackson, say something! This is our child!"

The baby mimicked her in a shrill and mocking tone, "Mr. Jackson, say something!"

I had been in a bad mood, but I couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing that. They were a bad influence on my baby.

Frank's expression darkened. He looked at me for a long moment before finally speaking under Natalia's urging.

He mumbled, "Let's wait for the results first."

The results came out quickly. Lo and behold, Natalia was not pregnant.

She froze on the spot for a moment before snatching the report and reading it carefully in disbelief.

I couldn't help but let out a scoff. Natalia's eyes turned red with anger as she threw herself into Frank's arms and cried pitifully.

Frank pushed her away impatiently. "That's enough. Since you're not pregnant, this matter ends here. Zoey, stop going after Ms. Silva."

Tears streamed down Natalia's face.