Chapter 4

ELISHA’S POV

“Have you completely lost your mind?” Anthony stood up, his eyes flashing in anger. “What exactly are you accusing us of?” 

“Us!” I laughed. “What, you’re a package deal now?” 

“Eli, please…” Natalie pleaded from her bed, forcing her voice to sound weak. “Please don’t fight, we didn’t do anything!” 

“If you didn’t do anything,” I said, “then why didn’t you tell me you knew about her pregnancy?” 

Anthony took a deep breath. “Because I knew how you’d react. I knew you’d behave like this, did you think I wanted to deal with that!?” 

I narrowed my eyes. I dropped my voice so I wouldn’t scream. “Excuse me?” 

“All I’m saying is… look, yes, I knew,” he said. “Nat told me and because your parents were travelling and neither Dominic nor Sebastian is around, I told her she could stay with us and we’d take care of her for a while.” 

“Okay… why couldn’t you just say that?” I asked. 

A tired laugh escaped him. “Because I knew what day it was! If I came in and told you about her baby on the same day you lost yours, would you have been okay with that?” 

No. No, I wouldn’t have been. But this wasn’t about that. 

“You sure that’s the only reason?” I asked. 

“Yes! Of course it is!” 

“So you didn’t say anything… because you care about me. Not because you wanted to marry Natalie or because that’s your child?” 

The look of disbelief on his face did satisfy a tiny part of me. I’d held on to his words from the first day Natalie arrived, and it had started to form a wound inside me.  

“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, his voice low, as if warning me to go no further. 

I laughed. “You know exactly what I’m talking about! I heard Nat ask you if I were out of the picture, if you’d marry her. And you said yes. So don’t tell me you’re just being a knight in shining armor right now.” 

“That was a joke…” Natalie’s voice came from behind us. 

I turned to glare at her, willing her to go away. But she stepped forward. 

“Eli, he’s not a cheater,” she said. “He’s always been a gentleman, all he did was make sure I was okay after a night of too much drinking. How could you doubt your husband?” 

How, indeed. I had gotten plenty of reasons not to trust either of them. 

I looked at Anthony… the man I’d loved unconditionally despite never having been his first choice. 

I knew he was a work horse, a man obsessed with reputation and control. 

But a cheater? 

Even I couldn’t be sure anymore. 

“Alright, I’ve had enough of questions,” Anthony snapped. “I’ve said everything I needed to, if you don’t believe me, it’s your problem. Now go, because I don’t want you upsetting Natalie in her condition.” 

I watched as he turned towards her and gently placed his hand on her head, smoothingher hair down. 

I walked out of that room, my heart aching. 

***

Natalie was discharged the next morning.

The staff buzzed about, fluffing pillows and prepping meals. The housekeeper, Grace, had just returned from visiting her hometown and nearly burst into tears seeing Natalie on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and looking fragile.

She’d practically raised Anthony. She’d been with the Möllers for over three decades and viewed the family as her own. Compared to me—quiet, reserved, always in my head—Natalie was charming, radiant, and immediately likable.

“Lunch?” the housekeeper asked cheerfully.

But Natalie clutched her stomach and gave a little pout. “I don’t know… I kind of want Elisha’s salad. Her cucumber and herb one? No eggs, of course.”

I blinked. “I already know you’re allergic, Nat. Mom told me the second you mentioned it. I’ve never used eggs in anything I made for you.”

She smiled. “You probably didn’t notice last time. I mean, desserts often have eggs in the recipe. But it’s okay—I forgive you.”

“You forgive me?” I repeated slowly.

Her tone never changed. It stayed soft, sweet, pious. Like she was trying to help me save face in front of the housekeeper.

Anthony walked in just in time to catch my expression hardening. “Natalie’s pregnant,” he reminded me pointedly. “Be nice.”

Of course. Be nice. Because clearly, kindness is a one-way street now.

***

I stood in the kitchen, slowly slicing cucumbers with my bandaged hand. 

Every motion made the cut throb, but I didn’t stop. No one had asked how I was feeling. No one noticed the way my hand trembled under pressure. The gauze had already stained through again.

I brought out the salad. It looked perfect, crisp and bright, just like she liked it.

But just as I set it down, Natalie winced and placed a dramatic hand over her stomach. “Ugh… suddenly I feel sick. Sorry, I don’t want it anymore.”

Anthony didn’t look up from his phone. “If you don’t want it, then forget it. Just tell your sister when you feel like eating.”

Your sister.

Your servant.

I picked up the untouched plate and turned around silently, walked back into the kitchen, and dumped the entire thing into the trash with one satisfying clatter. 

The sound of metal hitting porcelain echoed like a private scream.

I wiped my hands and turned to leave—when a delighted squeal echoed from upstairs.

I froze.

No. No.

I took the stairs two at a time.

The nursery door was wide open.

Natalie stood near the window, sunlight streaming in over her face like a blessing. She turned, beaming.

“I love this room!” she said, spinning slightly on her heel. “It’s so airy and peaceful. Can I use it for my baby, please?”

My stomach turned.

What?