Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Mara**

I didn't know how long I stood there. My fingers tightened around our wedding photograph until my knuckles turned white. The smiling couple trapped inside the frame looked like strangers, and I found myself staring at the woman beside Damon.

She looked so happy. For a fleeting moment, I envied her.

A soft knock sounded against the bedroom door, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Mrs. Damon." One of the maids spoke gently from the other side. "Madam Eleanor asked me to let you know that lunch is ready."

I quickly wiped at my cheeks with the back of my hand. By the time I opened the door, I had forced my face into the closest thing I could manage to a smile. "I'm coming."

The walk downstairs felt longer than usual. Each step echoed through the quiet hallway, and with every passing second, I tried to bury the pain deep enough that no one would notice.

Before I reached the dining room, laughter drifted toward me. I stopped. It was Damon.

He was laughing. Vanessa laughed with him, the sound light and effortless.

My chest tightened. Three years of marriage, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard him laugh that freely with me.

I stood there for a second longer, my hand resting against the doorframe. Then I straightened my shoulders and walked inside.

The conversation stopped the moment they noticed me. Mrs. Eleanor Blackwood looked up first. "You're finally here."

I nodded quietly and walked toward the empty chair beside Damon. Before I could pull it out, Mrs. Blackwood's voice stopped me. "No."

I looked at her, confused. "Not there." I frowned, and for a moment, I wondered if I'd heard her correctly.

"Vanessa should sit beside Damon." My hand froze on the back of the chair. That had always been my seat, from the day we got married, at every breakfast, every dinner, every family gathering.

Vanessa lowered her eyes, pretending to feel uncomfortable. "I can sit somewhere else."

Mrs. Blackwood immediately shook her head. "You're carrying my grandchild." Her voice softened. "You should sit wherever you're most comfortable."

I slowly lifted my eyes to Damon. Surely, surely he would remind his mother that I was still his wife.

Instead, he calmly pulled the chair out for Vanessa. "For Vanessa." The simple gesture stole what little strength I had left.

Without saying a word, I let go of the chair and walked to the opposite side of the table. I sat down quietly. No one objected.

The meal began in an uncomfortable silence. The clinking of cutlery against porcelain echoed through the dining room, but no one seemed interested in making conversation. Even the servants moved carefully, as though they could sense the tension hanging over the table.

Mrs. Blackwood reached for the serving spoon. Without asking, she carefully placed grilled fish and vegetables onto Vanessa's plate, her movements slow and gentle, the kind a mother reserved for someone she treasured.

"You need to eat properly," she said warmly. "The baby needs nutrients to grow healthy."

Vanessa smiled politely. "Thank you." She looked genuinely touched, lowering her eyes before glancing at Damon. "The doctor also said I shouldn't skip my vitamins."

"I'll ask my assistant to buy whatever you need," Damon replied without hesitation, his voice calm, almost reassuring.

I lowered my eyes to my untouched plate. The food in front of me suddenly looked impossible to swallow. For three years, I had silently wished someone in this family would care whether I had eaten. Now I realized, they had simply been waiting for someone else.

The silence returned. No one noticed that I hadn't taken a single bite. No one asked if I was alright.

After a few minutes, Damon's phone rang. The sound broke the silence. He glanced at the screen before pushing his chair back. "I have to take this."

Mrs. Blackwood placed her napkin on the table and stood as well. "I'll come with you." She looked at Damon. "There are a few things we need to discuss."

Within seconds, they disappeared into his study. The dining room fell quiet again. Only Vanessa and I remained.

She slowly lifted her glass and took a small sip of water. When she set it back down, the sweet smile she had worn all afternoon disappeared.

She looked at me. "I've always wondered what kind of woman Damon married."

I met her gaze without looking away. "Now you've seen me."

A soft laugh escaped her lips. "I have." She rose gracefully from her chair, the heels of her shoes clicking softly against the marble floor as she wandered around the dining room, trailing her fingertips across the polished furniture.

"This house hasn't changed much." She stopped in front of our wedding portrait hanging on the wall. For a moment, she simply stared at it. "What a beautiful picture."

Her eyes slowly shifted toward me. "Such a shame it won't mean anything soon."

My fingers curled beneath the table. I forced myself to take a slow breath before speaking. "If you came here to humiliate me," my voice remained steady despite the ache in my chest, "you've done enough."

Vanessa smiled. It was the same smile someone might give a child who didn't understand the world. "Oh, Mara." She folded her arms across her chest. "You still don't understand."

She took a slow step toward me. "Do you know why the Blackwoods chose you?" I remained silent. She didn't wait for an answer.

"They didn't choose you because you were extraordinary." Her voice was calm, almost gentle. "Your family is respectable." "They're decent people." She paused. "But compared to the Blackwoods, they're ordinary."

The words settled heavily between us. I said nothing.

"If Damon had married me back then," she continued, "people would've called it nothing more than a business alliance between two billionaire families." She smiled faintly. "But he married you." "A woman from a good family with no hidden agenda."

Her eyes slowly traveled over me. "The only thing they expected from you was an heir." She held my gaze. "And after three years, you couldn't even give them that."

Vanessa chuckled softly. "I didn't have to beg him." A satisfied smile curved her lips as her hand drifted over her stomach again, the gesture slow and possessive, almost as if she wanted to remind me of what she carried. "One night was enough."

The words crashed into me like a wave. For a second, I couldn't breathe. My chest tightened until every breath became painful, and my fingers curled so tightly that my nails bit into my palms.

One night. That was all it had taken for her to get what I had spent three years praying for.

She took another slow step toward me, leaving barely any space between us. "Tell me honestly." Her voice was almost gentle. "What value do you think you still have in this family?"

I lifted my eyes to hers. "My marriage isn't yours."

She smiled. "It became mine the moment I walked back into Damon's life." There wasn't the slightest hesitation in her voice. "He's always loved me." Each word landed with cruel precision. "You were only keeping my place warm."

"No." The word escaped before I could stop it. I shook my head, refusing to believe her. "You're lying."

"Am I?" She tilted her head slightly, studying my face as though my pain entertained her. "Ask yourself one question." She paused just long enough for the silence to become unbearable. "When I walked into this house today, who did Damon choose?"

My lips parted. Nothing came out. Because I already knew the answer.

I had watched him stand beside her. I had watched him defend her. I had watched him hold her hand while mine hung empty at my side. The answer had been staring at me since the moment she walked through the front door.

Vanessa smiled as realization settled across my face. "I almost feel sorry for you." She reached toward me and brushed at my shoulder as though removing a speck of dust. The gesture made my skin crawl.

I stepped back immediately and pushed her hand away. "Don't touch me." I barely used any force. My fingers only brushed against her wrist.

But suddenly, Vanessa stumbled backward. Her eyes widened dramatically. "Ah!"

She crashed onto the floor with a loud thud, both hands flying to her stomach. "My baby!" The scream echoed through the dining room.

I froze. For a heartbeat, I simply stared at her. "What are you doing?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks almost instantly. "My baby." Her voice broke into frightened sobs. "My baby."

The study door burst open. Damon rushed into the room, Mrs. Blackwood close behind him. "What happened?" His sharp voice cut through the silence.

Vanessa looked up at him with trembling lips. "I," she struggled to speak between sobs, "I only wanted to comfort her." "I don't know why she got angry." "She pushed me."

I stared at her in disbelief. The words refused to register. "What?" My voice cracked. "I never touched you!"

Mrs. Blackwood hurried past me as though I wasn't even there. She dropped beside Vanessa. "My dear, are you hurt?"

Vanessa clutched her stomach tighter. "My stomach." "I'm scared."

Mrs. Blackwood's face drained of color. She turned toward Damon. "Do something!"

Damon slowly lifted his head. His eyes met mine. They were cold, hard, filled with disappointment. "Did you do this?"

"No." I shook my head so hard my vision blurred. "No, Damon." "She's lying." "She provoked me." "I only moved her hand away—"

"I saw enough." His voice sliced through mine. Every word after that died in my throat.

I stared at him. "You," my lips trembled, "you didn't even ask what happened."

For a brief second, something flickered across his face. Then it disappeared. He looked away from me.

Without another word, he bent down and carefully helped Vanessa to her feet, one arm circling protectively around her shoulders while she leaned weakly against him.

Damon bent beside Vanessa, his hand supporting her shoulders. "We're going to the hospital."

Vanessa winced, pressing both hands protectively over her stomach. She took a slow breath before looking up at him. "I... I don't think it's necessary." Her voice was weak, almost trembling. "I'm not bleeding. The doctor said I shouldn't panic over every little scare."

Mrs. Blackwood frowned. "Are you sure, dear?" Vanessa nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. I just need to rest for a while."

Damon searched her face, worry etched across his features. "If the pain gets worse, we're leaving immediately." She managed a small smile and squeezed his hand. "I promise."

Mrs. Blackwood turned to one of the maids. "Help Miss Vanessa upstairs to the guest room. Make sure she lies down, and bring her anything she needs." "Yes, Madam."

The maids carefully helped Vanessa to her feet. As they led her away, she glanced back at me for the briefest second. There were still tears in her eyes. But behind them, I caught the faint curve of a victorious smile.

My stomach twisted. She had won.

Damon turned back to me. His face was cold, harder than I had ever seen it. "I can't keep doing this, Mara."

The words settled over me like ice. Before I could answer, he turned and followed Vanessa upstairs, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the dining room.

The silence that followed felt louder than the argument itself. I had the terrifying feeling that my life was about to change forever.