Chapter 1

All eyes were on Zachary Larson and me, but Zachary was looking at Julia Scott with eyes filled with pity. He didn't notice my pale face and trembling hands.

As if she was unaware of the tension in the air, Julia took a sip out of her glass and said affectionately, "Come to think of it, Zachary used to have an awful temper. I was the one who turned him into the caring gentleman he is now—perfect for my beloved sister."

She blinked teasingly. "Queenie, does he still try to sleep with you when you're on your period or insist that you wear the condom on for him with your mouth?"

Zachary remained silent. He didn't object, so he must have agreed.

He chuckled helplessly and pushed a plate of steak to Julia. "Eat well. Since you're going to be my sister-in-law, listen to me and take good care of your body."

It was as if he was blind to how upset I was. The suffocating tension around us didn't let up with Zachary's words and actions.

Julia's best friend, Layla Anderson, seemed oblivious to everything and chimed in.

"He's right, Julia. You're too picky with your food. You only eat what Zachary cooks for you.

"Back then, Zachary was so busy with work and frequently went on business trips. It made you so upset that you kept skipping meals. Your body couldn't handle it, so you lost your child."

I stared blankly at the food in front of me. I finally realized why Zachary insisted on cooking.

We had been married for three years. If it weren't for Julia, I wouldn't have even known that the man I shared a bed with could cook, though.

After taking the time to admire the pale look on my face, Julia suddenly apologized with feigned innocence, "I'm sorry, everyone. After not seeing them for three years, I ended up drinking so much. I also couldn't hold my tongue. I'll excuse myself and go freshen up."

She wobbled as she stood up and accidentally spilled wine on her dress.

Zachary immediately rose to his full height. He moved with practiced ease and said, "I'll take you to your room so you can change."

Enduring the pain in my stomach, I stood up and said, "Let me help—"

He pushed my hand away with a frown. "Don't. You'll just make things worse."

My hand froze in midair. It brought me back to the time when I wanted to change the curtains in the living room after we got married.

Zachary rejected the idea back then, saying, "It's too troublesome. Besides, didn't Julia say that this color's nice?"

In the end, we never changed them. Every corner of this home had another woman's touch.

They went into the guest room. After a while, she walked out of the room wearing his old dress shirt. The shirt highlighted her small frame and made her seem fragile.

She purposely rolled the sleeves up to show off an eye-catching men's watch on her wrist. It was the watch Zachary usually wore.

I had gifted him the watch on our first wedding anniversary.

She shook her wrist and smiled at me. "This watch looked pretty good, so I put it on to match this shirt. You don't mind it, do you, Queenie?"

Zachary looked at her with a soft smile. Then, he turned to me and said, "It looks good on her."

The pain in my stomach became excruciating. I dug my nails into my palms and swallowed the scream that almost escaped my mouth. The way they acted like they were the only ones in the room broke my heart.

I slowly sat back down and secretly scrunched up the pregnancy check-up report in my pocket. As I exhaled, the look in my eyes turned cold. I decided to talk to Zachary tonight.