Chapter 2

Carolina's voice, sweet and lilting, drifted from the second floor. "Regina, you're here."

I looked up to see her holding Carl, standing outside the master bedroom Jeremy and I once shared.

"I'm so sorry, Regina. Carl's been so fussy, and I was worried he'd disturb your rest, so I took the liberty of moving your things over there."

My gaze followed her pointing finger to the maid's quarters, tucked beside the kitchen on the ground floor.

Just then, Jeremy stepped out of the kitchen, swirling a baby bottle in his hand.

He shot me a cool glance. "The doctor said you're still coughing. Stay in your room unless it's absolutely necessary. We don't want to risk Carl catching anything."

I shook my head instinctively. "It's not contagious. You can ask the doctor yourself."

"Even if the cough isn't contagious, you've been popping pills for years. How can you be sure you don't have anything else that's contagious?"

I stood frozen, forced to watch as he and Carolina fed Carl together, his expression impossibly tender.

"Carl, do you like it? Which bottle is better, Daddy's or Mommy's?"

The word "Mommy" was like a punch to the gut. My hands clenched into fists, and the sudden urge to storm upstairs overwhelmed me.

But I had barely taken two steps before I heard Carolina's chuckle.

"I'm Carl's mommy. You're not trying to steal his affection, are you?"

Jeremy laughed with her. "My mistake. Of course he loves his mommy the most."

I stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth falling open as a question I was eager to ask formed on my lips.

I was Carl's biological mother. Even if Carolina had been listed as his legal mother for his future, shouldn't I be the one he called "Mom"?

But before I could get a word out, a maid suddenly clamped her hand over my mouth from behind.

"Regina, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling are busy with Carl. What are you trying to do?" she hissed. "Get back to your room and stop causing trouble!"

I flailed in panic, hands scrabbling at the air. The other maid seized my wrist, and together they dragged me toward the maid's quarters.

Just as the door slammed shut, Carolina looked up and flashed me a triumphant smirk that cut deeper than words.

They kept me locked in that room all day. It wasn't until the maids were occupied with their chores that I managed to slip out, tiptoeing toward the crib.

My fingers were just about to touch Carl's tiny hand when a furious shout rang out. "Regina, don't you dare touch Carl!"

The sudden shout startled Carl into tears. It made me jump too.

Carolina scooped up Carl, anxiously stomping her foot. "You're still coughing. How could you even think about holding Carl? What if you get him sick?"

The commotion brought Jeremy rushing out of his study mid-meeting. The moment he saw Carl crying, he didn't hesitate to slap me across the face.

"Are you incapable of understanding simple instructions? I told you to stay away from Carl," he snarled. "Don't you know how fragile he is? You could get him sick with just one careless slip."

We had been in love for eight years, and this was the first time he had ever laid a hand on me.

I choked back a cough, my neck stiff with defiance.

"This is my baby!" I shot back. "Jeremy, five years ago, when we lost our first baby, you promised you'd do everything in your power to protect my right to be a mother."

Right then, Carl's cries grew louder.

Jeremy's face turned ashen as he suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked me into his study. The moment the door slammed shut, another slap landed hard across my face.

"The first baby? You've got some nerve bringing up our first baby!" he barked.

"If it weren't for Carolina, I'd still be in the dark. The baby was stillborn five years ago, yet you turned that loss into a calculated ploy just to keep me indebted to you for life."

As his accusations rained down on me, a gnawing pain shot through my knees and calves, like a million ants chewing me to the bone.

I struggled to keep myself upright, staring at him in disbelief. "Jeremy, you really think I plotted this against you?"

Hatred burned in his eyes as he spat each word. "Didn't you?"