LOGINScarlette.āYouāre pregnant. Arenāt you?ā I said slowly, my eyes sweeping over her frame without shame, without apology. āI meanāyou should be. So where is it?āEmeliaās lips pressed into a thin line before she scoffed, chin lifting in defiance. āAnd how is that any of your business, Scarlette? Why are you even here? Let me guessāyou knew Iād be here, didnāt you? You always do things like this. You plan them.āI laughed, a short, incredulous sound that even surprised me. āOh my god,ā I said, shaking my head. āIs this some kind of sick joke? Why is it that you and your husband think the entire world revolves around the two of you? Like everything is a competition. Like every breath someone else takes is somehow meant to challenge you.āI gestured around us, at the aisles, the shelves, the ordinary people pretending not to stare. āI came here because I need things for when I go into labor,ā I said, my voice steady but sharp. āThings for my baby. But of course, to you, it suddenly beco
Scarlette. I didnāt even realize we had reached the mall.If I was being honest, I hadnāt been listening to a single word Liam was muttering under his breath the entire drive. His complaints faded into background noise, drowned out by my own thoughts and the quiet hum of the road. I only became aware we had arrived when the car slowed and came to a full stop.Then my phone buzzed.The sharp little sound snapped my attention away instantly. I picked it up and smiled when I saw the notification.Vic: Iām here.Perfect.I had texted her earlier, somewhere in between Liamās grumbling about his clothes and my own internal victory parade, asking her to come help with the shopping. I knew Iād need backupāsomeone who understood me, who wouldnāt let me settle for āgood enough,ā and who wouldnāt hesitate to tell me the truth if something looked awful on me.It had been a long time since weād seen each other in person.Most of our connection lately had been through video callsālate nights, ti
Scarlette. For the next few hours, the mansion felt like a graveyardātoo quiet, too still, as though even the walls were holding their breath.There were no sharp heels clicking down the hall. No belligerent calls for coffee. No tantrums about the temperature being too hot or too cold, no maids scrambling to correct imaginary offenses. Claudiaās voice, which usually filled the house like a siren, was nowhere to be heard.I hadnāt heard a peep since that confrontation earlier, and honestly, it suited me just fine. If anything, it was a small victory, proof that Iād finally rattled her enough to shut her up, at least for a few hours. She better stay in her place, stewing in whatever bitterness she carried. I couldnāt bring myself to care one bit. I didnāt care what she was doing or where she had retreated to. If this quiet meant she was finally licking her wounds, then it was well deserved.I had done something today.Something no one had ever dared.But rest? That was the last th
Scarlette. āClaudiaā¦ā Ethan repeated slowly, disbelief flickering across his face as he looked at her.Motherās lips curled with bitter contempt. āYou see now, Ethan? She calls me by my name. Sheās lost every shred of respect she ever pretended to have. And Liam just stands there, watching this insanity unfold.āEthan turned fully to me, his expression darkening. āSince when did you start calling my mother by her name? Have you finally lost your mind? Or are you just stupid? Maybe itās the pregnancy hormonesāIād like to believe thatābut thereās a limit to this nonsense. Claudia? You donāt get to do that.āThen he rounded on Liam.āAnd you,ā he snapped, voice sharp with disbelief. āYouāre just standing there? Letting her disrespect our mother in her own house? Have you lost your goddamn mind? How can you be here and not control the woman youāre with? Tame her, for Christās sake. Put her on a leash if you have to, because this madness is getting out of hand. Honestly, the best thing
Scarlette.I was ready to turn the entire place upside down. Ready to tear the walls down brick by brick if I had to. If rage could become fire, this mansion would have burned to ash already. No one here deserved peace. No one deserved calm.āLiam,ā Mother said sharply, her voice slicing through the room, āhow can you stand there and let another woman insult your mother this way?āShe straightened, pride stiffening her spine. āI didnāt raise you to be this gullible. This shaken. This pathetically invested in a woman.āHer eyes flicked toward me with open contempt.āYour emotions are clouding your judgment. Ethan would never allow this.āLiam laughed, but there was nothing amused in it. It was bitter. Cutting.āWell then, good,ā he said coldly. āBecause Ethanāyour favorite sonāwould also never allow you to be questioned about something you and he have been hiding for years.āThe room seemed to still.āI donāt want to ask again,ā Liam said, his voice rising, his hands gripping her ar
Scarlette. āMother⦠listen,ā I said softly, my expression shifting into a smile so strained it felt like it might split my face in two.āI made you lunch.āI turned slightly, gesturing toward the food tray on the table. āIāve been waiting for you all day. I wanted you to eat this.āI walked closer to it, my fingers hovering over the lids. āMadam Julie didnāt prepare it. I did. I told herāwhat was the point of me being here if I couldnāt prepare a simple meal for my mother?ā I let out a quiet breathless laugh. āI mean, you were my mother-in-law for years. And soon, youāll be my mother-in-law again. Iāve always seen you as my mother in fact⦠because I never had one of my own.āMy voice faltered for a fraction of a second before I forced it steady again. āItās just unfortunate that youāre so cruel.āI waved the thought away as if it didnāt matter. āAnyway⦠come see what I made. Itās your favorite.āI lifted the lid.The aroma reached me first.And then pain did.Her hand clamped arou







