Part 6.1

“She’s pregnant with Dominic’s child,” Rowena cut in smoothly. “And I can assure you—it’s a boy.”

In that instant, it felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. My legs gave out beneath me, and I might have collapsed right there if Eva hadn’t rushed back in time to catch me.

“So this is all because of a male heir?” I whispered. I wasn’t even sure whether I was asking myself or the cruel people standing in front of me, each wearing a different shade of indifference.

“What else would it be?” Rowena shot back, her voice laced with scorn. “Dominic needs a son to carry on the Pierce name. And you?” Her lips curled faintly. “We all know you can’t give him a child anymore.”

I frowned, disbelief tightening my chest. How could she pass such a merciless sentence on me? Did she think she was God, declaring that I would never be able to conceive again? Yes, I had undergone chemotherapy—but that didn’t mean I could never have a child. Not once had any doctor told me I was infertile. But her…

“You should be grateful Dominic has stayed with you this long.” Her words cut deeper with every breath I took. “I warned him from the very beginning that you would only bring trouble to this family. And look—everything I said has come true.”

She let out a quiet, bitter scoff. “If only he had listened to me back then, none of this would have happened. My son wouldn’t have to suffer with a sickly, useless wife like you.”

Her voice turned colder, sharper—deliberate. “Just imagine what it’s like for Dominic.”

A pause, then the final blow.

“How miserable he must be, having a wife like you. He works himself to the bone day and night just to pay for your treatments, while at the same time, his ‘needs’ as a man go unmet because his own wife can’t even satisfy him.”

Every word Rowena spoke tore into me from the inside out—wounds no one else could see, but I felt them all the same.

“I’m sick…” I murmured, my voice barely audible as I tried to defend myself.

Rowena turned her face away instantly, as if my suffering meant nothing at all.

Oh God… was this really enough for them to hurt me so mercilessly? If I had a choice, I would never have chosen this life of pain and suffering. Even if I offered everything I had, I was certain no one would willingly trade places with me.

“Since when?” My gaze snapped straight to Dominic.

His face had gone pale—whether from guilt or shame, I couldn’t tell.

“Tell me—since when have you been having an affair?!” I pressed, my voice trembling despite my need for answers.

“You don’t need to know that.” Rowena cut in again.

I ignored her completely, keeping my eyes locked on Dominic… and the woman hiding timidly behind him.

“She didn’t seduce me.” Dominic’s voice finally broke through.

My eyes flicked back to him. “She didn’t? Then what?”

I turned to the woman again. Oh, she might play the fragile, helpless act in front of Dominic—but I wasn’t fooled. Not for a second. She was enjoying this. I could see it clearly in the faint smirk tugging at her lips as she looked back at me, a silent declaration of victory.

“And what good would it do for you to know?” Amelia chimed in this time. “Even if you learn the truth, you’ll only hurt yourself more.”

I shot my ungrateful sister-in-law a cold glance. She met my gaze with open arrogance, making it painfully clear where her loyalties lay.

So this was how it all ended?

Six years of struggle, sacrifice, and everything I had given… and still, I had failed to change the way my mother-in-law and sister-in-law saw me.

Then what exactly was I still holding on to?

My eyes returned to Dominic. There was nothing left in my heart for him now—nothing but anger and the bitter sting of betrayal.

“Audrey, I…” he started.

“What are you waiting for?” Rowena cut him off sharply. “Haven’t you already prepared the divorce papers for her? Hurry up, take them out and have her sign.”

I watched as Dominic hesitated, clearly torn. His hands seemed restless, his expression uncertain as he looked at me.

“Wicked,” Eva hissed, the word sharp and unmistakable in my ears. “You’re all truly wicked.”

“Wicked?” Rowena bristled, her eyes flashing. “Are you insulting me now? How dare a servant like you speak that way.”

I didn’t care.

“You are wicked,” Eva repeated, louder this time. “After everything Madam has done for you, this is how you treat her? Don’t you know that—”

I tightened my grip on Eva’s hand, hard enough to make her stop. Whatever she was about to reveal had to stay buried.

The Pierce family didn’t need to know who I really was—my past, my background. And I had no intention of telling them.

With visible hesitation, Dominic reached for his bag from Diana. Slowly—almost reluctantly—he pulled out a large brown envelope. One by one, he took out the crisp white sheets inside and placed them on the dining table not far from where I stood.

“Audrey, we can talk this through. There’s something I want to—”

I snatched the pen from his hand before he could finish. “Where do I sign?” My voice came out flat, even though inside, I was screaming—furious, desperate, breaking.

“Audrey?” He looked stunned by my decisiveness, so at odds with my frail condition.