Chapter 3 The Truth Laid Bare

The next morning, Mia came downstairs draped in my favorite silk robe. She carried herself with deliberate grace, a smug little sway in her steps. The faint fragrance that trailed after her made my chest tighten—it was the perfume Noah and I had blended together in Gallia during the height of our romance. It was the only bottle of its kind in the world, and it was supposed to be mine.

I sat at the dining table, watching her coldly as she slid into the chair across from me.

"Mila, did you sleep well last night?" Mia smiled with feigned innocence as she rested her wrist on the table, making sure the watch on her arm caught the light.

She was just a poor student—there was no way she could afford something like that. There was no doubt in my mind that Noah had given it to her. And now, she was flaunting it right in my face.

I ignored her, lowering my gaze to eat my bowl of oatmeal. She seemed unfazed, picking up a bowl of bone broth and swirling it slowly with her spoon.

"Noah treats me so well," she said lightly. "He knows I've been struggling with morning sickness, so he got up in the middle of the night to make this for me. He said it's good for the baby. Mila, would you like to try some too?"

The sharp crack of porcelain echoed through the room as I slammed the bowl out of her hands and shattered it against the floor.

"Ahhh!" Mia shrieked, darting straight into Noah's arms the moment he stepped inside. She buried her face against his chest, sobbing pitifully. "Noah, I'm so scared. Is Mila losing her mind?"

Noah immediately shielded the "terrified" Mia behind him. When his gaze found me, there was nothing but anger in his eyes. "Mila, look at yourself. What are you doing? Mia is pregnant, she's from my hometown, and she's the very girl we sponsored through school as a couple. What reason do you have to treat her this way?"

I refused to play along with their act any longer. "I know the child Mia is carrying is yours."

Noah froze for a split second before breaking into a smile. "Mila, haven't you always wanted a baby?"

That smile twisted cruelly as he went on. "Mia is carrying one for you. Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Thank you?" My hands trembled with rage. "You want me to thank you for knocking up your mistress so she can give me a child?"

Just then, Noah's mother walked in, carrying chicken soup she had made since bright and early. "Noah, did you just say Mia's baby is yours?"

Noah nodded. At once, his mother's eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter. "Heavens above, finally! Our family is going to have an heir!"

She stormed up to me, jabbing a finger in my face as her voice rose in fury. "You barren woman! Our family has hung by a single son for three generations, and we've given you three years with not so much as a stir in your belly. And now you dare try to harm my precious grandson? What wickedness are you plotting?!"

Noah's father chimed in, his tone no less harsh. "Mila, marrying into this family was the best thing that ever happened to you. You can't give him children yourself, yet you begrudge him for finding someone who can? Don't be so unreasonable!"

Shameless didn't even begin to cover this family.

"Mila, please don't be upset." Mia peeked out from behind Noah, one hand protectively stroking her belly. "Didn't the doctor say it would be difficult for you to conceive? Noah only did this for your own good."

The world spun around me. My body shook so violently I could barely breathe. I tried to speak, to point at them and shout the truth, but before I could form the words, everything went dark. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor.