Chapter 2

However, Carlton didn't think too much of it.

"Tomorrow's Monday. Do you have time in the afternoon?" Evelyn asked. "We can go down to the courthouse and file for a divorce. It shouldn't be a problem to do it two months earlier, right?"

It would take a month for the court to issue the divorce decree anyway, and she was due to deliver soon after that.

Carlton looked at her with an added note of scrutiny in his usual detached demeanor. After withdrawing his gaze, he said, "We'll do it when I want to."

Evelyn lowered her eyes and said nothing more.

Soon, the car pulled up at Shaw Manor.

Francine had indeed called them over to talk about the baby Evelyn was carrying. The Shaws were blessed with sons, but they had gone generations without a daughter.

Francine had given birth to two sons, Gregory and Jonah Shaw.

The older son, Gregory, also had two sons of his own. Aaron Shaw, Gregory's firstborn, had gotten married several years ago and was now raising a pair of twin boys who were five years old.

Gregory's second son, Mason Shaw, was 24 years old and still unmarried.

Carlton was the only son of Jonah, Francine's younger son.

As a result, Francine and Bernard were thrilled that Evelyn was pregnant with a girl.

"What great news this is for the family! It seems to me that the arrival of our granddaughter has helped her grandpa get all better, too!"

Rita Horton, Carlton's mother, chimed in agreeably and said a few nice things to Evelyn as well after seeing how much Francine looked forward to the baby.

Evelyn sat in the corner and dutifully played along with them. Nevertheless, her plump figure and submissive attitude displeased Rita. She only hid it because of Francine.

Being in high spirits, Francine gave an emerald bracelet of considerable value to Evelyn, who was flustered by the gesture and tried to refuse.

"Since she wants to give it to you, just take it," Rita said decisively.

She inwardly grouched about Evelyn's inability to act with the level of propriety befitting a family of their standing. After all, Evelyn had come from a far less distinguished family.

Evelyn gave in and accepted the bracelet, saying, "Thank you, Grandma."

"Be careful during your pregnancy. I look forward to meeting my granddaughter."

Evelyn smiled and nodded. She was fully aware that the kindness Francine showed her had nothing to do with her as a person.

She and Carlton were supposed to have dinner at Shaw Manor, but Carlton got a call.

As he spoke on the phone, his gaze grew tender and affectionate. It sounded as if he and Serena were raising a pet together. His voice was gentle as he mentioned the pet's name, Honey.

Evelyn figured that if he married someone he loved, he would be a good father, too.

"Yeah. I'll be right there," Carlton said before ending the call.

When he turned to leave the balcony, he saw Evelyn standing there. She jumped in alarm, having been so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't realize he was coming back inside. She looked up at him and saw his frosty expression.

Tensing up, she hastily said, "Grandma wants you to go to the study."

Carlton walked off without saying anything, while Evelyn remained where she was, her heart spasming painfully. She didn't know how long it took her to regain her composure.

…

When Carlton entered the study, Francine and Bernard were both waiting for him.

"Carlton, I know you don't like Evelyn, but the baby is about to be born. Evelyn herself is quite an outstanding woman. She graduated from an excellent university and seems gentle by nature. What you need the most in your marriage is stability. She is certainly someone who will take good care of her husband and children," Francine said.

Carlton said nothing, but his tightly furrowed brows conveyed what he felt. Francine picked up on that, of course. As it was, Evelyn was a rather plain-looking woman who didn't look like she belonged beside Carlton.

Bernard chimed in, "Now's not a good time to make significant changes to your private life. Even if you really don't like her, as long as she doesn't behave in any manner that crosses the line, just keep her around for another year or two."

"That's right," Francine said, backing him up. "You have a lot of eyes on you right now. They'll be more than happy to make an issue over what you do. You can wait until she has raised the child for a few years before getting the divorce."

Carlton was silent in thought. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. He simply said, "Grandpa, Grandma, I understand."

When Evelyn saw Francine again, Francine told her, "Something came up at the office, so Carlton had to leave first. I'll get the driver to give you a ride home."

"Okay." Evelyn nodded.

Before she left Shaw Manor, Francine gave her a reminder.

"Even though you're pregnant, you still need to exercise more and pay attention to maintaining your appearance. When Rita and her sister-in-law were pregnant, they still had to accompany their husbands to various events and manage the household affairs. Some things may come by easily, but it won't be as easy to hold onto them for long."

Evelyn instantly understood the meaning behind Francine's words. It wasn't easy to be the daughter-in-law of the Shaw family. If she wanted to secure her position, she had to make changes to herself.

In her current state, she was nothing but a disgrace to Carlton.

Evelyn had once thought about improving herself. She exercised, practiced yoga, and tried to lose weight. However, she'd lacked the drive to persist. Exhausted in both body and mind, she ended up putting on more weight.

That being said, Francine was right. She couldn't keep allowing herself to fall into dejection like this, but it wasn't for the sake of securing her position as Carlton's wife. She wanted to do it for her future self.

"I understand, Grandma."

…

Later that evening, Evelyn was surprised to find that Carlton, the very man who'd brought up divorce to her just earlier that day, came back to the house at Crown Bay.

"Why are you—"

"Make me a cup of ginger tea and bring it to the study," Carlton said before heading to the upstairs study.

Evelyn snapped out of her shock and went to the kitchen to prepare the ginger tea. When she brought it up to his study, he was reading a document, his expression stern. His demeanor made him look entirely unapproachable.

She set the cup down without disturbing him and left the study immediately after.

Despite the fact that he was back at this villa, the two stayed in separate rooms. He used the master bedroom on the second floor, while she used the guest bedroom on the first floor.

…

The next morning, the housekeepers prepared a sumptuous breakfast since Carlton was here. He sat at the head of the dining table—Evelyn was nowhere to be found.

In the past, whenever he came back here, she would not only iron and prepare the outfit he wore for the day but also prepare breakfast for him herself. All in all, she did play the part of the dutiful wife quite well.

But when he woke up this morning, he didn't see a set of freshly ironed clothes laid out for him. Even breakfast had been prepared by the housekeepers.

"Where is she?" Carlton questioned impatiently.

Lisa immediately launched into a spiel of complaints. "I tried to wake her up this morning, but she refused to get out of bed. We always have to deliver breakfast to her room, but she ignores us most of the time. She doesn't say a word when we ask her what she wants to eat. It's not as if we can read her mind.

"What's the big deal about being pregnant anyway? When your mother was pregnant with you, Mr. Shaw, she continued to tend to all of your father's needs. Meanwhile, she's acting as if she can just sit back and be pampered by everyone."

Frowning, Carlton instructed Lisa, "Go wake her up."

"Right away, Mr. Shaw."

Evelyn had woken up ages ago. She was simply waiting for Carlton to leave the house.

Lisa barged right into the room without even knocking first. She looked at Evelyn, who was sitting on the couch, and snapped in disgust, "My, my. You sure act like you're the mistress of the house. Are you sitting around waiting for someone to come and escort you?"

Lifting her eyes, Evelyn said coldly, "If I'm not the mistress of the house, then who is? Are you?"

For these past few months, Evelyn had always kept her head down and stayed silent. Lisa never expected her to talk back.

"If you ever disrespect me like that again, don't blame me for informing Mrs. Shaw Senior just what you two have been doing the last few months," Evelyn added.

Since they were about to get a divorce anyway, she no longer had anything to fear. There was no reason for her to put up with such treatment for the remaining two months.

Lisa's eyes widened. "Why, you—"

Just yesterday, Rita had called up the housekeepers, instructing them to take good care of Evelyn. Even though she was carrying a daughter, it was the only daughter born to the Shaw family for the past three generations. Evelyn had somehow gotten lucky by having a daughter, which resulted in Francine placing such importance on her.

Either way, Lisa had no choice but to put up with it. "Mr. Shaw is waiting for you in the dining room."

Evelyn didn't expect that.

When she arrived at the dining room, Carlton was in the middle of breakfast. He looked up at her. She was wearing a knitted dress that was stretched out of shape because of her swollen body. Her footsteps were unsteady, her gait slow. Her belly was so big that it looked as though she was carrying multiple babies.

Evelyn noticed his gaze and thoughtfully took a seat far away from him. She heard him say curtly, "Lisa and Molly have worked with my family for many years now. You can't expect them to cater to your every need. You're just pregnant. It's not like you can't walk."

She was just pregnant, was she?

Well, he wasn't wrong about that.

Evelyn knew that to Carlton, perhaps this baby, whose arrival was completely unintended, was of little consequence to him. He must be reprimanding her now because Lisa had fed him lies again. It wasn't the first time this had happened.

"If they find it a hassle to cater to my every need, they can go back to Shaw Manor and resume their positions there. I can take care of myself," Evelyn calmly replied while stirring a bowl of soup.

After all, she cooked her own meals and washed her own clothes. She even cleaned her own room. Molly and Lisa only made a show of doing their jobs when Carlton was around.

When Carlton began frowning, Evelyn knew it meant he was displeased. Whether at work or in his personal life, he was an extremely domineering man who didn't allow anyone else to talk back to him.

"I'm giving you a reminder. I didn't say you could offer any suggestions."

Evelyn kept her head down and said nothing. Her sullenness only made Carlton's expression darken even more.

He proceeded to instruct the housekeepers to let her handle her own chores from now on. They no longer needed to wait on her.

Evelyn's hand clenched around her spoon.

Carlton left after breakfast, and Evelyn headed off to Asherton University to see Heath in his office.

The man sitting behind the desk was young and dressed in a suit. A pair of rimless glasses sat on his nose. He carried himself with an air of refinement and maturity.

At 29 years old, he was the youngest full professor in the department of finance at Asherton University. He was considered a genius in the financial world, where his reputation preceded him.

Evelyn knocked on the door.