Chapter 1
Watching their fingers intertwined, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. I tossed the wedding gift I’d prepared into the trash can.
“Well then, I wish you both a lifetime of sweetness and happiness.”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, leaving painful crescent marks. Liam didn’t seem to catch my implied meaning. His entire demeanor brightened. He let go of Chloe’s hand and walked towards me.
“Aurora, I knew you’d be the most understanding and mature one, you always are. You’d definitely get it.”
“Chloe is only twenty, and she’s carrying a Hayes heir. We can’t let the baby be born without a mother, right?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he gave a subtle gesture to Alfred, our butler. Alfred quickly moved Chloe’s luggage into our bedroom. Liam offered me a strained smile.
“Aurora, the guest room is too small, and Chloe is pregnant, so it’s not convenient for her in there. She’ll stay in the master bedroom for now, and you can move into the guest room.”
I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, you’ll be staying in the master bedroom too?”
His words faltered, and he weakly tried to find an excuse. “Chloe is in her early stages of pregnancy, so there are many things to be extra careful about. Staying in the master bedroom will naturally allow me to look after her better.”
“But don’t worry, I won’t sleep in the bed. I’ll have Alfred bring in a sofa, and I’ll sleep on that.”
A bitter laugh bubbled up inside me. They’d already slept together, and now he was putting on this act? He pulled Chloe in front of me, gently instructing her.
“Quick, thank your sister-in-law! If it weren’t for her acceptance, our child wouldn’t receive such treatment.”
Chloe, who moments ago had seemed so innocent in Liam’s arms, was now bursting into tears, faking distress. I hadn’t said a word, yet she immediately looked as if she’d suffered a great injustice.
“Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your relationship with Liam. We just got drunk…”
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. Liam saw them, and his face was etched with concern. He gently wiped away her tears.
“Chloe, don’t blame yourself too much. We were just swept up in the moment, our feelings were too intense to control.”
“Don’t worry, your sister-in-law is a sensible person; she already forgave us, didn’t she? Getting too upset isn’t good for the baby. You’re carrying a Hayes heir now, I can’t let you suffer out here.”
But Chloe still looked terrified of me, her gaze darting between Liam and me. She looked at me timidly.
“But Liam, sister-in-law doesn’t seem very happy. Her face looks quite displeased.”
The next second, Liam grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of Chloe.
“Aurora, it’s no use me explaining things to Chloe. Why don’t you explain it to her? Chloe is sensitive; without your permission, she’ll just overthink everything, and too much stress isn’t good for the baby.”