Chapter 4
I was doing everything I could to get pregnant, but Olivia wasn’t giving up her position without a fight. Charles Scott, it seemed, truly adored her. Every time she shed a tear, he’d immediately drop everything to comfort her. She had her emotional leverage, but I had my own tricks. For all his cold, polished demeanor, Charles had no self-control around me. He wasn’t the upright and disciplined man he pretended to be. I knew exactly what he liked, and I used it to my advantage. Olivia stared at the marks on my neck, her eyes red with frustration. “He’s changed. He never used to ignore me like this. But don’t get ahead of yourself—he’s only with you because of family obligations. Deep down, he still loves me. You’ll never take my place.” I looked at her, this woman who clung so desperately to her idea of love, and I almost felt sorry for her. Charles hadn’t changed at all. He had always been this kind of man. Before I married into the Scott family, I’d seen him with countless women—young, bold, and alluring. While the media painted him as a devoted lover, spinning stories about his “pure and passionate romance” with Olivia, reality was far less glamorous. Even now, with two wives, he still carried the faint scent of unfamiliar perfume. Olivia never noticed. She always assumed it was mine. “Olivia, I’ll never hurt you, and I’ll never fight you for him,” I said evenly. “There’s no love between Charles and me. I’m only here for one reason: to give him a child.” She stared at me, stunned. After a long silence, she shook her head. “I don’t believe you,” she said. To her, Charles was perfect—how could anyone not want his love? My persistence paid off. I was finally pregnant. The entire Scott household was overjoyed. Mrs. Scott couldn’t stop grinning as she looked at my growing belly. Even Charles, who was always indifferent toward me, cracked a rare smile. From the second floor, Olivia stood watching us, her face pale as a ghost. That night, the lights in her room stayed on until morning. I opened my window and could faintly hear muffled sobs and voices. “You need to take better care of yourself,” I told her the next day. “Your health is more important than anything else.” “Why is it that I’ve been with Charles longer than you, yet you’re the one who got pregnant first? I’ve been trying so hard, and still—nothing!” She froze at her own words, then suddenly erupted into a furious scream. “You did something, didn’t you? Tell me!” She glared at me with wild, desperate eyes, her voice shaking the walls. “I know it was you! You didn’t want me to have his child, so you sabotaged me!” Her accusations grew louder and more frenzied. I instinctively stepped back, shaken by her outburst. “It’s you! You’re the reason I haven’t been able to get pregnant!” she screamed, her voice cracking. Suddenly, Charles stepped in, pulling me behind him protectively. “Olivia, enough!” he snapped, his voice tight with frustration as he grabbed her arm. “It was me,” he admitted, his tone low. Olivia froze, staring at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about?” “I’ve been putting birth control in your water,” he said, his voice heavy with guilt. “You have a heart condition, Olivia. I didn’t want to risk your health by letting you get pregnant.” Her face twisted with shock. “Why…?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I’ve always wanted to have a child with you!” she cried, her face contorted in pain. Her voice cracked as she screamed, “You did this for her, didn’t you?” She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes wild with fury. “You love her! You want her to have your baby because you’ve fallen for her!” Before I could react, she lunged at me. The impact sent us both crashing to the ground. Pain radiated through my abdomen as I hit the floor. A sharp, searing agony shot through my body, and I felt the wet warmth of blood pooling beneath me. Bright red streaks ran down my legs, staining my dress. “Ahh—” Olivia let out a piercing scream and clutched her own stomach, curling into a ball. Both of us lay there on the cold floor, bleeding and broken.