Chapter 4

My excuse was clumsy, but he nodded. I was thrilled, completely unaware of the complicated path I had chosen.

When I got back to the Montgomery home, I heard Rita in the living room. “Young people today are so lucky! In our time, no wife would dare refuse her mother-in-law. Did you see how angry she got, her eyes red, when I asked her for a basin of water to wash my feet? I regret it. If she hadn’t been so greedy, Hugh would never have married such a useless, barren woman.”

Vera called out from the living room, “Who says otherwise…?”

I pushed open the door. The room fell silent.

Vera, sitting on the sofa, stood up and forced a smile. “You’re back, Miss. Have you eaten? There’s some leftover lunch. Should I heat it up?”

“No need.”

Seeing my cold tone, Rita got angry.

“Belinda, there’s so much waiting for you at home. Why did you leave so early without saying goodbye?”

The Montgomerys were strict and old-fashioned. As a woman, her only role was to continue the family line, be a good wife and mother and run the household.

On my first day after the wedding, Rita handed me a broom and made me clean the entire house, saying it was to prove I was a proper wife.

I put up with it for five years, doing my best to please her. But I never expected her to be so ungrateful.

I sneered. “Two maids, two cooks, a gardener and a family doctor. What else do you expect me to do myself?”

She probably didn’t expect me to go from docile to hostile. She was momentarily speechless, her face red. “Don’t you need to take care of the whole family? Check every corner of the house? What if someone with bad intentions takes something? Do you even know what’s happening?”

Her words were harsh. Vera, standing nearby, frowned and carried her plate to the kitchen.

I looked at her calmly. “Aren’t you part of this house? I hired and paid them and Hugh is busy. As their mother, you can’t just do a little work, right?”

Rita realized her mistake and tried to backtrack, but it was too late. She grew even angrier. “Why should I serve you? You can’t even have a child!”

I stared at Rita’s twisted face, my eyes cold. She had patted her chest, promising that living together was temporary and that she would take care of us.

Hugh had asked me to be understanding and I had, for five years. I endured my husband’s cold words and my mother-in-law’s hidden insults. Over time, I finally understood the helplessness in my father’s eyes years ago.

“The child?” I touched my lower abdomen, a faint smile on my lips. Ignoring her calls, I headed straight to the master bedroom.

Maybe because of the pregnancy, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. When I woke, it was already dark.

From the living room came Rita’s unusually loud laughter and a man’s familiar voice. Hugh was back? Something felt off. I opened the door and immediately noticed the strangely cheerful atmosphere in the living room.

Hugh was talking to Rita, while Luna smiled as she massaged Rita’s feet. Rita sighed, “Where do you find a girl like her? She’s obedient, sensible and her massage is even better than in the shops.”