Chapter 4

Before anyone knew it, a month had flown by.

That morning, as soon as I got up, my head was spinning, and my stomach was a mess.

I clung to the table, throwing up like crazy.

Cathy rushed over, her face pale with worry. "Lady Chloe, what's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"

I shook my head, but a sinking feeling hit me. A vague, inexplicable premonition washed over me.

When Frank heard the news, he immediately sent for the best doctor in the city.

The elderly physician examined me, his brow furrowing deeper.

After a lengthy examination, he withdrew. His face showed undisguised shock and joy.

He stood and gave a respectful nod to Phillip, who had hurried in upon hearing the news. "Congratulations, Lord Phillip."

Phillip had just returned from outside, still carrying the winter chill.

He looked annoyed. "What are you congratulating me for?"

The doctor was so excited that his voice shook. "Lady Chloe is pregnant. And the signs are strong and steady. If I may be bold, it could be twins."

The room went dead silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

I was frozen on the bed, stunned, wondering if I'd heard wrong.

Twins? Pregnant? How could that even happen?

I'd been with the Ludwig family for three years, taking all sorts of bitter remedies, and never once got pregnant.

Everyone said I was barren, like a hen that would never lay eggs.

But now, the doctor was saying I was pregnant with twins. It seemed like some cosmic joke.

Phillip was stunned, too.

For the first time, that usual carefree look on his face was gone.

He glanced at the doctor, then at me, his eyes full of doubt and scrutiny.

Frank was the first to recover. Overcome with emotion, he clasped his hands together, tears streaming down his weathered cheeks. "Thank the Lord. Thank the Lord. The late Lord and Lady Sherman can finally rest in peace."

Cathy sobbed with joy, hugging me tightly. "Ms. Marsh, did you hear? You are pregnant. Twins. This is wonderful."

Phillip and I were still in shock, totally reeling from what we'd heard.

The doctor repeated himself. "It is absolutely true. Lady Chloe is in perfect health. Her previous inability to conceive was simply a matter of timing."

A matter of timing. What a gentle phrase. It so easily erased three years of my suffering.

Phillip finally snapped out of it.

He waved his hand, motioning for the doctor and the servants to clear out.

Now it was just the two of us in the room.

Phillip walked to the bedside and looked down at me. His gaze burned into me, as if trying to see straight through me.

"Who's the father?" Phillip demanded, his voice cold and cutting.

My heart ached.

Of course, he had every reason to doubt me.

We had been married a month, and our intimate moments had been few and far between. And each time, he had...

I gripped the bedsheet until my knuckles turned white.

I looked up, meeting his eyes directly. "Phillip Sherman, who do you think it could be? Did you forget, or do you need me to jog your memory?

"On our wedding night, you said I was too weak and needed to recover.

"After that, every time, you were dead drunk. How many times have you laid a hand on me? Don't tell me you've lost count."

My voice was quiet, but there was a cold edge to it.

It was the first time I had spoken to him this way. The first time I had used his full name.

Phillip's expression shifted rapidly.

The suspicion in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by something far more complicated. Shock, confusion, and something almost like embarrassment.

Of course, he remembered. He simply could not believe it.

The Ludwigs had spent three years desperate for an heir, yet after just one month with Phillip, there were suddenly two on the way.

It was almost absurd.

Phillip was silent for a long time.

So long that I thought he was going to tell me to abort the child.

But instead, he turned around and walked over to the window, his back to me. "Get some rest."

With that, he pushed the door open and walked out.

I watched his back, my heart full of mixed feelings.

I had no idea what he was thinking. Did he want the children or not?

But the answer came sooner than I expected.