Chapter 3

The tension was suffocating. Chloe, seeing things turning bad, burst into tears. She suddenly clutched her stomach, collapsing into Blake's arms with a pained gasp.

"Blake... my stomach hurts so bad..."

"Our baby... please tell me our baby will be okay!"

Her words hit like a bombshell, exploding in the living room. The co-pilots exchanged stunned glances, their faces a mix of shock and embarrassment.

Blake looked as if he'd found a lifeline. His initial panic instantly transformed into pure elation as he tightly embraced Chloe.

"Baby? Are you saying... you're pregnant?"

Chloe blushed, giving me a timid glance before nodding.

Blake sharply looked up at me, the alarm in his eyes replaced by self-righteous confidence. "Ava, did you hear that?"

"Chloe is carrying my child! That's why I was so concerned about her, why I insisted she take that seat! We've been married for seven years, and you couldn't give me a child. My mother has been hounding us for years! Now Chloe has my baby, how dare you be jealous?"

The more he spoke, the more justified he felt, his back straightening with arrogance.

"For the sake of the child, let's forget about this. Go ahead and destroy those documents, then call the company and make sure this whole thing is swept under the rug."

"If you're obedient, once the baby is born, you can be the godmother. I won't divorce you. The Mrs. Harrison title will still be yours."

I looked at his despicable face, my stomach churning with disgust. Even a dog I'd raised for seven years would show more loyalty. Yet, the man I'd adored for seven years was now using the cruelest words to attack my deepest wound.

I said nothing, merely turned and walked to the foyer, opening the front door.

"Ava! Did you hear me?!"

Blake assumed I'd caved. He started to walk towards the bedroom with Chloe in his arms. "Go make the bed for Chloe; she needs to rest."

I watched him with a mocking smile. Seeing me unmoving, his brows furrowed deeply. He stopped, turned around, and spoke in a tone so entitled it was almost a command.

"What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear Chloe say she's in pain? The master bedroom mattress is custom Italian, good for the back. Go change the sheets, get fresh ones. Don't use the ones you've slept on; that's just gross."

The air in the living room solidified. The co-pilots, who had been watching the spectacle unfold, suddenly found their phones fascinating.

To ask me, a woman worth billions, to change sheets and make a bed for his mistress. Only Blake would have the nerve.

I stood rooted to the spot, my nails biting into my palms, yet a cold laugh escaped me.

"Blake, have you forgotten? This mansion is mine. The master bedroom is my room. And that bed? I paid for that, too."

In his arms, Chloe shrank back at just the right moment, her eyes reddening, her voice dropping to a faint, trembling whisper.

"Blake... please don't fight with Ava over me. It's okay if I don't sleep in the master bedroom. Even though the doctor said I have signs of a potential miscarriage and can't endure a hard mattress, I can manage..."

She bit her lip, putting on a heartbroken, understanding look, yet every word she uttered was designed to throw me under the bus.

As expected, Blake's fury ignited. He carefully placed Chloe on the sofa and strode towards me. That overbearing presence, which I'd once cherished as security in our marriage, now felt like a knife twisting in my gut.

"Ava, when did you become so malicious? Is a human life less important to you than a bed?" He seized my wrist with shocking force, dragging me towards the stairs.

"If you won't move, I'll make you move!"