Chapter 2
Seeing me on the verge of collapse, Adrian let out a sigh.
"Maria, I really want this baby. For the sake of all the years we've been together, can you let her keep the child and give birth to it?" he pleaded.
Seeing that I didn't respond, he pushed further.
"From today on, Serena will be living with us. You need to take good care of her," he said.
"Move in? And you want me to take care of her?" I looked up at him in disbelief.
"It's my child, after all. As my wife, isn't it your duty to take care of Serena so she can have the baby?" Adrian said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
When we got home, Adrian asked me to clear out the master bedroom so Serena could move in.
"Starting today, Serena will be sleeping in the master bedroom with me, so I can look after her," he said.
"Sorry, Maria. Since I'm pregnant, I guess you'll just have to deal with it," Serena said, rubbing her still-flat belly with a smile.
From the moment Serena stepped into the house, I felt numb. I didn't say a word and just told the maid to clear things out.
Serena seemed a bit annoyed that I didn't look upset, and suddenly walked over to grab my arm.
"Maria, are you upset? If you don't want me here, I can just leave. I really don't want to come between you two," she said.
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly let out a dramatic yelp and fell to the floor.
"Serena!" Adrian rushed over and scooped her up in his arms, shooting me a look full of hatred.
"She's pregnant! How could you push her?" he snapped.
"I didn't push her," I said.
"It's fine, Adrian. I'm okay, as long as Maria isn't mad at me," Serena chimed in, her voice sugary sweet.
Suddenly, I felt overwhelmingly exhausted. I turned to leave.
But before I could, Adrian flew into a rage. He stood up and slapped me hard across the face.
The sound echoed through the empty living room.
I covered my face in shock, unable to believe what just happened.
All these years, no matter how bad our fights got, Adrian had never laid a finger on me.
And now, he actually hit me over such a blatant lie.
I realized how much Serena's baby meant to him.
Every last bit of hope I had for him was gone.
Adrian snapped, "It's just a room! What's the big deal? There are so many rooms in this house. Do you really have to be so unreasonable?
"If you could have a baby, we wouldn't be dealing with all this trouble.
"Listen, Maria. It's not just this room. I'm giving Serena the whole house as compensation."
However, I was the one who bought this place and designed the entire decor.
I glanced at Adrian, and at Serena, looking all fragile and innocent behind him. I kept my mouth shut.
"Hurry up and get your stuff out. Stop wasting time. Serena hates seeing other people's junk in her space," Adrian spat.
Adrian gave me a look like I was something he scraped off his shoe, then helped Serena up and took her back to the bedroom.
I watched Adrian's back with an expressionless, numb stare.
Of course, I would clear out everything, including him.
After a while, Adrian came looking for me. When he saw the slap mark on my face, he frowned.
"If you hadn't pushed her, I wouldn't have hit you," he said defensively, making excuses for himself.
"Anything else?" I interrupted him.
"You pushed Serena earlier. She's willing to let it slide, but I can't. So you're going to give Serena another 10% of your shares, as compensation for what you did," he said.
I stayed silent.
"It's my kid, after all. You should at least do something to show you care. Besides, I just want to make sure Serena and the baby are taken care of," he added.
"Anything else?" I asked.
Adrian saw how calm I was and nodded, looking satisfied.
"You're getting more sensible these days. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know," Adrian said.
"I don't care what you give her. I just have one condition," I said, taking a sip of my water and looking up at him.
"She only gets everything after she delivers the baby safely," I added.
"Okay, no problem," Adrian replied.
At dinner, I brought Serena a bowl of chicken soup, and handed Adrian a bowl of herbal tonic.
I said, "I've been thinking, since this is Adrian's baby, Serena, just make yourself at home. If you want anything to eat or drink, just let me know.
"Babe, this herbal soup is good for you. Since you've got that curse on you, a little extra boost never hurts."
They saw how genuine I looked and didn't suspect a thing.
Adrian actually looked a little moved.
"Maria, you're the perfect wife in my imagination," he said softly.
The next day, I took him to the hospital for a check-up.
"Just to be safe, let's get you checked out. It'll put my mind at ease," I said.
When the results came back, the doctor frowned.
"Looks like you've got a minor issue with your stomach. You'll need a small surgery," the doctor said.
Adrian always took great care of himself, so when the doctor said he needed surgery, he agreed immediately and quickly scheduled the procedure.
When we got home, I cooked a few dishes for him.
"You need to eat and take care of yourself. You're my husband, after all. I don't want anything to happen to you," I said.
Seeing me like this, Adrian was even more convinced he had me completely under his thumb.
"Don't worry. Once Serena has the baby, you'll be the child's mother too. You get to have a kid without having to go through it yourself, isn't that a good thing?" he said.