Chapter 3

I looked down at the blood in my hand.

Edward said, "I'll go check on her."

I asked, "Now?"

He looked away from me. "She gets scared easily."

"I'm scared, too," I said.

Edward froze.

I placed my hand on my belly. "I almost lost the baby today."

He finally looked at me.

But on the other end of the phone, Samantha was crying even harder.

Samantha said, "Mr. Carter, never mind. I can get through the night by myself."

Edward closed his eyes for a moment, then grabbed his car keys.

"I'll be back soon," he said.

As the door closed, a draft swept in from the entryway.

The spring blouse hanging on the chair swayed slightly.

It felt like it was shaking its head at me.

*****

Edward didn't come home that night.

At six in the morning, I was woken up by a phone call.

It was Mother Carter.

She asked, "Grace, are you fighting with Edward again because of Samantha?"

I leaned against the headboard, a band-aid still stuck to the back of my hand from last night.

"Mom, I'm not making a fuss," I said.

"If you're not making a fuss, then why didn't he come home all night?" Mother Carter asked.

She sounded annoyed. "You're pregnant now, so you should be more generous. Men need to go out for social events, and having an assistant look after them is a good thing."

I said quietly, "It's not just some work thing."

Mother Carter was silent for a second, then her voice turned even colder.

"I've met Samantha. She's sweet and knows how to behave herself. But you? Ever since you got pregnant, you've been acting like a queen. No wonder Edward doesn't even want to come home to you," Mother Carter said.

I held my phone, not saying a word.

I used to try to explain myself.

I'd say I wasn't trying to trap him with the baby, and that Samantha wasn't some innocent victim.

But eventually, I realized it was pointless.

Some people just don't want to hear the truth.

After the call ended, Edward texted me.

Edward texted: [Come to the office at ten. Mom will be there. We need to talk.]

I replied: [I have to stay in bed.]

He texted back right away.

He texted back: [Don't be stubborn. I'll send the driver for you.]

At half past ten, I arrived at Carter Group.

In the conference room, Mother Carter, Edward, and Samantha were all sitting together.

Samantha was wearing a white dress, and her face was still a little pale.

As soon as Samantha saw me, she jumped to her feet. "Mrs. Carter, I'm really sorry. Last night was all my fault, I kept Mr. Carter from coming home."

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

Mother Carter gently pulled her back into her seat. "Oh, sweetheart, there's no need to apologize. Anyone would be scared during a blackout, and Edward did the right thing by going to check on you."

I looked at Edward.

He didn't deny it.

He slid a document across the table to me.

"Sign it," he said.

I looked down.

It was a transfer of ownership form for my childcare brand.

I'd built this mother-and-baby brand before I got married, and later it became part of Carter Group.

Its name was Sprout & Bloom.

I'd poured three years of my life into it.

Because of Sprout & Bloom, I was willing to put my old job aside and focus on preparing for pregnancy.

I opened the document and saw that Samantha was listed as the new owner.

I looked up. "What does this mean?"

Edward said calmly, "You're pregnant, so you shouldn't be worrying about the project right now. Since Samantha has a background in marketing, she'll be in charge for the time being."

"For now?" I asked.