Chapter 2

A chill ran down my spine. Motherly instinct barely kept me calm.

I frowned slightly and let out a soft sigh. "No, I'm not pregnant."

Arabella shot me a suspicious look, sizing me up from head to toe.

I lowered my head, my voice hoarse. "The doctor said my body isn't strong enough, so it's really hard for me to get pregnant. Arabella, I might only ever have you as a daughter."

Arabella's face darkened as she tossed the kitchen knife onto the table.

"Don't call me your daughter. Stop pretending," Arabella said coldly. She turned and marched straight for the door, clearly unable to stand being in the same room as me.

But as she left, she tossed out her orders. "I want to wear my mom's old coat tomorrow. Make sure it's ironed tonight. And pick out Dad's tie with the thin stripes, not the one you bought."

Here we went again.

Ever since I married into the Winter family, Arabella never missed a chance to stake her claim, always asserting her authority in these petty ways.

I didn't want to fuss with a little girl, so most of the time, I just endured it.

But this time, I shook my head. "I'm a bit tired today. Let the maid take care of it."

She stopped in her tracks and turned back, her voice icy. "Oh, really?"

Oliver suddenly cut in. "Amelia, you should do it. The maid's always so clumsy."

I looked up at him and caught a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

Was he upset that I'm not pregnant, or was it because I wouldn't just keep letting Arabella walk all over me?

Not wanting to argue in front of Arabella, I just nodded. "Alright."

Arabella smirked triumphantly and turned to leave.

Once the door slammed shut, I rushed over to Oliver. I called out to him, "Honey, can we talk for a sec?"

He was slipping on his coat, about to head out shopping with Arabella.

"Amelia, Arabella shouldn't have splashed water on you," Oliver said. "But you're the adult here. You should be the bigger person and let her have her way sometimes. Don't always get upset over it."

He seemed a bit apologetic and patted my shoulder.

"Don't be too sad about the baby thing. It doesn't matter even if you're not pregnant," he said. "Let's put our energy into Arabella. It's enough."

I froze. The ease he showed, barely hidden, weighed down on me like a stone.

We'd always agreed to have another child after we got married. But now, it seemed like having a child with me was just an afterthought for him.

Not ready to give up, I kept pushing. "I was thinking, could I join you at the overseas branch for a while?"

Just one year would be enough for me to give birth without Arabella around.

Oliver let out a laugh, as if my request was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"I'm heading overseas for business, not for fun," he said. "You need to stay home and keep the house running. If you come with me, who's going to take care of Arabella?"

I didn't say a word. I just kept my eyes glued to the bullet comments.

[Whew, at least Oliver isn't totally clueless. He knows Arabella is the real priority.]

[If Arabella catches this on the camera, she'll be thrilled.]

[When Arabella finally dumps Oliver, maybe we'll leave him in one piece.]

[But why did Amelia's plotline change? When is Arabella gonna realize she's pregnant? Can't wait to see her deal with that two-faced stepmom.]

The bullet comments sent a chill down my spine.

Was I really supposed to die in Arabella's hands just because I was Amelia? What could I do to protect myself and my baby?

I looked over at Oliver.

Back then, he was so classy and soft-spoken. Even though he was a few years older and already had a daughter, my heart just couldn't help but skip a beat for him.

Now, he looked a little annoyed. "Arabella's still waiting outside. I'm heading out."

It was supposed to be our first wedding anniversary. Dinner was a disaster, and now even our anniversary was falling apart.

Without thinking, I blurted, "Oliver, maybe we should just go our separate ways."

Oliver frowned, his gaze suddenly colder as he looked at me. "Amelia, is it really worth arguing with a girl? Enough already. I'm going to act like I never heard that."

He didn't bother saying another word and just walked out.

The door slammed shut, leaving me standing alone in the empty house.

I barely had time to feel sad. I started searching every corner for the cameras the viewers had mentioned in the comments.

There was a pinhole camera hidden among the leaves of the houseplants, another one next to the TV, and even a listening device taped under the dining table.

Right then, I realized how much of a threat Arabella truly was.

I hired a professional team to thoroughly search every inch of the house.

When they found a camera hidden behind the bathroom mirror, one of them remarked, "Is your place secretly filming an espionage drama or something?"

My face went pale.