This is the seventh year of my arranged marriage to Frank Jackson, yet he is constantly seeing other women. Because of that, I become known in our circle as the ever-tolerant wife.

Everyone is watching and waiting to see when a mistress will finally replace me.

But when I unexpectedly get pregnant, I hear a furious voice screaming at me from my belly in my mind.

"Mommy, are you some holy saint? In your past life, you kept tolerating everything. That was exactly why my scumbag dad's mistress drove you out and left you for dead on the streets!

"That vile woman is practically trampling all over you. How can you not fight back? Slap her! While you're at it, give my fool of a dad a good slap, too! The more you tolerate, the more people push their luck. You need to stand up for yourself and divorce that scumbag!"

I swallow nervously, but my hand is already itching to act.

Maybe I should try doing what the baby says...

When I took the pregnancy test results from the doctor, my heart was pounding wildly.

Seven years into my arranged marriage with Frank Jackson, our relationship had long since become one that was in name only.

But the arrival of this child could be a ray of hope to mend our failed marriage.

With that thought, I eagerly pulled out my phone to snap a photo of the pregnancy test result. Then, I was about to share the news with Frank.

Just as I selected the photo, an anxious voice suddenly rang out in my mind, "Wait, Mom! You can't send that!"

Startled, I looked up. However, I didn't see any children around.

Who on earth had just spoken?

Sensing my confusion, the voice spoke again, "Mom, it's me. I'm your baby!"

I was even more confused. Was the baby in my belly talking to me?

But it was only a fetus that had barely taken shape!

The voice continued, "Mommy, you sent that message right after the checkup in your last life. Dad's secretary saw it and got jealous, so she ran off. The deal he was about to sign fell through. In the end, Dad blamed everything on you.

"He let his secretary vent her anger by driving you out. Then, we both got run over by a car!"

My cheeks that had been flushed with excitement a moment ago paled instantly. A chill spread through my entire body.

The image of being crushed under a truck with my body covered in blood flashed through my mind. My heart clenched in terror, and I hurriedly removed the photo I was about to send.

I had no idea if that was true, but I couldn't afford to take the risk.

When I even tossed aside the test report, the baby's satisfied voice sounded, "That's more like it. Mommy, can't you see it by now? Tolerating and suffering in silence won't help. Only by fighting back can you carve out a way for the two of us!"

I returned home uneasily.

It was nearly midnight when Frank finally came back, reeking of alcohol. His newly hired secretary, Natalia Silva, struggled to help him inside. And the moment she came in, she arrogantly ordered me to go to the kitchen and make the hangover remedy.

Just as I was about to stand up, a frustrated voice echoed in my mind, "Stop, Mommy! You're not a maid. Why should you listen to her? You're the lady of this house. Act like it. Talk back, then go upstairs and rest."

My movement paused. My baby kept urging me.

Taking a deep breath, I said stiffly, "Ms. Silva, have you had too much to drink? This is my home. It's not your place to tell me what to do."

As soon as the words fell, shock appeared on Natalia's face.

I steadied myself, stood up, and walked straight back to my bedroom.

Once I reached the second floor, the baby cheered inside my belly, "Nice job, Mommy! That's how you should carry yourself. See? It wasn't that hard, right?"

I tried to calm my heart. A flicker of excitement arose in me.

I realized that fighting back really wasn't that hard.

…

The next morning, Frank came downstairs with a frown as I was eating breakfast. His face was scrunched. He was clearly suffering from the hangover.

Natalia came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of oatmeal. She placed it in front of him with a concerned look on her face.

Frank paused, looking at Natalia. "Why are you here?"

She glanced at me and explained awkwardly, "Mr. Jackson, I brought you home last night. You were completely drunk, but Mrs. Jackson refused to take care of you and went back to her room early to rest."

"I was worried you'd feel unwell, so I took it upon myself to stay the night," Natalia said.

Frank had originally been a little displeased. After all, even though he fooled around, he had never brought anyone home to stay the night.

After hearing Natalia's explanation, the target of his displeasure shifted to me.

Natalia stood behind him and massaged his temples while urging, "Mr. Jackson, I got up early to cook this oatmeal just for you. Have some. It'll warm your stomach."

Frank's dissatisfaction mounted as he shot another look at me. In the past, I was always the one who did the things that Natalia did now.

My baby let out a timely snort. "Tsk! If she'd really wanted to take care of him, why didn't she make the hangover remedy last night herself?"

I realized my baby was right, so I spoke coolly at once, "If you were so worried about him feeling unwell, why didn't you make a hangover remedy for him last night?"

Natalia froze for a moment before shooting me a resentful glare. She turned around and tried to explain herself to Frank with a pitiful expression.

Frank set down his spoon impatiently. "That's enough, Zoey. As my wife, you didn't make it either. What right do you have to blame someone else for not doing it?"

Before I could respond, an angry voice suddenly came from the doorway, "You brat! How dare you order Zoey around?"

I was just about to turn around, but my mother-in-law, Georgia White, had already hurried over. She pulled me up from my seat and looked me over from head to toe. Seeing that I was fine, she let out a sigh of relief.

Frank told the maid to bring another set of utensils, but Natalia rushed to do it herself.

"Mom, why are you here?" he asked.

Georgia shot Frank a glare. Then, she helped me sit down with utmost care.

She scolded, "You've got some nerve, Frank! If I hadn't come over, would you really have made Zoey serve you like a maid? Let me tell you. The child Zoey is carrying is the Jackson family's precious grandchild.

"From now on, you must not upset her, and you have to take good care of her every day!"

Frank froze on the spot. I was just as shocked.

How did Georgia know I was pregnant?

Before I could voice my confusion, Natalia, who was not far away, accidentally dropped a bowl. She looked at Frank with reddened eyes.

Georgia gave her a cold glance.

Before taking me upstairs to rest, she shot Frank another glare and barked, "And you! You'd better get rid of any other of those women you're seeing outside!"

As I watched Georgia fuss over me with concern, I still couldn't quite process what was going on.

Frank had no feelings for me, and Georgia had never been particularly close to me either. But now, it seemed that because I was pregnant, she was taking my side.

After checking on me, Georgia sighed. "Zoey, you're too soft in nature. You endure grievances without saying a word, and Frank is always busy with the company. Why don't you move to Jackson Manor and live with us? It'll be easier for me to take care of you."

Encouraged by the little one in my belly over the past two days, I no longer simply accepted everything.

I instinctively spoke up, "That isn't necessary, Mom. I'm fine staying here. I won't just suffer in silence either."

Georgia was stunned for two seconds.

Then, she took my hand and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say. But if you're ever wronged, just tell me. I'll stand up for you."

After Georgia was done showing her concern, she left in a hurry.

Not long after, Frank came in. It seemed Georgia had just given him another earful.

His expression was complicated and unreadable as he said, "Mom told me you went to the hospital for a prenatal checkup yesterday. When did you get pregnant?"

Remembering what the baby had said about Frank driving us out, I put a hand over my belly and glared at him.

In a firm voice, I said, "I'm keeping this child no matter what. If you don't want it, then we'll get a divorce right away. I'll take the child with me and leave."

The baby's satisfied voice sounded in my belly, "That's right, Mommy! Hurry up and divorce my scumbag dad. But don't forget to ask for more in the settlement!"

A flash of astonishment crossed Frank's face, followed by a frown as he stared at me in confusion.

I refused to back down. I widened my eyes and glared right back.

After a long moment, he simply said, "Get some rest. Don't overthink it."

Then, he left for work.

From that day on, Frank reined himself in quite a bit and started coming home on time every day. Occasionally, he would even bring me small gifts, and I accepted every single one without hesitation.

The baby was right. Frank's only redeeming quality was that he had money. Since he was offering me the gifts himself, it wasn't wrong for me to accept them.

Soon, it was time for my prenatal checkup. For once, Frank skipped work and accompanied me to the hospital.

After seeing the doctor and stepping out, I noticed Natalia standing not far away, glancing around nervously. The moment she saw Frank, she seemed to panic. Her eyes clung to him, but her feet turned as if she were about to leave.

Frank instinctively went after her, while I followed at an unhurried pace.

Soon, Natalia's tearful voice echoed in the quiet hallway, "Mr. Jackson, I didn't follow you here. My period is half a month late, and I was worried, so I came to the hospital today. Don't worry. I won't disturb you and Mrs. Jackson anymore. I'll handle this myself."

I stopped in my tracks, instinctively holding my breath. What would Frank choose?

Within my line of sight, Frank pulled Natalia into his arms.

He said in a helpless tone, "You silly girl. You're just a young lady. How are you supposed to deal with something like this alone? Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

I stood rooted to the spot stiffly and mocked myself for still placing hope in Frank.

Natalia met my gaze and flashed me a smug smile.

My baby cried out furiously, "Mommy, she's provoking you! Go over there and slap her! And while you're at it, give that scumbag dad a slap, too!"

The ranting went on and on. If she weren't so tiny, she'd probably be boxing inside my belly by now.

I patted my stomach to soothe her and took a deep breath.

She was right. Since I was already planning to divorce Frank, why should I keep putting up with this? If my tolerance couldn't earn his loyalty, I might as well go a little crazy and fight more for myself.

I walked straight toward Natalia, pulled her out of Frank's arms, and slapped her hard.

I hissed in pain as my hand hurt. But it felt so good!

The baby giggled inside my belly. "Mommy, you're amazing! That slap sounded so crisp!"

The smug smile on Natalia's face froze.

Frank reacted quickly by shielding her behind him and snapping, "Have you lost your mind, Zoey?

I shook my stinging hand, then raised it again and slapped Frank. Since I already hit Natalia, I might as well complete the set.

Frank's eyes widened in disbelief.

A few seconds later, he growled through gritted teeth, "Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you're pregnant!"

The bottled-up frustration I'd been nursing for a long time eased quite a bit. Sure enough, instead of always putting myself last, it felt better to lash out at those who wronged me.

I stared straight at Natalia and said coolly, "If she's pregnant, then she has to get rid of the child before we get divorced."

Natalia jerked her head up and shouted, "Why should I? This is my child! What right do you have to make me get rid of it? Mr. Jackson, say something! This is our child!"

The baby mimicked her in a shrill and mocking tone, "Mr. Jackson, say something!"

I had been in a bad mood, but I couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing that. They were a bad influence on my baby.

Frank's expression darkened. He looked at me for a long moment before finally speaking under Natalia's urging.

He mumbled, "Let's wait for the results first."

The results came out quickly. Lo and behold, Natalia was not pregnant.

She froze on the spot for a moment before snatching the report and reading it carefully in disbelief.

I couldn't help but let out a scoff. Natalia's eyes turned red with anger as she threw herself into Frank's arms and cried pitifully.

Frank pushed her away impatiently. "That's enough. Since you're not pregnant, this matter ends here. Zoey, stop going after Ms. Silva."

Tears streamed down Natalia's face.