"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.

Natalia replied, "I understand, Mr. Jackson. This is all my fault. Ow!"

She raised her hand to wipe her tears but "accidentally" brushed her fingers against her red, swollen cheek I had slapped.

Frank glanced at her face, and his heart went out to her. He demanded, "Zoey, apologize to Ms. Silva!"

I almost laughed out of sheer anger. "Why should I? My hand still hurts from hitting her. Why don't you ask her to apologize to me instead?"

Natalia stomped her foot in anger, while Frank looked at me and gave a faint, unreadable smile.

He said, "Zoey, what we have is just an arranged marriage. You never interfered in my personal affairs before, so why do you suddenly care now? Natalia is still young. She's bound to be a bit childish and can't take being wronged. Just apologize to her, and we'll let this go. Stop making a scene."

The baby fumed indignantly in my belly, "My dad is such a scumbag! Mommy is always so understanding! How could she be making a scene? She hit the mistress because that vixen deserved it and more!"

I felt a pang in my heart. I wholeheartedly agreed with her words.

I sneered. "Don't flatter yourself. I used to let you be and do as you please, and you just kept pushing further. Why should I keep letting you have your way? I hit her because she deserved it!"

With that, I grabbed my bag and left.

I recalled that my father's birthday was coming up soon. After leaving the hospital, I went to eat at a restaurant. Then, I headed to an auction.

Suddenly, a commotion stirred in the crowd.

I looked over to see Natalia walking arm-in-arm with Frank. Without even glancing around, the two of them took their seats. As soon as Natalia sat down, she pointed at the catalog in her hand and coquettishly said she wanted the necklace on one of the pages.

Ignoring the curious looks from the other audience, I took out my phone and sent a message to Georgia.

The auction began shortly after. Frank bid on every piece of jewelry Natalia said she wanted without hesitation and won.

The glances people cast toward me grew even more sympathetic. My husband was spending lavishly in front of me, his wife, just to please his mistress. It was indeed pitiful.

But the more he spent, the happier I felt. The more proud he looked now, the more miserable he would be in a moment.

The item I had my eye on was a painting. When I raised my paddle to bid, my voice made Natalia and Frank turn around in surprise. Natalia looked at me, smiled tauntingly, and suddenly raised her paddle to raise the price by 500 thousand dollars.

She had only been bidding on jewelry before. Now, she was competing with me for a painting and raising the price by 500 thousand dollars in one go. It was obvious she was challenging me.

After several rounds, she called out an exorbitant price of three million dollars.

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd. The painting wasn't worth that price. So, I didn't bother competing with her anymore.

With the final hammer strike, Natalia shot me a smug look. Beside her, Frank helplessly but dotingly tapped her nose.

My baby scoffed in annoyance.

I took out my phone. Upon seeing the messages from both the lawyer and Georgia, I knew everything had been taken care of.

I gently stroked my belly and spoke to the baby in my mind, "Don't be mad, sweetie. In a moment, they won't be laughing anymore."

After the auction ended, Frank and Natalia deliberately waited for me at the entrance.

Natalia's voice was brimming with poorly concealed delight. "Oh, dear, Mrs. Jackson! I'm so sorry. Mr. Jackson said I'd suffered unfair treatment earlier, so he promised that I could buy anything I liked at the auction to cheer me up.

"I'm fond of that painting too, so I had no choice but to shamelessly compete with you for it."

I took out my phone to send a message before smiling enigmatically. "You are pretty shameless."

Natalia choked on her words, and her cheeks flushed.

Frank's phone buzzed. He took it out to look. In the next second, he froze with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

At the same time, a staff member from the auction approached. "Sorry, Mr. Jackson. The system shows that the card under your name is unable to complete the transaction."