Evan disappeared for seven whole days. During that time, he didn't contact me once.

Serena's smug voice rang through my phone again. "How does it feel to guard an empty bedroom, Selena? So what if you're the lady of the Blackwell family? The real lady of the house is the one sharing the man's bed!

"Van bought me a huge villa. We've been going at it in the bedroom, the kitchen, and even the balcony. He told me that once I become pregnant with his child, he'll divorce you and replace you with me.

"So, you'd better pray that doesn't happen. After all, we do it every single day. It won't be long before I become pregnant!"

I chuckled. "In that case, let me congratulate you in advance, Mrs. Blackwell."

Serena was caught off guard. Staring at me in disbelief, she snarled, "What game are you playing, Selena? Why aren't you angry? Do you think I'm lying? Here, I'll send you a few videos so you can see it for yourself!"

In a flash, several videos appeared in our chat box. Evan had her pinned against the headboard, murmuring over and over, "Darling, does it hurt? I'll go easy on you."

I thought my heart had gone completely numb, but it still tightened for a second.

Serena seemed pleased by my silence. "I thought you didn't care anymore. Turns out, you were just pretending," she scoffed.

I hung up on her and immediately blocked her. Silence settled over the room.

Just then, a housekeeper knocked on the door. She walked in with a cup of coffee and left.

Then, I immediately heard whispers and giggles outside the door. "Look at her; she looks utterly miserable. We were worried for nothing. Mr. Blackwell obviously doesn't love her anymore."

"Exactly. So what if she lives here? Home is wherever Mr. Blackwell is. I bet we'll be moving into Ms. Harroway's place in no time."

I kicked the door open and slapped one of them across the face. "Get down on your knees!"

Both of them dropped to their knees, shaking uncontrollably.

"I was wrong, Mrs. Blackwell. We shouldn't have talked about you behind your back. Please forgive me. I'm begging you…"

The other housekeeper clung to my leg. "We're only following Ms. Harroway's orders, Mrs. Blackwell. She said if we could upset you, she would reward us handsomely once she became the lady of the house…"

I froze for a second. Then, it hit me. No wonder these usually cautious housekeepers had been talking about me right in front of my face, provoking me.

I kicked the housekeeper aside. "Spit it out. What else has she ordered you to do? Tell me everything!"

The housekeeper was about to come clean when the front door flew open. Evan appeared at the doorway with a hardened expression. "What are you doing, Selena?"

I scoffed. "Perfect timing. Why don't you listen to how your housekeepers have been mistreating me? Go on! Tell him exactly what you just told me!"

The housekeepers immediately turned to him, trembling all over. Tears cascaded down their faces as they choked out, "Please save us, Mr. Blackwell. Mrs. Blackwell has been in a terrible mood since you left; she's been breaking things, yelling, and hitting us. We genuinely can't take it anymore!"

"Mrs. Blackwell insisted on going into Ms. Harroway's room, but you told us no one could enter without your permission. Yet, she forced us to break the door… When we refused, she kicked and punched us. If you'd shown up a little later, we'd probably be dead…"

The smile on my face froze, and I stared at them in disbelief.

Evan's forehead creased as he looked at me coldly. "You've seriously let me down, Selena."

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. Rather than being hurt, I wanted to laugh; I wanted to laugh at myself for having loved him for three long years.

Lowering my gaze, I suppressed my emotions. "Evan, we've been married for so many years. Do you still not know what kind of person I am? I don't care if you believe me or not, but I didn't yell or hit them. Is it wrong for me, as the lady of the house, to discipline housekeepers who cross the line?"

Perhaps I was too calm, because doubt flickered in his eyes. Still, when he looked at the housekeepers, who were on their knees, they immediately burst into tears, acting as if I had done something unforgivable.

"I was only gone for a few days, and the house is already a circus." All of a sudden, Serena walked in.

After hearing the housekeeper's cries, she chuckled. "You wanted to go to my bedroom? That's hardly worth fighting over. If you wanted a tour, I could have taken you myself. Why'd you beat up the housekeepers?"

Her words cemented their lie.

Evan immediately said, "Serena, you don't have to indulge her. That's your room. She has no right to enter."

Serena, however, ignored him. "It's just a room. I don't want these innocent people to get hurt because of me."

Then, she walked up to me, linked her arm with mine, and led me to her bedroom. I couldn't take it anymore and shook her off. I hadn't used much force, but she still ended up tumbling down the stairs.

"Serena!" Evan gasped.

I, too, was startled. Instinctively, I blurted out, "It wasn't me… I had only shaken her off… She deliberately fell down…"

"Selena Holloway!" Evan snarled, his eyes blazing with anger.

I had never seen him look at me that way before. His gaze was filled with fury, disbelief, and hatred.

He scooped Serena up and said icily, "You've seriously crossed the line, Selena. From now on, unless I say otherwise, you are not allowed to take a single step out of your bedroom!"

He then looked over his shoulder at the housekeepers on the floor. "All of you will keep an eye on her. If she acts up again, go straight to Gale. Don't worry about her status. Deal with her according to the rules. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes, Mr. Blackwell," the housekeepers responded in unison.

After he left, the housekeepers turned around and looked at me with disdain.

"Ms. Harroway was right. Life will be easier if we stick with her."

"Why break our backs when we can follow someone who can give us a better future?"

"What are you waiting for, Mrs. Blackwell? Get back to your bedroom!"

The housekeepers shoved me toward my bedroom. Instinctively, I pushed them away, but one of them let out a derisive chuckle. "Are you sure you want to fight us? Careful, or we'll tell Mr. Larson. I'm sure you know what will happen then."

Of course, I knew. If I were lucky, I'd walk away with a beating. If not, I'd end up in the dungeon and be put through hell.

For the sake of the baby in my belly, I held myself back and walked into my room obediently.

The door slammed shut behind me. Looking at the empty room, all the frustration I had bottled up broke loose. Clutching my face, I burst into tears.

Evan's anxious demeanor as he carried Serena away flashed through my mind again, as did the disappointed, impatient tone he used on me. I hadn't done anything… Why didn't he believe me?

My face was flushed, and I was struggling to breathe between sobs when a stabbing pain suddenly gripped my stomach. I curled up on the floor, sweat beading across my forehead. "Help! My stomach hurts… Go get a doctor…"

My weak cries filled the room, but no one responded.

Desperate, I dragged my aching body inch by inch to the door and pounded on it. "Open the door! Get me a doctor! I'm experiencing cramps…"

"You were only locked up for a few minutes, and you already want out? Cramps? I can't believe you'd come up with such an absurd lie!" The housekeeper scoffed. "You had better behave, or I'll toss your dinner straight into the trash later!"

I begged them for a while more, but they simply ignored me. Left with no other option, I called Evan.

He picked up almost immediately, but his voice was thick with annoyance. "What do you want?"

I let out a shaky breath, but the pain kept cutting my words apart. "It… Hurts… My stomach hurts…"

"Selena, are you seriously copying Serena right now, pretending to be in pain just to get my attention?"

"No… It's not like that… I really can't take it anymore…"

He was silent for a moment before spitting out, "I'm done believing you, Selena. You're on your own now."

"I'm not lying, Evan. I'm pregnant—"

The call was disconnected. Everything I wanted to tell him was stuck in my throat, making it hard to breathe.

Tears trickled down my cheeks wordlessly. At that moment, I realized I no longer loved Evan. I would never expect anything from him again.

After who knows how long, a housekeeper pushed the door open. She took a look at me, who was lying motionless on the floor, and sneered, "You sure are a good actress."

Right after saying that, she kicked me hard. "Get up. If you don't, I'll pour your dinner down your face!"

However, I kept my eyes shut, and I was completely unresponsive. The housekeeper frowned and crouched down to check on me.

Just then, her hand landed on a pool of blood beneath me, and she froze. "M-Mrs. Blackwell… Mrs. Blackwell, wake up!"

Her whole body trembled as she pulled out her phone to call Evan. Her voice was shaking violently as she said, "This is bad, Mr. Blackwell. Mrs. Blackwell fainted! And she's bleeding a lot… You need to hurry back right now!"

When I came to, the first thing that came into view was Evan's anxious and shaken face. Clutching my hand tightly, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant, Selena?"

I wanted to tell him that I had. Yet, he had hung up on me before I could even finish my sentence.

However, I was so weak I couldn't even open my eyes. Noticing my aloofness, he panicked for once. "This is all my fault, Selena. I didn't believe you. Thank God the baby is alright… Or else I'd never be able to forgive myself!

"No wonder you've been emotional lately. It's because you're pregnant. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have punished you for yelling at the housekeepers."

In the end, he still believed I had lied to him.

The frustration in my chest reached its limit. I used all the strength I had to pull my hand out of his.

My voice was hoarse and low as I demanded, "Get out. I don't want to see your face."

Evan froze for a moment. He seemed hurt as he stared at his empty hand and fell silent for a while.

Ultimately, he turned to leave. Before walking out, he warned the doctor. "Take good care of my wife. If anything happens to her or our baby, this hospital can shut its doors for good."

He left in a hurry. I later learned he had rushed home to punish the housekeepers. The doctor told him that if I had been rushed over any later, not only would our baby have been lost, but I might have died as well.

Rumor had it that the housekeepers were beaten within an inch of their lives. Even at death's door, they begged for mercy on their knees. "Mr. Blackwell, we were only following Ms. Harroway's orders! She forced us to do it!"

"Nonsense!" Evan snapped. "Serena's been in the hospital this whole time. How could she possibly force you to do anything? How dare you slander her?

"Mr. Larson, rip their tongues out and throw them out!"

"No! We're telling the truth, Mr. Blackwell! It was Ms. H—"

Blood splattered across the floor as Evan dropped the blade in his hand. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he declared, "From now on, anyone who dares to slander Serena will end up just like this!"

Before he left, he instructed Gale, "Don't breathe a word of this to my wife. Understood?"

Gale hurriedly nodded. Yet, I still found out.

Serena paused the video and stood beside my hospital bed, looking down at me with a triumphant smile. "I never imagined someone like you would be the first to get pregnant. But what does it matter? Evan loves only me.

"See? No matter what anyone says, he always believes me. You, on the other hand, were punished, locked in a room, and ended up so upset you almost lost your baby!

"I was worried for a moment, but after watching this, I think your baby will die sooner or later. It's what happens when the mother isn't even loved!"

I watched her crow over me and chuckled. "Are you scared, Serena?"

The smile on her face stiffened, while the amusement in my eyes deepened. "Aren't you telling me all these things to reassure yourself? If you were genuinely that sure of yourself, why did you rush over here as soon as you received that video? You didn't even change out of your hospital gown."

"You're… unbelievable!" Serena looked completely rattled, as though I had hit a nerve. "Don't get ahead of yourself! It's just a baby. I'll be pregnant soon enough!"

I kept a straight face as I responded softly, "In that case, I wish you luck. I hope you get knocked up on your first attempt."

My flippant demeanor enraged Serena. So, she raised her hand to slap me.

Just then, Evan pushed the door open and walked in. "What are you doing here, Serena?"

Serena hurriedly withdrew her hand and forced a smile. "I heard Mrs. Blackwell almost had a miscarriage, so I came to check on her."

He nodded. Looking at her thin hospital gown, he couldn't help but comment, "It's chilly today. You should head back to your room soon."

Serena froze. In the past, he would've draped his coat over her shoulders and personally walked her back. The thought made her shoot daggers at me.

Her gaze ultimately landed on my abdomen, her eyes filled with resentment. However, she still plastered a smile on her face and walked out the door as if she didn't care.

Evan turned around and gazed at her for a moment before spinning on his heel and sitting beside my bed.

Everything between them played in slow motion before my eyes, and I could see the worry and reluctance in his eyes clearly. He stayed, not because he no longer loved Serena, but because my pregnancy forced him to.

"What should we name our baby, Selena?" He asked gently as he poked my belly.

I looked out the window and pondered for a moment before responding softly, "Let's call him… Rene."

"Rene?"

"Yeah. It means to let go of the past."

Evan stiffened for a moment before breaking into a smile. "True. Your father wasn't good to you. It's better for you to forget him."

I turned around to see him resting his cheek against my belly. "Rene, you have to grow up safe and healthy. Daddy can't wait to meet you!"

His profile had returned to its familiar tenderness. In the past, I would've been moved to tears. Now, it only stung.

Evan, when I said I wanted to let go of my past, I wasn't referring to my childhood; I was referring to the three years I was married to you. My father failed me, but you weren't any better.

…

That evening, he stayed by my side until I fell asleep. Then, he stepped out onto the balcony.

"I'm not going back to you tonight, Serena. Go to bed without me."

"Tonight? What about tomorrow? Will you come back tomorrow? So long as that baby is still in her belly, you won't ever come back to me, right, Van?

"Don't you dare forget that Selena is just my substitute! The baby she's carrying is a substitute, too! Besides, I can give you one as well!" Serena was so emotional that her voice echoed through the glass window.

Evan immediately turned to check if I had woken up. Noticing that my eyes were still shut, he continued, "Calm down, Serena. We had already lost each other once. I promise I'll give you the happiness you deserve this time.

"Selena, on the other hand, is a mistake I made in the past, and I have to take responsibility for her. Do you understand?

"Also, don't call her a substitute right in her face. If she finds out about us and gets upset, it could affect the baby. It'll be a disaster then."

"She's the only one you care about; you don't care about me at all! In that case, I'll leave. That way, she and her precious baby will be just fine!"

Sobs echoed from her end of the call. Evan sighed exasperatedly. "Alright, Serena. Stop crying. I'll go and be with you, okay?"

He spent a long while comforting her on the phone before grabbing his coat from the couch and rushing out. Before he left, he planted a kiss on my forehead.

The moment the door clicked shut, I opened my eyes and wiped that kiss off my skin. I sat up and pulled out my phone.

I had received a new email notification. Wyrmvale University had sent me an acceptance letter. So, I immediately booked a flight to Bellerose.

"Evan, from this day on, I don't ever want to see you again," I thought to myself.