Shirley demanded, "Why is the bracelet I gave Diane on your wrist?"

She glanced at my father-in-law, Arthur Aldridge, and my husband, Dean Aldridge. Noting their stern expressions, she quickly reined in her panic and feigned anger as she turned on Helen.

I stepped forward and pretended to smooth things over with a smile. "Don't be upset, Shirley. It's enough that you thought of me.

"Helen missed you while you were away at school. When she heard that this bracelet was a gift from you, she wanted to keep something of yours close. So, she bought me a necklace and asked for the bracelet in exchange."

As if she'd just been saved from the predicament, Helen nodded eagerly under the weight of Dad's and Dean's stares.

"Yes, that's exactly it. I missed you so much, Shirley. It wasn't because I was greedy for the bracelet. I bought a new necklace and traded it with Diane."

I nodded in agreement. While it was true that Helen had asked me for the bracelet, it hadn't been because she'd missed Shirley.

Instead, she'd overheard me offhandedly mention that Shirley had taken it to be blessed by a priest and that it would guarantee I gave birth to a son. If I had a son, everything the Aldridges owned would belong to our family of three.

So, Helen had schemed and wasted a hefty sum of money buying a necklace to make the exchange with me.

Shirley knew Helen too well to believe the story was that simple, but she had no choice but to swallow her accusations and accept what I'd said.

"It's all good as long as Diane doesn't hate me. Though I've suffered a lot after she sent me to school, I know she did it for my good, so I don't blame her."

Listening to her thoughts, I smirked and said, "Enough about that bracelet now. Since everyone's here, I have good news to share."

Then, I turned to Dean and shyly announced, "I'm pregnant."

The usually stern Dad and Dean could barely hide their joy.

In Shirley's mind, a shrill, irrepressible cry rang out. "That's impossible!"

Frowning, I turned to her in confusion, only to see that her face was pale. Then, her inner voice sounded in my mind again. "It's wonderful that Dean and Diane are having a baby, but if they do, will they not care about me anymore?"

Seeing her feign a look of disappointment, my expression softened. I reached for her hand and gently said, "You're going to be an aunt, Shirley. Aren't you happy?"

She clenched her fists, a mix of hope and unease flickering across her face. "Of course, I am. I'll be a great aunt."

As if to prove her words true, she poured all her time and energy into taking care of me during her rare holiday, from cooking up little treats and fussing over every detail to even stitching tiny clothes by hand. I quietly disposed of most of it, but her efforts weren't entirely in vain.

Dad had always doted on Shirley and was pleased to see her caring for me. Even Dean, who'd never hidden his disdain for the way Shirley and Helen had forced their way into the family, seemed moved.

He said, "When the day comes for Shirley to marry, as her brother and sister-in-law, we should make sure she has a proper wedding gift."

All I did was smile and nod. Of course, I would prepare a grand gift, and I hoped she would be fortunate enough to receive it.

…

One afternoon, Shirley stepped forward with a white porcelain bowl and shyly called out to Dean. Only after he nodded did she turn sweetly to me.

"You hardly ate at lunch, Diane. I made this pumpkin soup just for you. Here, try it."

Steam rose up from the bowl as she held it out, and I smirked. With a sudden flick of my hand, I pushed it away and covered my mouth as I doubled over, retching violently.

"Ouch… It hurts…"

The scalding soup tipped over and splashed across Shirley's body. Almost instantly, her skin turned red where it burned her.

"Crap…" Her inner voice slipped out for a moment before she forced it back down.

I covered my mouth and nose, snickering mockingly. Was she finally losing control?

"Shirley, what did you add to that pumpkin soup? Diane's never had morning sickness. And couldn't you have been more careful when carrying something that hot? What if you burned her and hurt the baby?"

Hearing Dean's words, Shirley turned to him in disbelief. But his eyes were fixed on me, and he didn't bother to spare her a single glance at all.

Biting her lip, she lowered her head with a look of grievance and whispered an apology. "Sorry…"

A heartbeat later, her inner voice spilled into my ear, deliberately letting me hear her thoughts. "Why am I always so clumsy? I just wanted to take care of Diane and make sure my little nephew or niece will be born safe and sound. Thank goodness it was me who got burned and not her…"

I quickly adjusted my expression and tugged guiltily at Dean's sleeve before murmuring, "It's fine. Maybe it's just because I'm further along now, and this has nothing to do with Shirley. She's just a young lady. How could she know how to look after someone who's expecting?"

His dark expression softened at that before he gave me an exasperated look. "You're just too kind, Diane."

Then, turning to Shirley, he said, "Diane's right. From now on, you don't have to concern yourself with her meals or care; just focus on your studies. She's already called in a lot of favors to send you to school."

Seeing the stern, unreadable expression on Dean's face, Shirley's hatred deepened. She pressed her nails into the blisters on her burned hand until they burst, yet she didn't seem to notice. All she did was lower her head and nod obediently.

Soon after, she went back to school with her arm still raw with burns. On the rare occasions that she came home, she never stayed for long.

As my baby bump grew bigger, Dean became even more cautious. He insisted on checking every bite of food, every piece of clothing, and every item I used before he let me near it.

We could have relied on Helen, who used to be a housekeeper, but Dean despised her. After all, she'd wormed her way into Dad's bed while the latter was ill and then blackmailed her way into marrying him.

Dean hated her so much that he wouldn't even look at her and brought in an experienced caretaker to look after me. That left Shirley with no chance to get close to me.

It wasn't until just before my due date, when Shirley came home for summer break, that we finally met again.

Smiling sweetly, she seemed all grown up as she held out a protective talisman. "Diane, I went to church with my classmates and got this talisman. Wear it, and it'll keep you and the baby safe throughout the delivery."

Her inner voice swiftly followed. "She must think poorly of me after the pumpkin soup incident, but I heard from the priest that this protective talisman keeps people safe. And…"

She rubbed her knee with exaggerated movements and waited until I glanced over before continuing in her mind, "I climbed all 999 steps to the church on my knees to get it. But I won't tell Diane that. It would only burden her."

Hearing her words, I looked up in surprise and clasped her hand, my eyes tearing up in gratitude. "Shirley, you silly child. I promise that I'll keep this talisman close."

She feigned a puzzled look, but the moment I turned away, a fleeting triumphant smirk flashed across her face.

…

Soon, I was due for delivery. As I was taken into the delivery room with the protective talisman, Shirley lingered nearby, looking like someone who was waiting for a show to begin.

Sharp pain ripped through my body and blurred my consciousness. Each contraction stole my breath until all I could do was cry out.

"Push, Mrs. Aldridge! You're almost there." The doctor urged and cheered me on, but I could feel my strength draining fast.

"Dean, Diane is in so much pain! Go in now; she needs you!" Shirley's shrill voice carried from just outside the door.

The thought of me giving birth to a nest of monsters had her practically trembling with excitement.

"Stop this nonsense, Shirley! Diane is in labor; I can't just barge in and disturb her!" Dean snapped, worry etched all over his face. Shirley's constant goading made his temper flare, but he forced himself to hold back.

His voice somehow gave me strength. I drew in a deep breath, followed the doctor's instructions, and pushed with everything I had left.

The delivery room soon filled with sharp gasps from the medical staff and my own cries of agony.

"Dean, she's suffering so much! The doctors sound alarmed, so something must've happened. Fine—if you won't do anything, I'll just be the bad guy."

Shirley shoved the delivery room's door open before the frantic and concerned Dean could stop her.

Together, they burst in, only to find the doctors standing rooted in place, their expressions frozen in shock.

"It worked! Diane gave birth to a litter of piglets, and Dean will never want her now." Shirley's gleeful thoughts reverberated in my ears.

But immediately after, her gloating halted, and her eyes widened in utter disbelief.