The last time I didn’t give up my seat next to Sebastian on the Ferris wheel for Adele, I ended up tied to a seat and forced to go around all night long.
As I received a message, I glanced down at my phone.
[I submitted the entry form. I’ll come pick you up.]
I calmly unlocked the glass case holding the dress, opened it, and then walked back to the guest room without another word. I couldn’t stomach watching their disgusting flirting any longer.
That evening, I was reviewing race data from different clubs when there was a knock at my door. It was Adele.
I didn’t want to talk to her, so I went to shut the door, but she shoved it open with her hand.
She stood there, towering over me with a smug, crooked smile. “Haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve gotten better at playing your cards, haven’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said flatly. “I need to rest.”
But she just sneered and stepped closer, whispering in my ear, “I heard you can’t get pregnant. Ever.”
My fists clenched so tightly they shook. I bit my lip and glared at her, heart pounding.
She looked pleased, like she’d hit a nerve, exactly what she wanted.
“Wanna bet how long it’ll take me to get pregnant with Sebastian’s baby?” she smirked. “Oh, and guess where that veggie juice you drank three years ago came from?”
I shut my eyes, forcing back the fury. My voice trembled as I said, “Get out.”
Only then did she finally leave. But the moment she did, I collapsed against the door and slid to the floor.
I buried my face in my hands and started to sob because everything she said was true.
I would never be able to have children again.
The first time I got pregnant, I had a miscarriage after drinking the “vegetable juice” Sebastian brought home. The second time, I lost the baby after Christian smeared oil on the stairs and I fell down an entire flight.
I bit my lip hard, trying to stifle my cries, but the pain was everywhere. Tiny needles piercing through every inch of my skin, sinking deep into my bones.
The next morning, laughter in the backyard woke me.
I opened the window only to see Adele playing in the garden with Christian while Sebastian sat nearby, watching them with a soft smile.
Anyone looking at them would’ve thought they were a real family.
I closed the window, but their voices still came through like needles under my skin.