"You think it's over once the baby's born?" I said. "That's when the real work starts."

"But don't worry. I've already booked the best postnatal recovery center in the city."

"And the best night nurse money can buy."

That seemed to put her at ease.

That evening, Maxwell came storming in with the receipt. "Sharon, you dropped six figures on a car without even asking me?"

"Did you ask me before you started cheating?"

"You know damn well why I cheated!"

"Fine. Blame me for not wanting kids."

The moment I backed down, Maxwell lifted his chin, exhaling through his nose like he'd won something.

"She's carrying your child," I said. "And you can't even give her a car?"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to earn that kind of money?"

"What if Vera's having twins?"

Maxwell's expression finally softened into a satisfied grin.

"I knew I had it in me!"

"You take good care of Vera, and I'll make sure you stay the lady of this house. Always."

I gave him a smile that said nothing at all.

When Vera was close to her due date, I made a special trip out to the countryside to bring Summer Head into the city.

My mother-in-law never missed a chance to whisper behind my back about how I couldn't produce an heir, did she?

Well, with a show like this coming up, I certainly wasn't going to let her miss it.

The moment Summer found out she was about to become a grandmother, she set off firecrackers in the village for an entire day. Every dog and pig within a mile was howling from dawn to dusk.

"Your Maxwell is finally going to be a father!"

"And it's twins!"

Granny Perkins, the widowed old lady from the neighborhood, clasped my hands, so moved she was on the verge of tears.

I squeezed her hands tight. "Granny, the pregnant one isn't me."

The shock hit her so hard the tears she'd been about to shed retreated right back into her eyes.

"That boy of theirs has been a handful since he was little. Just be patient with him. Be the bigger person."

I smiled and nodded. "I know. The children come first, after all."

Granny said, "I knew I wasn't wrong about you. When Maxwell divorces you, I'll put in a good word, make sure you get a fair share of the money."

I told her, "Everything Maxwell has right now is mine."

"I gave it to him, and I can take it all back."

"But since he's making me a mother without any of the labor pains, I'll let it slide."