Chapter 3

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and calmly said, “Declan, you're still the same, choosing her, and me, I can't even get a basic respect.” These three months of loneliness and aggravation had slowly made me numb. I never expected anything from him again, and even began to learn to stop looking forward to the future. And he, still in the name of protecting Natalia, tied up my future and that of my children. The doorbell rang and Natalia arrived with her parents and the movers. As soon as Natalia's mother saw me, she started going through my things, casually throwing my clothing accessories to the floor, cursing all the while: 　"Some people are so shameless, carrying a bastard child and still hogging their wife's place! My stupid daughter, how much she suffered for Declan!" Natalia's father directly picked up my suitcase, dumped all the contents on the ground and stomped on it, his eyes contemptuously snarling at me: “This trash doesn't deserve Declan's house, get out of my daughter's house!” The group shoved me roughly, kicking away my belongings as they made their way up the stairs. We were the only ones left in the living room, and Natalia sneered: "So, what if you're married to Declan? So, what if my child isn't his? In his heart, you are nothing compared to me." Natalia's smile enrages me and I slap her straight across the face, pinning her to the ground and slapping her. She lies on the ground screaming until Declan rushes back and pulls me away. Natalia's cries attracted her parents. Natalia's mother glares at me, forcing Declan to kick me out: “I don't feel comfortable with Natalia living here with her around. Declan, if you don't kick her out, I'll take Natalia home. We can afford to raise a child, and Declan's will live with that bastard." Natalia is in Declan's arms, sneaking a smug smile at me. Declan is silent for a long time, and just when Natalia's mother thinks she's getting her way, he lets go of Natalia and walks over to me: "I'm not kicking out my wife. Please take Natalia back first." Natalia immediately burst into tears. 　Eventually Natalia's father came out to intercede and she stayed. My room was changed from the best master bedroom in the villa to the dark and narrow store room downstairs. Declan said that for the sake of Natalia's baby, I could only be entrusted with me first. “Don't worry, I'll change it back for you before you give birth.” This warehouse was originally a place to store sundries, and you can smell a musty odor when you enter. The walls were mottled, there were cobwebs in the corners, and the floor had visible water stains and stains that wouldn't rub off, making it a room no maid would ever live in. But it doesn't matter to me where I live anymore. This child who is not expected, I no longer intend to give birth and let him suffer. Natalia was probably warned by Declan. She still lives here, but she doesn't bother me anymore and just ignores me when she sees me. I spend all day trying to find a way to contact the outside world, and Natalia is my only hope. But she refused outright and firmly. “Declan won't let you go out; there's no way I'm betraying him to help you.” “Evelyn, you don't know anything about our relationship.” “I would do anything for him.” That's why Declan prefers to condescend to his wife and children and help this secretary. Declan comes home every day and reads bedtime stories to the baby in Natalia's womb. He also buys her a house full of baby toys. Every night he cooked Natalia what she wanted to eat with his own hands. It was after ten o'clock at night when he knocked on my door. I opened the door and they didn't talk for a while. I turned around and lay back down on the bed. I saw the tears in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. The room I lived in was even worse than the maid's room, so small that it could only fit a bed, and there wasn't even a place to sit. Whenever it rained, the roof would always leak and I had to keep a rusty metal bucket next to my bed to catch the drops. Natalia had taken all the good rooms in the house: one was her baby's nursery, one was her piano room, and the rest she kept for miscellaneous things. Even Declan now lives with Natalia, saying it's easier to take care of her. Declan stood beside the bed and silently took a cigarette from his pocket. In his other hand he held a delicate china plate with half a cream cake on it, the strawberry on top already half bitten off. “Natalia couldn't finish the cake; I thought you might be hungry.” He handed me the plate. He tried to light a cigarette and realized the room had no windows, so he put it back. I didn't take it, just said coldly, "What the hell? I'm going to sleep." “Evelyn, do you want to get rid of our child that badly?” “Is it so hard to believe that I love you?” It was the first time he said he loved me. But I can't tell anymore if it's something he really means or if it's a ploy to trick me into having the baby. I closed my eyes and shed a tear. “I will have the baby.” “Give me back my cell phone.” “You know I don't have many people to contact.”  Declan was thrilled as he hugged me. I didn't shake his hand off, only whispered, “I just want the phone.” “Okay, I'll give you whatever you want.” Once the phone arrived, I was always relieved. No one knew that I, as the adopted daughter of our family, was just a pawn in a marriage with Declan. In fact, I found my real parents three years ago. But at that time, I didn't go with them in order to marry Declan. Although they were reluctant, they still respected my choice. When they were leaving, they left a phone number and said, “If you're not having a good time in the future, mom and dad will come and get you anytime.” I didn't take this seriously before, but now, it became my only chance to save my life.