Chapter 3

"Personal questions are off-limits," Anker's voice was icy. But he didn't shake off Charlotte's hand. A sharp pain exploded in my chest. I grabbed my coat and rushed out. "Madam! It's pouring rain!" Butler Ben's shout was lost behind me. Rain quickly soaked through my cotton dress, but I didn't care. I had to see it with my own eyes, hear Anker's answer myself. If he really chose Charlotte… I would leave quietly. Grandpa said on his deathbed: "True love shouldn't be a cage, my little princess." The chandelier light in the ballroom stabbed my eyes. The room was full of champagne, haute couture, and fake smiles. And my Anker was always the most dazzling presence—now he was shielding Charlotte, protecting her from the jostling crowd. "Anker!" My voice cut through the noisy hall, jarringly out of place. Everyone turned. My drenched, pathetic figure clashed violently with this gilded world. "Do you love me?" I stared fiercely into his eyes. "Tell me honestly." Anker's brow furrowed. Those grey-blue eyes that always gazed at me warmly now held only cold fury. "Who let you come here?" The answer was blindingly obvious. In this perfect world he meticulously maintained, I was always an unwelcome intruder. "Answer me." I stubbornly lifted my chin. Anker's thin lips pressed into a tight line. Those grey-blue eyes that once drowned me were now unfathomable. Reporters swarmed like sharks smelling blood. "Ms. Phillips, are you clinging to Mr. Ford because you fear losing your status?" A woman reporter with gold-rimmed glasses shoved a microphone almost in my face. "After all, the Ford family took you in." "Given your… condition," a male reporter chimed in, "shouldn't you step aside gracefully and let Mr. Ford pursue real happiness?" "When do you plan to end this unequal marriage?" Each question was a knife. I didn't understand why everyone assumed it was my fault? "Please, everyone, don't trouble Emma." Charlotte's voice rang out like a clear bell. She stood under the spotlights, her Valentino gown outlining her perfect figure like a noble swan. "Given her current state… it's hard for her to grasp such complex issues." My vision blurred. A buzzing filled my ears. The last thing I registered was Anker's suddenly tense face. "How is my wife?" In the smell of disinfectant, I heard the doctor's serious voice: "High fever from getting drenched in the rain is very dangerous for a woman in early pregnancy. We can only use physical cooling now. Mr. Ford, you must be extremely vigilant about your wife's condition." The room fell silent. After a long moment, Anker gave a low acknowledgment. "Anker," I gently touched my still-flat belly, my fingertips trembling with hope, "the nurse said we're having a baby. Is it true?" "Hmm." His reply was curt, almost cold. "Grandpa said children make a family complete." I tried to smile, but saw his brow furrow tighter. Mrs. Ford's shriek pierced the hospital door: "That retard is pregnant? Isn't having one imbecile in the family bad enough? Are you trying to pollute the Ford bloodline with defective genes?" Mrs. Ford looked like she was about to spit fire. She suddenly lunged forward, grabbing me: "Take her for an abortion right now! That child cannot stay!"