Chapter 44

I had felt shame, remorse, and self-reproach—countless emotions collided and burned fiercely in my chest. Every single day in the Carter household was pure torment. But it turned out all of this was just a cruel deception. And the mastermind behind it, with his air of superiority, made me feel like the biggest fool alive. I didn’t know how to face him, nor how to accept this brutal truth. All I knew was that, at this moment, I deeply regretted ever marrying into the Carter family. "Darling, don’t forget—you’re already carrying our child." As if reading my thoughts, he spoke up to remind me. I pressed a hand to my stomach, silent. Oh, my child… I’m so sorry you had to witness such a farce. Eventually, exhaustion from crying and the fatigue of early pregnancy overtook me, and I fell asleep. When I woke again, it was already the next morning. My eyes fluttered open to the sensation of being cradled in someone’s arms—a familiar feeling I had grown accustomed to night after night. My body s