From Baby Bump to Broken Back - Chapter 5: Chapter 5
You are reading From Baby Bump to Broken Back, Chapter 5: Chapter 5. Read more chapters of From Baby Bump to Broken Back.
Karina was marking her territory with me. I couldn't play the generous wife anymore - the suffocating tension was too much to bear silently.
"I'm exhausted, Darrel. You two go ahead without me."
Darrel didn't question it. When Karina left, that smug smirk of hers burned into my mind, lingering like a stain that wouldn't fade even minutes later.
I pressed a hand to my chest, swallowing back tears. That night during her shift, Karina came prowling back to the VIP floor.
"Edmund adores Mrs. Giselle. This is your wife's bracelet, right? My bad - forgot to take it off today." Darrel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I rarely wear it. She probably didn't notice. But you should stay out of her sight from now on. Wouldn't want her getting suspicious."
Karina's lips curled. "Glad to hear it. Wouldn't want any... misunderstandings."
She studied Darrel like a cat watching prey before changing tactics.
"Have you told your wife about the ancestral hall ceremony? With her mobility issues... should I step in?"
"No." Darrel cut her off sharp as a knife. "Just focus on Edmund."
He took a steadying breath before nailing her with a look that could frost glass.
"Giselle Siegfried is Lady of the Roderick House because she's my wife, Karina. These family matters are her domain."
Just then, a doctor rushed in reporting I'd fallen from my wheelchair. Darrel sprinted back, shirt clinging to his panicked sweat.
"Giselle! Are you hurt?"
Before he entered, I'd viciously twisted my own wrist. Tears streamed from the self-inflicted pain - there'd been no fall. I'd already regained my ability to walk when the doctor came for a routine check.
Trapped, I'd faked the accident. Now Darrel crushed me in his arms, anguish pouring from his eyes.
"You reckless woman! Whether you walk or not, I'll love you all the same."
I clung to him. Without Karina and Edmund, I might've been the world's happiest woman. But his love came too cheap.
Next day, to appease Karina, he proposed formalizing Edmund's place in the family. "An adopted son needs legitimacy," Darrel pressed, watching my reaction. "This silences the gossip."
I'd known this day would come. Edmund's homecoming would be my farewell.
Under Darrel's hopeful gaze, I nodded silently, even preparing the boy's ceremonial clothes. "He'll honor you," Darrel promised. But I didn't want some bastard's respect - I wanted my own child.
Inside, I was screaming. Outside, not a ripple showed. The perfect wife, silent to the end.
"I'm exhausted, Darrel. You two go ahead without me."
Darrel didn't question it. When Karina left, that smug smirk of hers burned into my mind, lingering like a stain that wouldn't fade even minutes later.
I pressed a hand to my chest, swallowing back tears. That night during her shift, Karina came prowling back to the VIP floor.
"Edmund adores Mrs. Giselle. This is your wife's bracelet, right? My bad - forgot to take it off today." Darrel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I rarely wear it. She probably didn't notice. But you should stay out of her sight from now on. Wouldn't want her getting suspicious."
Karina's lips curled. "Glad to hear it. Wouldn't want any... misunderstandings."
She studied Darrel like a cat watching prey before changing tactics.
"Have you told your wife about the ancestral hall ceremony? With her mobility issues... should I step in?"
"No." Darrel cut her off sharp as a knife. "Just focus on Edmund."
He took a steadying breath before nailing her with a look that could frost glass.
"Giselle Siegfried is Lady of the Roderick House because she's my wife, Karina. These family matters are her domain."
Just then, a doctor rushed in reporting I'd fallen from my wheelchair. Darrel sprinted back, shirt clinging to his panicked sweat.
"Giselle! Are you hurt?"
Before he entered, I'd viciously twisted my own wrist. Tears streamed from the self-inflicted pain - there'd been no fall. I'd already regained my ability to walk when the doctor came for a routine check.
Trapped, I'd faked the accident. Now Darrel crushed me in his arms, anguish pouring from his eyes.
"You reckless woman! Whether you walk or not, I'll love you all the same."
I clung to him. Without Karina and Edmund, I might've been the world's happiest woman. But his love came too cheap.
Next day, to appease Karina, he proposed formalizing Edmund's place in the family. "An adopted son needs legitimacy," Darrel pressed, watching my reaction. "This silences the gossip."
I'd known this day would come. Edmund's homecoming would be my farewell.
Under Darrel's hopeful gaze, I nodded silently, even preparing the boy's ceremonial clothes. "He'll honor you," Darrel promised. But I didn't want some bastard's respect - I wanted my own child.
Inside, I was screaming. Outside, not a ripple showed. The perfect wife, silent to the end.
End of From Baby Bump to Broken Back Chapter 5. Continue reading Chapter 6 or return to From Baby Bump to Broken Back book page.