Chapter 01

MANDOZE MANSION

London, United Kingdom

Calista was standing on the balcony. She blankly stared at the expanse of plants. Again and again, tears rolled down her cheeks, but she ignored them.

The girl rubbed her flat stomach. She seemed hopeless, wanting to disappear from this scary world.

Yet, a baby was growing inside her womb. Her pregnancy entered the age of 1 month, but the situation didn't even get better.

From the very beginning of her marriage, she wasn't treated as a wife by her husband. The ups and downs of her marriage life worsened because of her mother-in-law's intervention.

As a husband, Jozh persecuted Calista. He even dared to bring another woman named Lana.

Neither Jozh nor his big family knew about Calista's pregnancy. Even naturally, a pregnant woman often experiences nausea and vomiting, and they didn't have a clue.

In three years of living together, this was the first time Laurent, Calista's mother-in-law, cared about her. All this time, she hated her.

Calista didn't even know why she hated her so much.

"Calista, are you sick?" Laurent asked when she saw Calista vomit.

Calista didn't answer her question. She ran back to the bathroom and vomited white liquid.

As an experienced parent, of course, Laurent knew that Calista was currently pregnant. She then rubbed Calista's stomach, which was still flat, then looked at her with a probing gaze.

"Answer me, Calista!" Calista didn't answer. She chose to lower her face.

"Calista, raise your face and answer my question!" Laurent shouted. However, Calista still zipped her mouth.

Laurent was so angry that she shook Calista's body.

Calista then immediately left her, not wanting to explain anything.

Shortly after, her steps were stopped by Laurent's call.

"Wait, Calista!"

Without turning to look at her mother-in-law, Calista told her that she wanted to rest.

Laurent came closer, gripping Calista's shoulders tightly.

"I know you're lying."

"No, I didn't."

"You lied, and it's about your pregnancy."

Laurent's statement has broken down Calista's defensive walls.

"How did you know I'm pregnant?" Calista wondered.

"So you're pregnant? Answer!" Laurent asked her again.

Calista immediately lowered her head. Her shoulders shook because of sobbing.

Laurent couldn't see Calista's sadness, then immediately hugged her tightly.

For some reason, knowing that a baby was growing in Calista's womb made Laurent's hatred disappear.

"I apologise for all my bad."

"Sorry for what?" Calista was confused by Laurent' sudden apology.

Laurent didn't answer.

The middle-aged woman was crying. She regretted having wasted Calista, ignoring the fact that her daughter-in-law truly loved her like her own mother.

Other than that, Calista's sacrifice was enormous. To advance her husband's company, she was willing to work hard. Meanwhile, the man who became her husband had an affair with Lana.

Nausea hit Calista again. She then ran back to the bathroom, vomiting white liquid until her body went limp.

After feeling better, Calista immediately came out of the bathroom and was surprised to find her mother-in-law still in her room.

Realising the look of disapproval in Calista's eyes didn't make Laurent want to move. Instead, she chose to sit next to her, holding her hand tightly.

"I'll talk to Jozh." Lauren comforted Calista.

"No, Mom. Jozh doesn't need to know I'm pregnant." Calista replied.

"But Calista."

"Jozh doesn't need to know because it won't change anything." Calista showered Laurent with a glare.

"What do you mean, Calista? I'm going to ask Jozh to leave Lana."

"Leaving Lana?" Calista showed a sinister smile before speaking again.

"So you want Jozh to run away from his responsibility? Like you did to me?"

"I know I was wrong. I want to fix it."

"But not by sacrificing and hurting the other woman, Mom." Calista snapped as she couldn't believe that the woman she respected so much could say the most disgusting thing.

"Calista, listen to my explanation first."

"Enough! Leave me alone. Please get out."

"Jozh is your child's father, so he should know."

"That's enough, Mom! I don't want to hear anything more, so please get out of my room, now!" Calista's index finger pointed at the door.

Finally, with unsteady steps, Laurent left Calista's room.

After Laurent left, Calista immediately locked the door. Her tears broke until her body trembled. There was no strength to support her weight. She then finally collapsed.

Tears continued to flow down her cheeks until her eyes were puffy. Before her pregnancy was revealed, everything could have been easily controlled.

Still, for now, things were getting more and more difficult. Lana was also pregnant with Jozh's child and was four months pregnant.

Even though Calista hated that woman, she can never ignore the baby in Lana's womb. After all, the baby was also Jozh's child.

Calista was hurt just thinking about Lana, the one who was the beginning of her sorrow. The woman who snatched away her happiness, making her never sleep well.

Just like now, when the clock striked 3 in the morning, she was still awake.

"Calista, open the door!" Jozh shouted from behind the door.

Finding the door still tightly shut and with no sign of opening, Jozh was so angry that he kicked the door repeatedly.

"Open the door, or I'm going to break down this door right now!"

Calista didn't budge. She was crying, curled up like a baby, while holding her stomach tightly.

Jozh's threats didn't scare her. For now, she needed some time to be alone and calm down.

Jozh was so angry, so he went downstairs. However, by chance, he met Laurent.

"Did you just come back?" Jozh asked.

"Yes." Laurent replied.

"What are you doing in the waiting room? Go to your room!" Laurent exclaimed

Jozh glared at his mother with anger.

"Your daughter-in-law won't open the door. She's crying. I'm sick of all this. I'll have a lawyer prepare the divorce papers as soon as possible."

"No, Joz." Laurent immediately replied.

"Why?"

Lauren was silent. She remembered her promise to Calista not to reveal her pregnancy.

The impatient Jozh continued to press his mother.

"Don't be silent, Mom. Say something! Why can't I divorce Calista?"

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