Madelyn pulled up her luxurious car in a secluded corner of the mansion's driveway after a long drive from the clinic, where she had fetched her medical report regarding a strange symptom she'd been experiencing recently. At this moment, her heart was still thumping with mixed emotions about the current situation.
There was a new life growing in her belly.
She lowered her gaze once again to the white envelope that concealed her pregnancy report, a radiant smile settling on her lips. "Will Rafael accept us?" she muttered, caressing the pregnancy report.
The imagination of having a beautiful home with Rafael was one of her deepest desires. But the thought that they hadn't had children yet caused her heart to tremble with uncertainty about his reaction.
She couldn't predict what he might say or how he would react.
Regardless, his opinion still mattered. Perhaps he might give their marriage a chance, especially since he had been cold toward her.
Madelyn took a deep breath and stepped out of her car, striding purposefully toward the grand entrance. With a gentle push, she swung open the heavy door, and her gaze fell upon a scene that made her heart skip a beat.
In the lavish living room, her husband, Rafael, lounged on the plush couch with an alluring woman perched seductively on his lap. Their entwined bodies seemed frozen in a compromising, intimate pose.
That woman was her half-sister!
Seeing their compromised position in her home, Madelyn clenched her fists as her heart skipped a beat, surging with mixed emotions. "What is she doing here?" she demanded an explanation.
Erica wrapped her hand across Rafael's shoulder and replied, "Easy, Sis. It's not unusual for me to meet my boss over important deals. Please, don't sound mean."
"But you shouldn't be in such a position with my husband!" Madelyn retorted, shooting her a death glare.
Erica wore a neutral expression while maintaining a remorseful air. "I didn't mean for this to happen, but I'm carrying Rafael's child," she confessed, rubbing a hand around her flat belly.
Staring at Erica's belly, Madelyn gasped as her breath hitched, struggling to comprehend the shocking news. She couldn't believe her worst nightmare had come true—another woman conceiving a child for her husband. She couldn't fathom when their business partnership had turned into something romantic.
Madelyn's eyes shifted to Rafael, who had been quiet all this while, maintaining his usual cold expression, simmering with unspoken, conflicted emotions.
With a puzzled and soured expression, she asked, seeking affirmation of her assumptions, "Rafael, what is she talking about? Is she pregnant?"
Rafael didn't spare her a glance as he answered, "Erica is pregnant with my child. She'll live with us for a while—she needs support." His voice was sharp yet heavy with emotion.
"Why her? What about my dreams with you?" Madelyn whispered.
"I can't ask her to get rid of the baby," Rafael replied.
"You can't make me feel humiliated about something I could have done, too! Does my patience mean nothing?" she retorted, her voice cracking with emotion as she suppressed the pang of betrayal in her chest.
"Don't be sensitive and accept things have turned out this way," Erica chipped in with a slight smile.
Madelyn clenched her fists and nodded once, suppressing the heavy weight of heartache piercing her chest that left her momentarily breathless. She hadn't imagined he would undermine her patience in enduring his cold attitude—especially not by bringing her halfsister into their home, bearing his child, after he had told her he wasn't ready for kids yet.
The presence of Erica made her feel like she was the one incapable of conceiving for her husband. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall, but she fought to hold them back. She refused to cry before these shameless people.
Attempting to gather her fragile self, Madelyn fought back the tears before she declared, "I don't care if you plan to raise the baby together, but not in my house. Take her somewhere else!" She swept a hurt glare at them.
Rafael stared at her, dumbstruck.
Madelyn wouldn't let another woman into the house that her grandfather-in-law had given them as a wedding gift. She couldn't forget the unpleasant memories Erica had created in their family's home before.
It was terrifying not knowing what disturbing experience she might endure while living under the same roof with Erica.
The tense atmosphere made Madelyn feel like her world was crumbling before her eyes, especially seeing how perfect they looked together. She wished he could know how she felt and would do just one right thing—give their marriage a chance without Erica ever being involved.
Sensing the intensity in the air, Erica felt uneasy that Madelyn might throw her out of the house because the furious woman looked hurt and wounded.
"Rafael can't send me away because our father and Rafael agreed that I would live here until I give birth to the baby," Erica retorted again, clinging to him tightly.
Their father? Madelyn muttered in utter shock in her mind.
How could their father agree to this, despite knowing it was wrong?
"Fine then. I'm leaving," Madelyn declared.
Her hope had been shattered.
She turned around, striding toward the staircase, while Rafael watched her retreating figure disappear. A tight knot formed in his chest—unwelcome and unfamiliar—as her determined words echoed relentlessly in his mind, drowning him in shock and confusion.
This was the first time he had heard her make such a decision, despite all the times he had flaunted his hedonistic lifestyle in front of her. And she had endured it. He had believed she might be hurt, but would never think of leaving him.
She must've meant leaving the mansion, right?
But she looked deeply hurt. Is she really leaving?
Rafael took a deep breath to calm the restlessness and guilt brewing inside him. He looked away from Madelyn, who had just walked into the master bedroom, when he heard Erica say,
"You can't accept her words because she's only jealous that she couldn't conceive. It's not healthy for my condition to live with a jealous woman," Erica said, observing how complicated Rafael appeared just now.
"So?" Rafael asked, his calculating eyes on her.
Erica took hold of his hand, holding it affectionately. "A jealous woman is bound to be dangerous, and I'm certain she's envious of my pregnancy because she can't conceive a child," she said softly, though her gut twinged with unease.
Rafael clenched his jaw in a tight line while his cold gaze grew infuriated, sending shivers down Erica's spine. "Your assumption is your deepest delusion," he uttered.
Erica's innocent act melted into a puzzled expression, her face frightened by the gaze that looked as if it could burn her to ashes for what she had just said.
Erica had thought Madelyn was infertile, and she believed that might be the reason behind Rafael's behavior toward her. Anyway, she had expected him to kick his wife out of the house since he didn't love her.
"But why is she still yet to conceive?" Erica asked.
"Get off me!" Rafael roared.
Startled, Erica flinched at the force of his voice, scrambling off his lap so abruptly she nearly fell to the floor.
Madelyn's words still echoed in Rafael's mind, each one stoking the fire in his chest. He couldn't stand being near Erica—it disgusted him.
Without another word, he pushed up from the couch and stormed out of the living room, heading upstairs to their bedroom.
"Why is he so furious?" Erica muttered, her fists tightening at her sides as she watched him disappear up the staircase.