I pulled my down jacket tighter against me to block out the cold wind. I waited for nearly an hour. My feet were going numb from the cold when I finally saw Gary's assistant, Daniel Lawson, hurrying out from inside.

"Mrs. Mitchell, I'm so sorry. Mr. Mitchell is in a meeting."

He apologized repeatedly as he led me to a large villa, explaining that Gary had been working here for the past few days.

When Gary saw me, his brows immediately knitted tight.

"I asked you to deliver a document. Why did you take so long? Can't you handle even this small task?"

"I arrived a long time ago, but I couldn't get in at the entrance. I called you so many times..." I tried to explain.

He did not listen at all and impatiently cut me off. "Enough with the excuses. How can you still keep talking about going back to work when your performance is like this?

"You can't even deliver a document properly. What else can you do?"

My heart felt like it had been stabbed with a knife. I had mentioned wanting to continue working many times before, but he refused each time.

"I don't need my wife going out and making a spectacle of herself to earn money. Just stay home comfortably and enjoy yourself."

I took a breath and suppressed my emotions. "The document has been delivered. If there's nothing else, I'll head back."

"What's the rush?" His tone softened a bit.

"Go wait in the office. After my meeting, I'll take you out to eat."

Before I could refuse, he was already being ushered toward the conference room by a group of people.

Daniel led me to the office. When the door opened, I saw what looked like a beauty pageant. Seven or eight young, attractive women sat at their workstations, each with flawless makeup and stylish clothing.

Gary had two strict requirements when hiring female secretaries. First, they had to be beautiful. Second, they had to be under twenty-five years old.

The outside world jokingly called his secretary team the 'Mitchell Group Beauty Squad'.

Wearing my bulky down jacket and walking among them, I felt like a penguin that had wandered into Swan Lake. I sat down on the sofa without a care.

The secretaries' curious gazes stuck to me. I heard their whispered gossip clearly.

"Who's that?"

A new face wearing an extremely short pencil skirt stared at me directly. She nudged Daniel and asked in a sweet voice, "Daniel, who is this?"

Daniel replied quietly, "That's Mr. Mitchell's wife."

The new secretary's eyes immediately widened in shock, her voice rising slightly.

"Mrs. Mitchell? Is she a celebrity? Why is she so covered up?"

Daniel shook his head. "No."

The new secretary curled her lip and spoke in a sour, passive-aggressive tone.

"Oh, she's not a celebrity? If she's not a celebrity, why is she wearing a hat and mask? She's acting so mysterious, like she's afraid someone might recognize her."

The girl beside her gently tugged at her, but she did not care at all. She brazenly looked me over again, her voice carrying malice.

"Is it because she's not very good-looking? Look at her figure. She's huge!"

I lowered my eyes. Even the thick down jacket could not hide my bloated, misshapen figure.

After getting pregnant, I gained weight rapidly, and all my curves disappeared.

As for why I wore a mask and hat, it was because of Gary. He said it was to protect me. He had made many enemies in business and was afraid I would be targeted.

Daniel scolded her in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense! Mr. Mitchell loves his wife very much. Show some respect!"

The new secretary pouted, looking completely unconvinced, and rolled her eyes.

I looked at her calmly and beckoned with my hand. "You. Get me a cup of coffee."

When Gary finished his meeting and came out, his eyes immediately landed on the coffee in front of me, and his brows knitted tightly again.

"Who gave you coffee?"

The new secretary immediately stood up, eagerly answering as if seeking credit. "Mr. Mitchell, I made it for Mrs. Mitchell!"

Gary's gaze swept sharply toward her, and he scolded harshly. "Pour it out."

The new secretary's smug expression froze instantly. She trembled as she stepped forward, her hands shaking as she picked up the coffee cup, nearly spilling it.

"What's wrong with you?"

Gary turned to look at me, his tone full of reproach.

"Can you drink coffee right now? Do I need to remind you of common sense over and over again?

"How old are you? She doesn't know better, but how can you not?"

The entire outer secretary area fell silent. All the girls kept their heads down, afraid of provoking Gary.

His words twisted painfully in my chest.

I swallowed the sourness in my throat, tugged at the corner of his sleeve, and took the initiative to break the suffocating atmosphere by saying quietly, "I'm hungry."

With a stern face, he pulled out his phone and ordered a nutritious meal from the hotel to be sent to the room.

The food arrived quickly. The plating was exquisite, and the ingredients were high-end, light, and healthy, completely meeting his requirements.

He did not sit down to accompany me.

"Take your time eating. I have a team gathering. It's just downstairs in the courtyard."

I walked to the balcony facing the courtyard and saw his so-called 'team gathering'.

Beside the long buffet table, his siren-like secretaries surrounded him in their flashy outfits, smiling radiantly. His posture was relaxed, a wine glass perched on one hand. His other hand rested naturally on the back of the chair of the secretary beside him.

He looked like a king holding court, and that secretary was his favorite.

My mind flashed back to several years ago. I had been jealous of his overly attractive secretary team and made a fuss about him replacing them.

He laughed at me for being petty, saying secretaries were the company's image. He told me to be understanding and not make trouble. He cupped my face and swore that in this lifetime, both body and heart, he would have only me.

Over the years, he truly had not been involved in any scandalous rumors. However, at that moment, that secretary in the super short skirt giggled as she picked up a grape and brought it to his lips in the courtyard below.

He did not hesitate and naturally lowered his head to eat it. My chest suddenly felt tight, and I could barely breathe.

Next, the secretary stood up, seemingly wanting to go to the nearby swing. However, she 'accidentally' stumbled and cried out, her entire body falling into Gary's arms.

Gary's hand easily caught her waist as he joked with a smile, "This is what you get for always dieting. Now you can't even walk straight?"

As he spoke, he scooped her up and walked a few steps to the swing, gently placing her on it.

My eyes stung from the scene. I gripped my cold phone tightly and used all my strength to hurl it down toward that glaring scene of laughter and cheer below.

Splash!

The phone hit the center of the heated pool in the courtyard, sending up a huge spray of water.

The playful noise below stopped abruptly. Everyone was startled by the sudden commotion and looked up in alarm.

Gary also looked up, and his gaze found me precisely on the balcony. Across the distance, our eyes met.

I gripped the balcony railing and shouted hoarsely at that blurry figure, "Gary Mitchell! Get up here now!"

Gary came quickly. He pushed open the door, his face ashen.

I grabbed the pillow beside me and threw it hard at him. He did not dodge, and the pillow hit him softly.

His eyes were dark. "What are you making a fuss about now?"

I pointed at the healthy meal on the table in front of me.

"Why do you get to eat barbecue and drink wine while I can only eat this garbage?"

He said coldly, "Carrie, be reasonable. You're pregnant. The doctor said you need a light diet.

"This is all for your own good. Once the baby is born, you can eat whatever you want. Okay?"

The baby again. How much more did I have to sacrifice for this baby?

Besides, I did not even like children. He replaced my birth control pills and got me pregnant.

He walked over, picked up a fork, and lifted a piece of kale to feed to me. His tone softened, like he was coaxing a disobedient child.

"Ahh… Open up!"

I turned my face away sharply, avoiding the vegetable as tears welled up against my will.

"All you see is the baby! Just because I'm pregnant with this baby, I don't even have the freedom to choose what I eat?"

"I'm a living, breathing person, not your breeding machine!"

Gary's face completely darkened, and he put down the fork heavily.

"You're about to become a mother. Can you stop being so willful and unreasonable?"

He sat down beside me and forcefully turned my shoulders toward him.

"Be good, and stop making a fuss. Just hold on for four more months. Once the baby is born, everything will be fine.

"After this baby is born, we won't have any more."

He picked up the bowl again, scooped up a forkful of food, and brought it to my lips. His eyes were stubborn, as if he would not give up until I finished eating.

I could not fight him, so I could only open my mouth and mechanically swallow the tasteless food. He force-fed me bite by bite until I finished the meal.

"Good girl."

He was finally satisfied and raised his hand to pat my head, but I instinctively dodged. His hand froze in mid-air, his eyes darkening.

A cautious knock came from outside the door. The secretary from earlier pushed the door open and leaned in. She was holding a plate of bright red hawthorns in her hands.

"Mrs. Mitchell, these are hawthorns that were just flown in. They're fresh and tart, totally great for your appetite. Would you like to try some?"

Gary stood up and took the plate of hawthorns. "Thank you for your trouble."

He paused, glanced at the secretary, and instructed. "I have a media interview in a bit. Stay here and take care of my wife."

The secretary's smile froze, but she did not dare object. Pouting, she replied, "Yes, Mr. Mitchell."

Gary strode out of the room.

The secretary was clearly impatient, pacing back and forth in the room. She kept glancing toward the door, looking like her heart had already flown to the interview site.

"You don't need to stay here. Go do what you need to do."

I spoke up, wanting to send her away.

"I can't." She immediately refused. "Mr. Mitchell instructed me to stay with you every step of the way. I have to listen to Mr. Mitchell."

I felt suffocated. Rather than being alone with her in this suffocating room, I might as well go out.

"Let's go, then." I stood up. "Let's go watch the interview together."

The secretary's eyes immediately lit up, and she eagerly followed.

The interview was being held in the hotel's largest ballroom. By the time we arrived, it was already packed with media reporters, cameras all trained on the dazzling man on stage.

Gary sat on stage, composed and at ease, answering reporters' questions with wit and humor. His answers drew laughter from the audience from time to time.

A female reporter stood up to ask a question.

"Mr. Mitchell, congratulations on being named Most Popular Entrepreneur again this year. We've noticed that many of your fans are young women, and everyone is very interested in your relationship status.

"May I ask if you're married?"

I instinctively clenched my fists. On stage, Gary faced the camera with a decisive tone. "No."

The secretary beside me let out an extremely soft snicker. "Tsk, so he's not even married. Then what's with the ‘Mrs. Mitchell’ act?"

Right. I was not Mrs. Mitchell, since Gary and I never registered our marriage. We never even had a wedding.

Back then, he told me that as the CEO of a publicly traded company, his marital status had to be disclosed. For my 'safety', to avoid being targeted by his 'competitors', we could not get married for the time being.

I believed him.

The reporter pressed on, "Then may I ask, Mr. Mitchell, are you currently single?"

On stage, Gary's smile remained unchanged. He spoke clearly into the microphone, "Yes."

My head started buzzing.

The secretary beside me could barely hide the wild joy and mockery on her face. All the blood in my body seemed to freeze instantly.

My vision went black. Everything around me started spinning and twisting, becoming blurred. Terrified screams erupted around me.

"Someone's fainted!"

"There's so much blood!"

Before my consciousness sank completely into darkness, I seemed to hear Gary's torn, terrified shout from far away.

"Honey!"