Paige's eyes lit up, and she immediately reached for the bottle of supplements.

"Well, aren't you thoughtful! Looks like you know what's good for you."

Just as her hand was about to touch the bottle, the study door burst open, and Steve stormed out.

"Stop!"

Without even asking what the pills were, he shoved me hard. Caught completely off guard, the back of my head slammed into the corner of the table. A burst of blinding pain shot through me, and everything went dark for a moment.

Steve didn't even spare me a glance. He snatched the bottle from my hand and shouted, "Audrey Stafford, have you lost your mind? This is my child, my bloodline!"

His face twisted with rage. "How could you be so vile? I can't believe you're actually trying to harm an innocent life!"

I clutched the back of my bleeding head and struggled to sit up. As I watched him put on an act as a devoted father, I suddenly laughed.

"Innocent life? Steve, how dare you even talk about harming an innocent life!" I screamed, three years of suppressed agony finally tearing me apart. "When I was pregnant during the first year of our marriage, you called my morning sickness a noisy excretion machine and a pollution to your inner world.

"In order to force me into an abortion, you went on a three-day hunger strike and burned every baby item in the house. I was in excruciating pain on the operating table, while you sat at home reading your so-called literary works.

"You said it was to purify our lives, and now you tell me you want to protect a life?"

Steve adjusted his glasses, his face shifting into an expression of cold indifference.

"I was immature back then and hadn't yet grasped the true meaning of life. Besides…" He swept a disdainful glance over me. "You were born into privilege. Soft, pampered genes like yours are bound to produce someone useless. Paige, on the other hand, is different."

He turned to look at Paige, who still reeked of the pigsty. "Her genes are primitive, wild, and resilient. That's the hope of humanity, the kind of species that can survive in this rotting world."

As I listened to his deranged monologue, I picked up a shard of glass from the floor. In that moment, I truly wanted to slit Steve's throat.

A hypocritical piece of trash like him would be just a waste of space.

But I clenched the shard tightly, letting it cut into my palm. I couldn't turn myself into trash just to deal with him.

I threw the bloodied glass to the floor. "Steve, karma will get you."

He scoffed dismissively. "Karma is consolation for the weak. The strong believe only in will."

Then he helped Paige back to their room. "Ignore this lunatic. Don't let her upset you and risk harming the baby."

I sat on the floor, blood matted in my hair, completely ignored.

A long time passed before Steve emerged from the bedroom.

He walked over and stood before me. Looking down from above, he said, "Alright, enough drama. Since things have reached this point, let's talk business.

"The doctor said your previous abortion damaged your uterus, so you'll never get pregnant again. Paige may have good genes, but she's uneducated and truly incapable of raising a child properly."

He paused, then laid out what he clearly thought was a perfect plan. "You will take care of the baby once it's born.

"We'll tell everyone you've been on bed rest these past few months, and that Paige is just the hired nanny. After she gives birth, we'll give her some money and send her back to the village.

"Not only will your reputation stay intact this way, but I'll also have an heir, and the child will receive an elite education. It's a win-win, Audrey. In fact, you should thank me for giving you this chance to be a mother."

He said it all with absolute conviction, as if he were bestowing a great favor upon me.

I laughed in bitter rage. Blood trickled into my eyes, turning my vision dark and red.

"And if I refuse? Do you plan to keep the child and discard the mother? Steve, do you really think every woman in this world exists to revolve around you?"

Steve sighed. "Isn't Maurice currently being reviewed for the Academy of Sciences fellowship?"

My heart lurched to a stop. He had found my weakness.

My father, Maurice Stafford, valued his academic reputation more than life itself. If a scandal erupted at this critical moment, it could kill him.

"If word gets out that the daughter of an academician is jealous, infertile, and abuses a pregnant rural woman… how do you think his competitors will spin it? Could Maurice still hold onto that fellowship title?"

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, yet I felt no pain. For my father's sake, I had no choice but to put up with all this—even if it meant grinding my teeth to dust and swallowing it down.

"Fine." I lowered my head. "We'll do it your way."

A satisfied smile graced Steve's lips, and he reached out to pat my head. But I turned away to avoid his touch.

"That's my good wife. In a few days, we need to make a joint appearance at the academic conference to clear up the rumors. Do try to act a little more affectionate, and don't wear that dead expression all the time."

He stood up, humming a tune as he headed back to the room.

Paige called from inside, "I want grilled ribs! Two racks of them!"

"Alright, I'll buy them for you right away," Steve replied gently.

I remained seated on the cold floor, the blood on my face already dried.

After what felt like an eternity, I took my phone from my pocket and dialed a long-forgotten number.

The call connected almost instantly. "Addie? Is that you?"

"Ian Doyle," I whispered, tears finally spilling over. "I have a video of Steve in a pigsty. Can you help me spread it?"

There was a second of silence on the line, followed by the flick of a lighter.

"Just say the word, and I'll move mountains for you. And don't cry, Addie. It hurts me to hear it."