Even as Sean and Evelyn were helping me to the operating room, I kept an eye on Rowena. She saw me being held back and started her own little act, clutching her belly, claiming she needed the operating room too.

"Bennett, it's time! The baby's too big, and I can't do this naturally. I need a C-section!"

Hearing that, I turned to the doctor beside me. "The operating room is a one-patient show, right? She can't come in!"

Rowena was beside herself, bowing deeply to me in a panic.

"May, please, stop making this so hard for me! Being pregnant isn't easy! Just let me be!" she sobbed, her plea filled with raw emotion as she doubled over.

Her display tugged at the heartstrings of the neighbors, who cast doubtful glances my way.

"She's bowing to you! How can you be so cold-hearted, you jealous thing?!" they muttered.

Hidden from their view, Rowena shot me a smug grin, sure she had played her cards right to get into the operating room with me.

I fought back with everything I had, screaming for all to hear, "Rowena's carrying a stillborn! She's plotting to swap her dead baby for mine!"

That hit a nerve. Sean and Rowena's composure slipped.

However, Rowena was quick–she whipped out her phone.

"May, you're slandering me, and that's a legal matter! I'm calling the cops on you this instant!"

As she dialed, she silently mouthed a venomous, "Die, you lowlife!"

I could not help but laugh.

She thought she could call the cops on me? Did she not realize I had allies of my own?

Soon enough, the wail of police sirens filled the air from below.

The crowd around us started pressing me to make amends with Rowena.

"To curse someone's child as a stillborn, that's just vile! Say you're sorry, now!"

"Or let the cops drag you off! Who'll look after your kid then?"

They were all too eager to play peacemakers, to brush the whole thing off.

However, Rowena was not about to let it go. She pointed at me, her voice rising in a furious shout.

"Just an apology? A woman's good name is worth more than that. I want her to prove her remorse by doing a month's worth of chores at my house!"

The crowd around us even started pushing me to agree.

"Come on, it's just a little housework. Compared to spending a night in jail, it's nothing! And your baby isn't some delicate little prince or princess. Just say yes!"

I let out an icy, sharp laugh.

"Oh, sure! Like I'd fall for that nonsense!" I snapped.

The onlookers froze, shocked. "Whoa! How can you say something like that? That's really rude!"

However, I had not insulted anyone I was not supposed to. I had, in fact, promised Rowena's mother-in-law, Nancy Parker, that I would keep a close eye on her daughter-in-law.

Nancy was a force to be reckoned with, always keeping a close watch on Rowena. When Sean and I moved in, she enlisted me to help monitor Rowena, especially if she got too cozy with other men.

I had been fooled by Rowena before, thinking she was the stay-at-home faithful type. It turned out that she had been sneaking into my husband's bed!

Right before I confronted Rowena, I had messaged Nancy, telling her that Rowena's baby was a stillborn, suffocated from not being delivered on time.

Nancy should be on her way at this point.

As the cops arrived, Rowena shrieked for them to arrest me. "This wretch! She's accusing me of cheating–"

She did not get to finish. A pint-sized but spry Nancy popped up from behind the officers, yanked Rowena's shirt, and revealed a swollen belly, streaked with blue veins.

Nancy's hand rested on the belly, her face contorting with disgust.

"There's no heartbeat! What the hell is going on inside there?"

Rowena's face drained of color, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at Nancy. "Mom... please, just hear me out! I fell because someone pushed me, and that was when the baby stopped moving!"

However, Nancy was beyond reason. Her hands trembled as she delivered two sharp slaps to Rowena's face. "You tramp! You've betrayed my son!"

The dead child had been in Rowena's womb for too long, and the blows brought on a pain so intense that it felt like a tidal wave crashing inside her.

Nancy blocked anyone from intervening, her feet brutally kicking Rowena's swollen belly. "You and that monstrosity inside you should both be dead!"

Rowena was on the verge of passing out when the police finally stepped in to save her. Nancy, however, was adamant. "She betrayed my son. She deserves to die!"

Bennett had been silently shocked the whole time, but then his body shook with a barely contained rage. "What is happening here?"

I did not wait for Rowena's explanation, struggling to break free from Sean's grasp, but he would not let go. "Cut it out, honey, you're about to have a baby. Let's just go and get this done!"

I threw off his hold, pointing an accusing finger at Rowena. "How can you do this to your husband, Rowena? Nancy told me he adores you, won't even let you lift a broom!

"You know it's shameful to be pregnant with another man's child, don't you? Is that why you can't admit it?

"If he truly loved you, would he let you carry a stillborn that long? He's just toying with you!"

I witnessed it myself: after Sean stepped out, Rowena tried to catch his eye over and over, but Sean blatantly ignored her. I figured Sean was worried about Bennett catching on and stirring up trouble.

Rowena, though, seemed to be in denial, desperately trying to defend herself. "The baby is Bennett's! Stop accusing me of lies!"

I could not resist twisting the knife. "Then why not show Bennett your full prenatal records?"

Rowena's face went ghostly white, she was speechless.

She had discovered her pregnancy while Bennett was still out at sea, nowhere near home.

Those medical records did not lie. I seized the moment to drive my point home. "Only lovers with something to hide sneak around! Look at Sean and me, we're not afraid to flaunt our love!"

With that, I whipped out my phone to show Rowena my latest social media update. "See, Sean was getting the hospital bag ready! That's what a real husband and father does–he takes charge!"

Rowena looked stunned by the video. "When was this?"

"Just now," I lied through my teeth, feigning innocence. "I'm about to have a baby, and of course, Sean's on it. He says it's his way of sending blessings to me and the baby! Doesn't your baby's daddy do the same?"

It was all a fabrication. Sean, that monster, wished nothing but the worst for me and the baby. He would never offer a blessing.

However, Rowena bought it like a fool. Consumed by a mix of fury and bitterness, she suddenly started bleeding profusely.

A nurse's voice pierced the air with urgency, "We've got a massive bleed!" as she sprang into action.

Rowena, hoisted onto the stretcher, mustered an unexpected surge of strength and yanked me forward. "You're about to pop too, right? Let's do this together!"

I had always kept my guard up around her. Seeing her reach for me, I slapped her hand away sharply.

I recoiled instantly, not even waiting for her to wince before I let out a sharp scream, "What are you trying to do?! Just because you're having a tough time, you want to drag me down with you?"

Rowena, overcome by my reaction, shut her eyes and passed out.

She was rushed straight into the OR for an emergency C-section.

Sean, witnessing the chaos, was beside himself with worry.

"Come on, honey, we don't want to wait any longer. Stop fussing and let's get this C-section over with!" he urged.

I feigned innocence. "But there's only one operating room, and Rowena's in there right now. Wouldn't it be rude to interrupt?"

"Rowena? She's nothing compared to you and our baby. If we miss today, I swear I'll have her hide!" Sean spat out the words, desperate to convince me to go through with the birth.

I looked at him and agreed with a smile, "Alright."