Chapter 3
Jessica didn’t know how long she’d sat on the floor until her legs went numb. She finally pushed herself up using the wall and limped back to the bedroom that once belonged to them both.
Now, only she remained.
The next morning, Jessica froze at the top of the stairs, her eyes stung by the scene in the dining room.
William was tenderly helping Anna into her seat-a gentleness he’d rarely shown her.
His gaze flickered almost imperceptibly when it landed on the bruise marring Jessica’s arm.
A fleeting shadow of guilt.
Yet that guilt evaporated instantly beneath Anna’s fragile whimper.
“William,” Anna leaned against his shoulder, her voice honeyed though her eyes taunted Jessica, “I’ve no appetite to- day. Just some Herbed Root Porridge, please.”
William stiffened.
Herbed Root Porridge.
The first thing Jessica ever cooked for him.
In that cramped rented apartment, he’d burned with fever while she kept vigil all night. At dawn, she’d presented him a steaming hot bowl.
William’s throat moved. He looked at Jessica, hesitation threading his voice before it hardened into command.
“Jessica. Make a bowl.”
She watched him, noting the struggle in his eyes before they surrendered to resolve.
Suddenly, it all felt absurd.
“Alright.”
The single word fell flat, lifeless as stagnant water.
Jessica turned to the kitchen. She found the roots, peeled them, diced them, dropped them into the clay pot.
Each motion precise yet mechanical, like programmed movements.
Bubbles gurgled in the pot, releasing earthy fragrance,
Once, William had hugged her from behind, laughing as he praised her skill.
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Now, the scent choked her.
She ladled a portion into a bowl, carried it out, and set it silently before Anna.
The porcelain spoon clinked against the rim.
“Careful, it’s hot.”
William lifted the spoon, blew on it repeatedly, then brought it to Anna’s lips.
Anna accepted his feeding, eyes blissfully closed.
Jessica stood aside, an unwanted prop in their scene.
Staying longer would make her vomit.
She climbed the stairs, shutting out the loving couple behind her.
Night deepened.
Jessica had just lain down when the bedroom door slammed open.
Two black-suited bodyguards marched in, grabbed her arms without expression.
“What are you doing!”
Jessica struggled as old wounds screamed under their grip.
They dragged her downstairs.
The living room blazed with light yet felt glacial.
William stood center stage, face stormy, clutching a lab report.
Anna lay pale on the sofa, a flustered family doctor hovering nearby.
“Speak!
What did you put in that porridge!”
William’s voice scraped through clenched teeth, laced with lethal frost.
The bodyguards shoved Jessica forward. She stumbled, knees hitting the floor.
“I didn’t.”
She lifted her chin, meeting his frozen glare. “Nothing.”
“Still lying!”
William slapped the lab report across her face.
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Chapter 3
The edge of the paper scraped her cheek, leaving a faint sting.
“The doctor detected excessive alkaloids in the porridge!
Anna had severe abdominal pain and nearly miscarried!
And you still say you did nothing?”
Jessica looked at his furious face, and the numb spot in her heart was brutally torn open again.
Just then, Aaron and Michelle Anderson rushed over.
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As soon as Michelle saw the weak Anna on the sofa and Jessica kneeling on the floor, rage instantly surged to her
head.
She charged forward, raised her hand, and with all her strength, slapped Jessica hard across the face.
“Slap-!”
The crisp sound echoed through the entire living room.
Jessica’s face was knocked to one side, her ears ringing.
“You poisonous woman!
What sin did our Anderson family commit to marry a woman like you who can’t bear children and has a wicked heart!”
“Lock this woman up!
Once Anna and the child are safe, we’ll settle the score with her!”
Michelle ordered sharply.
The bodyguards immediately stepped forward and hauled Jessica up again.
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Chapter 4
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