---- Chapter 6 Ethan looked at me, a flicker of something-maybe annoyance, maybe a sliver of concern-in his eyes. Seeing me so quiet and compliant, so unlike the defiant woman he'd been battling, pricked at his conscience. It was a brief, fleeting pang. He quickly buried it under his usual arrogance. "You're trying to manipulate me again, aren't you?" he said, his voice laced with suspicion. "Playing the victim to get my attention." | shook my head, lowering my eyes in a display of submission. "No, Ethan. I'm sorry. | promise | won't cause any more trouble." | forced my voice to be soft, pleading. It was a performance, and it seemed to soothe his ego. His expression softened slightly. "See that you don't," he warned. "I'm tired of your games. Don't test my patience again." | followed him downstairs, my steps careful, my body screaming in protest from the cramps. Olivia was waiting in the foyer, looking radiant in a silk gown. She gave me a triumphant, dismissive look. "I'm glad to see you've decided to be reasonable, Sarah," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "l won't hold a grudge for your accusations. After all, | have no interest in taking your place. I'm perfectly happy with the way things are." ---- "You should learn from her, Sarah," Ethan said, placing a proud hand on Olivia's arm. "She understands her position." | wanted to scream. | wanted to claw her perfect face. Instead, | gave a small, defeated nod. He was completely blind to her venom, utterly captivated by her performance. What a fool. | focused on the plate of food in front of me at the dinner table. | had to eat. | had to keep up the pretense. | had to survive this night. "You know, Sarah," Olivia said, breaking the tense silence. "I've been having the strangest craving for the apple pie you used to make. The one with the crumb topping. Would you be a dear and make one for me? For the baby." It was another power play, another way to establish her dominance. Before | could answer, a violent cough seized me. It was deep and wracking, tearing through my body. | coughed so hard | saw stars. "Sarah?" Ethan's voice cut through the haze. He was leaning over me, his hand on my back. "Are you all right?" "L...'m fine," | rasped, my throat raw. "Maybe you should make the pie tomorrow, Olivia," he said, his attention still on me. "She doesn't look well." Olivia pouted. "She's probably just faking it to get out of doing ---- something for me," she suggested, her voice laced with poison. Ethan's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Are you faking, Sarah?" The question was a slap in the face. But it was also an opportunity. "No," | said, my voice weak. | let my body tremble slightly. "| thin! ... | think | have a fever. Could you call a doctor?" It was a gamble. A doctor would discover the poison. "Don't be ridiculous," Olivia interjected smoothly. "There's no need to call a doctor for a little cough." She opened her purse and pulled out a small bottle of pills. "| have something for that. It's perfectly safe, even for pregnant women." She was trying to poison me again, right in front of him | looked at the pills in her hand. My mind raced. "Thank you, Olivia," | said, my voice trembling. "That's very kind." | took the pills from her hand. "I just... need a glass of water." | stood up, swaying slightly, and made my way towards the kitchen. | needed to get away, to dispose of the pills. | didn't make it. Olivia met me in the hallway, her sweet facade gone, replaced by a mask of pure malice. "You're a tough one, aren't you?" she hissed, her voice low and venomous. ---- | didn't answer. | just stared at her. "Don't look so shocked," she said with a cruel laugh. "Did you really think I'd let you stay? You, the ghost of his past?" She leaned in closer, her breath hot on my cheek. "That medicine | gave you... it's the same stuff I've been putting in your food. A little something to make sure you never have another child. Ethan deserves a clean slate. An heir from a woman who isn't broken." The world tilted on its axis. The cramps in my stomach sharpened into a searing pain. She had been poisoning me for weeks, trying to destroy my body from the inside out, trying to rob me of the very possibility of motherhood. "You're a monster," | whispered, the words barely audible. "No," she corrected, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. "I'm a survivor. And you... you're just in my way."