Bonded For Blood, Not Love

After saying that, Judy cast a casual glance at our stomachs.

"No matter how upset you are, you shouldn't take it out on the babies," she said lightly. "If Lesley and Eddie found out, they'd lose their tempers. After all, the babies' cardiogen is priceless medicine."

I stared at Judy. Something about her words felt wrong.

Sure enough, she frowned and sighed like she couldn't help herself.

"But it's a good thing the sick one isn't Arthur. The brothers used such a clumsy lie to keep you two in the dark. You're both smart. You probably would've figured it out soon, anyway. I mean, at the birthday party, Arthur drank gallon after gallon of whiskey and looked perfectly fine."

She suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

"Oh, no! They told me not to say anything. How did I let that slip?"

Gloria and I looked at each other.

Only then did it hit us.

Arthur had never looked sick at all.

When we went down the mountain during my pregnancy, I had seen him myself, full of energy. But I had been exhausted from the long walk, barely able to stay upright, let alone pay attention.

Now, that memory came rushing back, and a chill crept up my spine.

If the babies' cardiogen wasn't needed for Arthur, then who was it for?

In this world, there was only one person Lesley and Eddie cared about that much.

The woman standing right in front of us. Judy.

Lesley said Judy was so ill that she could barely breathe, and she needed plants nearby to help her rest.

Then why hadn't he noticed that his fragile patient was standing here in our villa, stirring up trouble?

They watched Judy so closely that there was no chance they missed it.

The second she went out, someone would have followed her to protect her.

Yet, they still allowed her to show up here. How was that anything but enabling her?

They might've even enjoyed it, believing Judy was getting jealous and fighting over them.

Seeing how pale Gloria and I had gone, Judy finally smiled, satisfied.

"Oh, right," she added casually. "Lesley and Eddie are about to take me back to the Mistbound Pack's territory. It's market week over there. They're going shopping with me. I figured you probably don't want to see them right now, anyway. This is a good chance for you to rest and recover."

She sounded considerate, but her eyes kept drifting to our bellies.

She was showing off!

When she left, Gloria and I forced ourselves up with the servants' help and followed.

I wanted to push them to sever our bonds as soon as possible. Neither of us wanted to be tools they used to make Judy jealous ever again.

But all we saw was Lesley and Eddie walking on either side of her, guarding her closely.

Lesley spoke gently. "Why did you come out so late? Do you know how worried Eddie and I were?"

"Yeah," Eddie chimed in right away. "This place is so remote. What if something happened? You've only just started feeling better. Don't wander around."

That tenderness, the way they treated her like something precious, was something Gloria and I had never once received.

Judy laughed softly. "Stop it. I heard that Margot and Gloria were upset because of me, so I came to smooth things over."

Lesley lifted a hand and stroked her hair, his voice full of affection. "They're always like that. Don't mind them. You shouldn't come here and suffer like this."

Eddie nodded. "Exactly. I'll divorce Gloria soon, anyway. She's just some stray girl. She really thinks she can climb all over me?"

Lesley echoed him, making his stance clear. "They're both difficult. It's obvious they're not fit to stay with the Dixons."

"Lesley!" I screamed, my voice breaking. "You're going to regret this!"

"You heartless ingrate!" Gloria shouted, too, shaking with rage. "I carried your child! Is this how you see me?"