My Husband Let His Pregnant Ex Move Into Our Home

Chapter 2

Director Sullivan’s voice brightened with sheer delight on the other end of the line. "This role was practically tailor-made for you! I'm thrilled you're on board."

Chloe gripped her phone so tightly her knuckles turned a stark white. "Director, please set a time. Let's do a screen test first and then we can go over the specifics."

Not long after she hung up, a barrage of texts from her best friend, Serena Vance, lit up her screen.

Serena: What is going on with the trending topics? You've been pining for him for years, you finally get together, and now he's hooking up with Riley again?

Serena: Is he really going to have a baby with her? Where does that leave you?

Reading those words, Chloe was violently pulled back to her high school days.

Back then, Christian was the golden boy, the shining star everyone admired. When she was being bullied by her classmates, he had stepped in to protect her. From that moment on, a quiet infatuation had taken root in her heart.

The bond deepened when she serendipitously became his online confidant, discovering a surprising number of shared passions. For countless nights, they had exchanged their deepest thoughts through the glow of a screen, anchoring each other through their darkest times.

But then came graduation. She watched with her own eyes as Christian and Riley shared a passionate kiss under the gaze of the entire school. Only then did the crushing truth hit her: she had been deluding herself all along.

Her secret love story was a pathetic joke from beginning to end.

Staring blankly at her phone, Chloe slowly typed out a reply.

Chloe: Maybe we just weren't meant to be.

The following day, Chloe met with Director Sullivan. Everything fell perfectly into place, and they finalized plans to head to Iceland for the shoot in a week.

When she returned home, she found Arthur Sterling sitting on the living room sofa, his face a stormy mask of rage.

Chloe frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"If I didn't come, you’d completely lose the Ford family as our safety net!" Arthur shot up from the sofa, his voice dripping with venom and disappointment.

"Do you even know where Christian took Riley today? The hospital! She's pregnant!"

The words struck Chloe like a lightning bolt, rooting her to the spot as her blood turned to ice.

Already?!

"I married you off to him so you could elevate this family’s business!" Arthur pointed a trembling finger right at her face, screaming. "And look at you! You can't even hold on to a man's heart. You just sit back and watch his ex-wife waltz right in, and now she’s knocked up! You are absolutely useless!"

Years of repressed resentment finally snapped inside Chloe. "To you, I’ve never been anything more than a pawn for an arranged marriage! Have you ever, even once, cared about how I feel?!"

Furious and humiliated by her defiance, Arthur raised his hand and delivered a vicious slap.

The sharp c***k echoed through the sprawling living room. A bright red handprint bloomed across Chloe's cheek, the stinging heat spreading rapidly.

Clutching her face, her eyes burned with a mixture of raw despair and hatred. "Arthur Sterling! If you think I'm so useless, why don't you bring your bastard daughter out of hiding and make her do your dirty work?!"

That hit a raw nerve. Arthur’s face twisted into an ugly sneer, and he raised his hand to strike her again.

Just then, Christian walked through the door, with Riley clinging to his arm. He caught the scene in an instant.

His expression darkened. Striding forward, he pulled Chloe behind him, his icy glare locking onto Arthur. "You don't get to lay a hand on my wife."

Arthur instantly dropped his hand, shifting into a groveling, sycophantic posture. "Mr. Ford... I was merely disciplining Chloe. Teaching her to fulfill her duties as a wife and properly care for you and Miss Cross..."

"I will discipline my own wife," Christian cut in, his voice frigid. "Leave. Now."

Too terrified to utter another word, Arthur shot Chloe a venomous glare and scurried out the door.

The heavy silence enveloped the three of them left in the living room.

Turning around, Christian eyed the swelling red mark on Chloe's cheek and fetched the first-aid kit to apply the ointment himself.

His touch was perfunctory, far from tender, and his voice was deadpan. "Just endure it a little longer. Once Grandmother passes, everything will go back to the way it was."

Chloe didn't say a word. Her eerie silence made an unexplainable flicker of panic twist in Christian's chest.

Suddenly, Riley let out a frail whimper, clutching her stomach. "Christian, my tummy feels a little off."

Without a second thought, Christian dropped the ointment and rushed to her side, supporting her delicate frame with utmost care. "I'll take you up to the room and have the private doctor look at you."

He didn't spare Chloe a single backward glance.

Watching his retreating figure, Chloe picked up the tube and gently applied the rest of the ointment herself.

A short while later, Christian reappeared. He spoke with the casual authority of someone giving an order. "Riley is pregnant and needs someone to look after her. Your schedule is clear right now, so stay home and take care of her."

He paused, gesturing vaguely toward the kitchen. "Her appetite is poor right now. Go make her some soup."

Chloe’s fingernails dug into her palms. Numbly, she stood up, walked into the kitchen, and prepared a bowl of steaming congee.

When she carried the tray into the guest bedroom, Riley took the bowl, took one tiny sip, and immediately grimaced in disgust. "Ugh, what is that weird smell? It's completely burnt! How am I supposed to eat this?"

With that, her grip on the bowl conveniently slipped.

Crash!

The porcelain shattered against the floor. The scalding hot liquid splattered violently, burning both Chloe's and Riley’s wrists.

Tears instantly spilled from Riley's eyes as she looked at Christian, a portrait of absolute victimhood. "Christian, I know Chloe hates me. I know she resents me for carrying your baby, but we're only doing this for your grandmother! Please tell her not to throw hot soup at me just to scare me... I'm so terrified she's going to hurt the baby..."