Chapter 514 Uncertainty
A loud sound erupted as the tea tray hit the floor. The teacups shattered and it startled the servants both upstairs and downstairs.
They looked on in shock as William grabbed Vanessa by the neck and pressed her against the wall. Their expressions were fully alarmed.
The servants rushed forward. “Sir! Sir! Please release Mrs. Middleton! You can’t treat Mrs. Middleton this way!”
They were clueless about the recent conflict between the stepmother and stepson. All they saw was the fury etched on William’s face.
William said slowly, “Try me.”
Vanessa struggled to breathe but managed to force a smile. “I’ve heard a saying that women are weak, but mothers are strong. There’s truth to that. If anyone harms my daughter, I’ll have to retaliate in kind. I… I’m just returning the favor!”
For years, she had tried to play the role of a benevolent mother, but with Henry on the brink of death, she finally revealed her true nature.
William met her gaze with a cold indifference. For the first time, he saw how scheming and cunning Vanessa truly was.
In Eastbay, Emelie’s mind wandered far from the television after William left.
She curled up on the sofa with one hand resting on her knee and the other unconsciously caressing her stomach.
The test results had claimed she wasn’t pregnant, but that was due to Wesley swapping the samples. It was no surprise to receive such a result. Yet, she remained uncertain whether she was actually pregnant.
It seemed like she might actually be pregnant with symptoms like drowsiness, an increased appetite, and frequent nausea.
Moreover, she and William had not used any protection during their recent encounters. Though she had taken birth control pills.
Ashley had given them to her, and they had even joked about them sharing the pills.
The last time she didn’t take the pills was after Ronan had slapped her, and she and William came back to Eastbay that night. They didn’t use protection then.
Though Ashley had provided her with more pills afterward, she had decided not to take them, given William’s comments about wanting a child.
As Emelie was thinking about it, she went to retrieve her bag. Sure enough, she found the two unused birth control pills inside.
She held them in her hand, the sharp edges of the aluminum blister pack pressed against her palm and she felt a slight pain.
Emelie’s thoughts were a jumble. How could she confirm her pregnancy?
Hospital tests and pregnancy tests were out. She couldn’t go to a hospital without William finding out, and she couldn’t leave the house alone to buy a pregnancy test.
Her periods had been irregular since her miscarriage. According to last month’s dates, her period was already over a week late. Then again, she had experienced delays before.
If only she could meet Ashley. She wished she could consult Ashley about pregnancy symptoms and compare them with her own.
If that wasn’t feasible, she would have to wait another two months to see if her period came.
Emelie turned off the TV and went to the guest room to wash up and get into bed. Despite her uncertainty about the pregnancy, she was cautious and moved slowly.
As time passed, the door creaked open. Emelie knew it was William.
Since she couldn’t drive him away and their struggles usually ended with him finding some way to control her, she decided to pretend to sleep and let him be.
William, having finished his shower, gently opened the bed covers.
Despite his high standards for everything and the master bedroom being ten times better in terms of space and bedding than the guest room, he still insisted on sharing it with her.
As William’s arm wrapped around Emelie’s waist, her body instinctively tensed up.
The room was dark, and she thought William wouldn’t notice her wakefulness, but his voice came softly from behind her.
“I told you to go to sleep first,” he said.
Since he knew she wasn’t asleep, Emelie stopped trying to endure his presence and tried to pry his hand away. As expected, she couldn’t.
William’s warm hand rested on her abdomen and it caused her to shiver. A wave of goosebumps spread across her body.
Unsure whether it was guilt or discomfort, she struggled more forcefully.
William’s deep, unreadable voice then whispered close to her ear. “I looked into how you miscarried last time.”
Emelie’s breath caught, and a vision of blood flashed before her eyes.
William felt her body tremble slightly, as if she was recalling a nightmare. He pulled her closer and pressed against her body. “Were you very afraid that day?” he asked.