"Mom's from the countryside, Elise. She doesn't know any better. Why argue with her?"
His voice dropped, authoritative. "My students are outside. Clean yourself up and come out. Don't make a joke of yourself."
His large hand drifted down to stroke my lower abdomen. "The baby isn't a priority."
The realization that those same hands had just been touching another woman made my skin crawl. I wrenched myself free.
"Not a priority? Or is it just that *I'm* not necessary anymore?"
He froze.
Then he laughed. A cold, dismissive sound.
"Honey, do you have too much time on your hands?" He shook his head. "Stop imagining things. You sit at home in luxury—you have no idea how hard I work to make money. Where would I find the energy to cheat?"
Rage surged through my chest, hot and suffocating.
From dawn until dusk, I managed this home. My mother had passed away, and my father had abandoned me for a new family. I had treated Thomas and his mother like my own flesh and blood. Every cent I earned, I poured into this house.
And in his mouth, my sacrifice became "living in luxury."
I peered through his glasses, searching his eyes for a flicker of guilt.
There was none.