A Tenth of His Love

I moved into the most secluded room in the estate, where I could no longer hear Edward and Daisy's laughter. It was peaceful. Arthur would visit me from time to time, trying to cheer me up.

There were only two days left until Austin arrived—I just had to endure a little longer.

A voice came from outside the door as I daydreamed about my future freedom and happiness.

"Stella."

I opened the door to find Daisy standing there.

She was wearing a dazzlingly elegant gown embellished with pearls and a jewel-encrusted necklace. The softness and timidity in her eyes were gone, replaced by sharp, unyielding arrogance.

"What do you want? If it's not important, please leave," I said, unwilling to engage with her. I just wanted some peace.

"Aren't you going to invite your guest in for tea? Is this the kind of hospitality the Oskar family teaches?"

Since Daisy had abandoned all pretense of respect, I saw no need to be polite either. I struck her where it hurt.

"You used to be Edward's nanny—you have no right to judge me. No matter how luxurious your gown is, it won't change the fact that you come from nothing but an ordinary background. As for your child, one day, he'll hate you for giving him such a lowly lineage."

"You!" Her face turned ashen, her lips trembling as she struggled for words.

I felt delighted and was about to shut the door.

"Wait!" She forcefully pressed her hand against the doorframe.

"Daisy, I have no energy to fight over trash with you. There's no one else here. You don't have to pretend anymore."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Daisy's expression turned bitter for a moment before she regained her composure.

"Ever since you moved here, Edward has been missing you. He keeps bringing you up. He even claims you wouldn't ignore him if I weren't so harsh."

"That's between the two of you. It has nothing to do with me."

"You're just playing hard to get, aren't you? You think distance makes the heart grow fonder, and once Edward grows tired of me, he'll remember how good you were."

I sighed softly, feeling exasperated. "I really have no interest in him anymore. You don't have to worry—I wouldn't talk to him even if you paid me."

"You need to stop this game! Move back in. I don't want your stupid bedroom anymore."

"I don't want to see either of you. Get out!" I shouted.

"If you truly don't care about him, why are you avoiding him? You can fool Edward, but you can't fool me. You're so manipulative!"

Daisy's lips curled into a twisted smirk, and an overwhelming hatred filled her eyes. "Do you know why you've never gotten pregnant?"

I froze, memories flooding back to me. The doctor had always assured me that I was perfectly healthy and that it was only a matter of time before I conceived.

But now, with Daisy's words hanging in the air, a terrifying thought took root in my mind. My voice came out in a whisper, "It was you two."

"That's right." She sneered. "To ensure my child becomes the rightful heir of Abend Group, Edward added birth control to your food after every time he slept with you. Now that you know, do you think you two could ever reconcile? You'll never win against me."

The rest of her words blurred into white noise. My head spun, and my legs nearly gave out beneath me.

Before I could steady myself, Daisy suddenly threw herself backward.

I instinctively reached out to catch her.

"Stella! What are you doing?" Edward's furious roar came from across the hall. Behind him stood Arthur.

At that moment, Daisy fell right before me while my hand hung in the air. From any angle, it looked as if I had pushed her.

Panic surged through me, and I quickly explained, "It's not what you think! I didn't push her—she fell on her own."

Edward raised his hand to slap me, but Arthur firmly caught his wrist just before he could. "Edward, I won't let you hurt her."

Edward let out a cold snort and crouched down to check on Daisy carefully.

"Are you okay? Do you feel any discomfort? Does your stomach hurt? Don't move. Wait for the doctor to arrive."

He carefully pulled her into his arms as if she were his entire world. Meanwhile, I—his legal wife—was treated like trash and cast aside.

Even though I had already decided to leave him, my heart still ached unbearably.

"Edward, I fell on my own. Stella didn't push me, so please don't punish her," Daisy said, looking pitiful, with tears in her eyes.

"You're too kind. Without me there to protect you, how would you survive in this world?"

"Stella found out about the birth control pills, and she's very upset."

Edward handed Daisy over to Arthur and approached me with a dark expression, his voice heavy with suppressed anger. "You went too far, hurting Daisy over something so trivial! If you had an issue, you should've come to me directly. You have no right to harm the woman I love."

I let out a bitter laugh and glared at the man before me. "Firstly, I didn't push her. Secondly, why did you drug me? What did I do to deserve this? Even if we've fallen out of love, I am still your wife under the law. You owe me respect!"

Faced with my questioning, Edward was no longer so aggressive. His gaze wavered, and he stammered, "W-What's wrong with a man wanting to have children with the woman he loves? Besides, if your child became the company's heir, you would definitely seek revenge on Daisy.

I retorted, "The whole purpose of our marriage was for us to have a child carrying both the Abend and Oskar families' bloodlines and solidify the bond between our families."

"See? You've always been obsessed with power, even when it comes to having children. Daisy is different. She's having my child out of love for me. Fine. I won't drug you anymore. You can get pregnant if you want."

"It doesn't matter anymore. There's no future for us."

"Ha! Dad will never let you leave. Stay here and raise the child properly."

Silence fell over us until a loud male voice shattered it. "Since Stella wants to leave, this ends now."

It was Austin.

Suddenly, my whole world seemed to have brightened. "Austin! How did you get here so soon?"

"I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle these people alone, so I got here as fast as I could."

Edward was momentarily stunned, then quickly put on a polite facade. "Austin, welcome. It's good to see you again."

Austin's face was stone-cold as he glanced between Edward and Daisy. "I can't say the same. I know about everything that's happened. Since things have come to this, you can stay with your nanny. I'm taking Stella home.

Edward protested, "The alliance between our families can't be broken just like that. Only by standing together can we maintain our dominance in Naglet!"

Austin snapped, "If the Oskar family can't even protect Stella's happiness, our power means nothing. Let's go. We're meeting your father."

"So, you've all planned this behind my back."

Edward's face turned red with fury. His gaze landed on Arthur, and something seemed to click in his mind. "Why are you helping Stella? Have you two been having an affair all along?"

Before I could respond, Edward snapped again. "You wench! How dare you betray me? Fine! Leave if you want."

"Yes, I love Stella. I will cherish her if you won't," Arthur declared firmly.

His conviction tightened my chest, and a surge of gratitude enveloped me. Arthur had gone so far as to lie, willingly making an enemy of Edward just to help me.

For a brief moment, I almost believed his words. But I quickly dismissed the thought—why would someone like Arthur love me?

…

The divorce was finalized without issue.

As I sat in the car, leaving the Abend family behind, I felt lighter than ever.

"Stella! Stella!" It was Edward. He clung to the car door, shouting through the window, "I won't let you go that easily."