Chapter 7 - The Vicious Rumors
The temporary truce shattered the moment Margaret realized that Emma’s pregnancy meant a shift in Daniel’s priorities. Instead of softening, Margaret viewed the unborn child as the ultimate weapon Emma was using to permanently steal her son. Her criticisms evolved from petty insults about Emma’s housekeeping to vicious, calculated strikes at her character and morality. She began planting seeds of doubt in Daniel’s mind, dropping venomous insinuations whenever Emma wasn't in the room. "It’s very convenient, isn't it, Daniel?" Margaret sneered one afternoon while Emma was resting upstairs. "She sees you pulling away, she sees you realizing she isn't good enough for this family, and suddenly, she's pregnant. She’s an opportunist. She’s using this baby to manipulate you into staying."
When Emma’s pregnancy fatigue and nausea hit hard, Margaret accused her of faking it for attention, calling her weak and dramatic. But the ultimate, unforgivable betrayal came when Margaret crossed a line so vile it took Emma’s breath away. During a tense family dinner, Margaret looked directly at Emma’s slightly rounded belly, took a slow sip of her wine, and said, "I suppose we’ll have to demand a paternity test when it’s born. God knows what kind of people she associates with when you’re at the office, Daniel." Emma felt the world stop spinning. It was a statement designed to destroy her dignity entirely. She looked at her husband, her heart screaming for him to stand up, to throw his mother out, to defend the honor of his wife and his unborn child. But Daniel just stared at his wine glass, his face pale, remaining utterly, sickeningly silent. In that horrific moment, something fundamental and irreplaceable broke inside Emma. The love she held for him didn't just crack; it began to turn into ashes.
