Chapter 3

Soon, Mathilde returned to the Portier Family's manor, but she couldn't sleep well the whole night.

Her mind was filled with scenes of Nolan discovering the truth and coming to snatch the child.

It wasn't until dawn that she finally managed to doze off for a brief moment.

When she woke up, she was startled to see a man sitting opposite her bed.

His expression was gloomy, and the strands of hair falling across his forehead gave him a disheveled look.

He questioned in a sinister tone, "Was it you who made the report call last night?"

She dared to admit. "Yes, it's me."

"Bang!"

An ashtray smashed against the wall, sending shards of glass flying and cutting Mathilde’s arm.

But Edward showed no concern, only further accusation. "Have you lost your mind?"

She remained calm, looking up at him and retorting. "Edward, you're the one who have lost your mind! I'm your wife, yet you're out there kissing my sister passionately."

"As a wife, I'm simply protecting my own rights."

A flash of shock crossed his face. He hadn't expected Mathilde to know.

But the man showed no guilty for being caught in the act, instead, he arrogantly declared. "It was just a misunderstanding. When something happened, you didn’t come to me first. Instead, you acted like a madwoman and reported me. Mathilde, you're so insensible!"

She looked up at him with a cold smile.

Was she supposed to be “sensible” discovering his infidelity and then graciously saying it was fine?

She could not do it, nor could she do it.

Edward was about to continue his tirade when he suddenly received a phone call and his expression changed abruptly.

"You didn't get pregnant this time?"

This was one of the deals she had made with the doctor.

Seeing her remain silent, Edward became even more certain.

A flash of anger crossed the man's face as he dragged Mathilde downstairs.

“Since you're not pregnant, we'll keep going. We’ll stop when you are!”

Mathilde gasped and instinctively touched her lower abdomen.

There was already a little life growing inside her, she couldn’t go!

If she went, everything would be exposed.

Dragged into the first-floor living room, she grabbed a vase nearby, ready to hurl it at the man.

But before the vase could fall, Edward received another call. It was from Louisa.

The speakerphone was on, so Mathilde heard every word clearly.

"Edward, perhaps I shouldn't have come back to disturb your life and my sister's."

“This whole mess is my fault. It's understandable that she got angry and called the police. I'm a worthless woman, how could I shamelessly seduce my own brother-in-law?”

"Tell Mathilde to rest assured, I will find myself a place to settle down and never disturb your lives again."

Edward's face instantly panicked. "Louisa, what are you planning to do?"

Louisa replied, "I have contacted the largest auction house in London, and I will auction myself off. With so many people witnessing, Mathilde will stop blaming you."

“Edward, I love you so much. I thought, as long as I could stay by your side, I'm willing to be your mistress.”

"But I didn't expect this to hurt Mathilde, so this time I'll put her mind at ease completely." With that, Louisa hung up the phone.

She was clearly feigning concern to gain pity, but Edward believed her every word.

He stared angrily at Mathilde and forcefully pushed her away.

Mathilde fell to the ground, and to protect her belly, she had to use her injured arm to support herself on the ground, causing her to tremble with pain.

Before, in order to get her pregnant, he wouldn't even let her lift a single thing.

Now that his goal hadn’t been achieved, was he no longer even willing to put on a show?

Mathilde felt like something was gripping her heart, the pain making her break out in a cold sweat.

“She's acting, Edward! She's doing all this just for you!”

“Enough! Even now, you still slander her!”

"Mathilde, since you've driven Louisa to this point, you won't get away with it either!"

At first, Mathilde had no idea, but he forcibly took her to the auction house.

She felt a deep sense of unease and struggled to break free. "Edward, if you don't let me go, you're restricting my personal freedom! I can sue you!"

However, he ignored her and dragged her into the auction house.

The auction hall was bustling with people.

Louisa had changed into a red fishtail dress and sat on the auction floor.

Since it was the first in the auction history where someone was auctioning herself off, it had drawn a lot of people.

The moment Edward walked in, Louisa's gaze never left him.

Louisa stood up, with a look of resignation, and shouted. "Whoever offers the highest price today, I, Louisa Haagen, will spend the rest of my life with him."

Louisa was good-looking and also Edward's first love. For whatever reason, many were eager to try their luck.

Below the stage, the offer came from various parties.

One hundred fourty thousand dollars!

Seven hundred twenty thousand dollars!

Nine hundred fourty thousand dollars!

Every time these people make a price call, Edward tightened his grip on her wrist.

He stared at her with crimson eyes and said, "Are you satisfied now? Louisa is your sister, even if she's not blood-related, are you really going to drive her to such a desperate situation?"