Chapter 2

Looking at the pure satisfaction in Linda’s smile, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

A deep, desolate sadness filled my heart.

We were mother and daughter, not mortal enemies.

Why was she so eager to see my body ruined? Why was she practically begging for Ethan to cheat on me?

Isn't a mother supposed to want her daughter to have a better life?

She couldn't even hide her excitement at the thought of me losing my looks.

She babbled on ecstatically,

"And stretch marks are just the beginning."

"You'll get fat, break out in spots, and look absolutely hideous. After giving birth, you'll leak pee and be loose down there. Ethan won't even want to touch you. He’ll find you disgusting, and he'll naturally stray."

"I had to suffer through all of that. Why shouldn't you?"

Even with Ethan’s usually calm demeanor, he was thoroughly angered.

He glared at Linda coldly.

"Linda, that's not going to happen."

"I've already arranged for the pack's best Healers to care for Emily throughout her pregnancy. I also hired the most experienced nanny in the pack. With professional help, she won't suffer like you did."

"Besides, even if Emily's body changes, I will only love her more and blame myself for her pain. Why would I ever cheat?"

Linda opened her mouth, her eyes turning vacant.

I thought she was going to throw a tantrum.

Screaming about how she didn't have Healers back then, so why should I.

But she didn't.

Instead, she silently put food onto Ethan's plate, mumbling, "Eat more, eat more..."

There was jealousy in her eyes, but mostly, there was a deep sense of loss and pain.

My heart suddenly ached.

No matter what, Linda had raised me all on her own.

Her jealousy was real, but so was her love, or so I wanted to believe.

She was getting old. Ethan and I should just try to tolerate her as much as possible.

The family dinner ended in a bizarre, tense atmosphere.

Soon, I reached my second trimester.

Ethan called the pack's Chief Healer to check on me, only to be given shocking news.

"Emily, the prenatal supplements I formulated for you last week... your mother threw them all out, calling them 'useless junk.' She said she didn't need anything when she gave birth, so you shouldn't be so spoiled either."

My heart sank.

I rushed back to Linda's house to confront her.

The moment she heard the words "prenatal supplements," Linda’s eyes turned bloodshot.

She glared at me, her face twisting with a terrifying hatred.

She slapped me hard across the face.

"How dare you even ask!"

"When I was pregnant with you, I couldn't even get a bowl of warm soup, let alone fancy supplements! Why do you get to have them?!"

I cupped my stinging cheek, utterly stunned.

There it was again. That same phrase.

I felt so wronged and helpless.

Why did it kill her to see me have even a slightly better life than her?

Could a mother really hate her own daughter this much?

While I was in a daze, Linda suddenly lunged at me, violently ripping up my shirt.

Her eyes gleamed with manic excitement as she panted,

"You're over five months now. You must have stretch marks. Let me see! Let me see how disgusting your belly looks!"

But when she saw my perfectly smooth belly, her smile froze.

She rubbed her eyes, staring in absolute disbelief.

Finally, she had to accept the bitter truth—there wasn't a single mark on my skin.

Crying hysterically, she pulled up her own shirt, pointing at the dark, saggy scars on her loose skin, and glared at me with pure venom.

"I ruined my body to give birth to you! Your father found me disgusting and rejected me!"

"I got these scars! Why don't you have them?!"

Linda screamed.