Chapter 6

Chloe Parker POV

Ethan Lancaster did not let me leave.

He pushed the suitcase back into the living room, told the maid to guard the door, and had the driver take the car away. In that instant, I finally truly saw how forceful he knew he could be. In the past, I went along with him, and he treated that as a matter of course.

“When your body is a little better, I’ll send you back to stay for a few days.” Ethan Lancaster stood at the doorway and used a tone meant to soothe me. “Don’t wear yourself out right now.”

I sat back on the sofa, my face so pale it was almost transparent. “I can’t even leave if I want to?”

Ethan Lancaster did not answer.

He received a call from Olivia Bennett and hurried out again. Before leaving, he instructed the maid, “Watch her, and don’t let her run around.”

Those words fell lightly, and I suddenly felt that this villa had turned into another hospital room. The doors and windows were all lit up, but not a single place belonged to me.

I did not argue anymore.

In the afternoon, Ethan Lancaster’s mother called. Her voice was cold, and she started by blaming me. “I heard you’re throwing a tantrum with Ethan. Chloe Parker, you’re not a little girl anymore, and when a man socializes outside and takes care of friends, you should be considerate of him.”

I held the phone. “Mrs. Lancaster, I just had a miscarriage.”

The other end went quiet for a moment, but she quickly continued, “I heard about that. But the baby is already gone, and you can’t use that to tie Ethan down for the rest of his life.”

My fingers slowly tightened.

She continued, “I’ve met Olivia Bennett’s child, and her life hasn’t been easy. It isn’t easy for her to raise a daughter alone. Ethan values loyalty, and that is a good quality. If you truly want to marry into the Lancaster family, don’t embarrass the Lancaster family over something like this.”

I asked in a low voice, “If I want to marry your son, do I have to give up my own home?”

Her tone darkened. “The villa is under your name, so what else are you unhappy about? When a woman is too petty, sooner or later she pushes a man away.”

I did not keep listening and hung up.

I knew she did not like me.

The Parker family was not bad, but compared with the Lancaster family, there was still a gap. Ethan Lancaster’s mother always said I was gentle and knew the bigger picture, making me suitable to be a good wife. Back then, I could not hear what was hidden inside that compliment, but now I understood. That word “suitable” was only because I was easy to control.

At dusk, Olivia Bennett came with the child.

The maid was obviously panicked when she opened the door. “Ms. Bennett, Mr. Lancaster isn’t here.”

Olivia Bennett stood at the doorway holding the child, wearing a beige dress and looking fragile and clean. When she saw me, she froze for a moment, then gave me an apologetic smile. “Ms. Parker, sorry to bother you. The teacher said Lily needs to get familiar with the home environment, so I had no choice but to bring her over to wait for Ethan.”

She called Ethan Lancaster “ Uncle Ethan,” and her tone was far too intimate.

I sat on the sofa and did not get up. “This is not a waiting room.”

Olivia Bennett’s eyes immediately turned red. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you minded this much. I just... I don’t really have any friends here, and Ethan said this place was convenient.”

The child began crying in her arms, and Olivia Bennett comforted her in a panic while her tears also fell. “Lily, don’t cry anymore. I’ll take you away, and we won’t upset Ms. Parker. This was never our home anyway.”

The maid was so frightened that she did not know what to do.

Watching Olivia Bennett’s practiced display of retreat, I suddenly understood why Ethan Lancaster always felt Olivia Bennett needed protection.

Olivia Bennett was very good at making people feel that anyone who did not yield to her was heartless.

When Ethan Lancaster came back, what he saw was Olivia Bennett standing at the door holding the child and crying, while I sat on the sofa and watched coldly.

His face darkened almost instantly. “Chloe Parker, what did you do this time?”

I looked up at him.

Those words were too familiar.

Every time something happened with Olivia Bennett, he always first asked what I had done.

Olivia Bennett hurriedly held him back. “Ethan, don’t blame Ms. Parker. I shouldn’t have come.”

Ethan Lancaster lowered his head to look at her, and his voice softened. “Go inside first.”

At that moment, I completely lost the desire to argue.

I stood up, supporting myself on the armrest of the sofa, and my body swayed.

Ethan Lancaster instinctively tried to steady me, but I took a step back. “Take your time talking.”

Ethan Lancaster frowned. “Where are you going?”

I looked at the extra names on the access control screen, and my voice was very soft. “Give me my home back.”