My Husband Made Me Raise His Mistress’s Twins

“Come get it yourself.”

I stumbled forward in desperation.

Suddenly, they clutched their faces and burst into loud sobs.

“Daddy, Mommy just hit us!”

When I turned my head, I saw clear handprints on their cheeks.

Mira rushed over and slapped me hard. “Sister, how could you hit the children?”

“To avoid responsibility, you’re faking an allergic reaction just to get Theo’s sympathy? How could you treat him like this?”

I gritted my teeth through the pain and looked at Theo.

“I… didn’t… I really am allergic…”

My face was so swollen I could barely speak. A small smirk tugged at the corner of Mira’s lips.

She was the only one who knew I was allergic to roses.

“Enough.”

He told his assistant to give me some medicine. For a second, I felt a flicker of warmth.

“You believe me? I really didn’t—”

His cold voice cut me off.

“Giving you the medicine is just so you don’t die and cause me trouble.”

“Stop pretending, Zara. Do you really think the kids would lie about this?”

He locked me up, saying it was for reflection.

After a full day and night without food, his assistant arrived with a dress.

“Madam, Sir is hosting a banquet to welcome Miss Bellamy back. You are required to attend.”

Clutching my aching stomach, I weakly shook my head.

“I’m not going.”

The assistant tossed the dress down carelessly.

“Sir said if you don’t go, you’d better worry about your adoptive father…”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. I already understood.

Using my critically ill adoptive father to threaten me had always been their method.

When I arrived at the banquet in that dress, I realized it was an old white gown, yellowed with age and stained with faint traces of blood.

“Who’s that? Dressed so cheap.”

“Oh, that’s Zara, the one who crawled into Young Master Arden’s bed and stole her sister’s engagement.”

I understood right away that this was exactly what Theo wanted.

He wanted to show me how far beneath Mira I was.

Just then, Mira came downstairs hand-in-hand with Theo.

The butterflies on her gown sparkled under the lights and Theo smiled warmly.

“Mira deserves all the most beautiful things in the world.”

The twins ran up to her, eyes shining.

“Mommy, you’re so pretty.”

Theo looked at me on purpose.

“Well? Aren’t you going to pour the drinks?”

Everyone turned toward me. The waitress next to me hesitated.

“Sir, we’re the ones who serve—”

Theo sipped his wine and said casually, “She enjoys serving people. Isn’t that right?”

I stiffened. The threat in his voice was clear.

“People from the countryside just love to serve, don’t they?”

“Look at her, so pathetic. She’s not even good enough to carry Mira’s shoes!”

The laughter rang in my ears.

Shame burning through me, I picked up the wine bottle and followed behind Theo, pouring drinks and serving food.

Mira couldn’t hold back her laugh.

“I heard sister used to work in a restaurant. No wonder she’s so skilled at this.”

Theo sneered. “That’s all she’s good for.”

Mira walked up to me.

“Sister, I’d like to make a toast. Thank you for raising the children these past nine years.”

Instinctively, I looked at Theo, who was the one who first found out about my severe alcohol allergy.

But he just looked at me coldly.

“Are you deaf or blind? Drink it.”

My hands trembled as I reached for the glass, but Mira let go on purpose. Red wine spilled all over my head.

My hair clung to my scalp, soaked and sticky, carrying a sour, unpleasant smell.