Chapter 3 - The Pregnancy She Could Not Control
Julian and I had tried for a child for nearly three years.
Two pregnancies ended early.
The losses changed us.
Julian became more protective.
I became more cautious about hope.
When we learned this baby was healthy, we waited until the second trimester to tell anyone.
Julian cried when he heard the heartbeat.
Victoria did not.
She asked whether the prenatal genetic screening had been completed.
Then she requested copies.
I refused.
“It concerns the future of the family,” she said.
“It concerns my medical privacy.”
Her eyes hardened.
After that, anonymous messages began arriving.
One claimed Julian maintained another relationship.
Another warned that Vance men always lost interest after childbirth.
A private investigator later traced the accounts to a public-relations consultant paid through one of Victoria’s personal companies.
At the time, I did not know that.
I only knew someone wanted me frightened and isolated.
Then Victoria began pressuring Julian to place the baby’s future inheritance under her sole management.
She presented it as tradition.
I read the documents.
They gave her authority over education, medical reimbursements, residence requirements, and distributions until our child turned thirty-five.
I rejected them.
Victoria called me ungrateful.
Julian supported me.
That was when her hostility stopped being subtle.
She told him I was dividing the family.
She told board members pregnancy had made me irrational.
She suggested I was using the baby to gain influence over company decisions.
Julian dismissed her claims.
But he did not know what she said when he left the room.
“You will not replace me,” she whispered once.
May you like
I thought she meant inside the family.
I did not understand she meant inside her son’s life.
