Chapter 2 He Treats Lillian a Hundred Times Better Than Joanna.

Of everyone in the Lawson family, Elizabeth Lawson was the most obsessed with whether Joanna could get pregnant.

Elizabeth was over eighty and desperate to hold a great-grandchild before she died. But Joanna's stomach had remained stubbornly flat. So Elizabeth had hired the best fertility specialists, prescribed herbal remedies, and created special meal plans to "strengthen" Joanna's body.

Even though the medicine made her nauseous, Joanna had forced herself to swallow every bitter dose Elizabeth gave her—both to fulfill the old woman's wish and to strengthen her bond with Justin.

Who could have imagined that the real reason she hadn't conceived in three years was Justin himself?

"Grandmother."

Joanna's voice was strained. She took a deep breath, fighting back the burning in her nose. "I don't want to take the medicine anymore."

Elizabeth's displeasure was immediate.

"If you stop, will I ever live to see a great-grandchild? Do you want me to die with regrets? Joanna, you married into this family. Bearing children for the Lawsons is your duty. You're being selfish—no wonder Justin can barely stand to look at you anymore."

Elizabeth's words were daggers, each one piercing Joanna's heart until she couldn't breathe.

Elizabeth gave her no chance to refuse. "Tonight, you're both coming home. That's final."

The line went dead.

Joanna's shoulders sagged. Her knuckles were white around the phone. She bit her lower lip, brow furrowed in thought.

The phone rang again.

Perhaps Elizabeth's words had been too harsh. This time, it was Justin's mother, Karen Lawson.

Karen had been close friends with Joanna's late mother. After her death, Karen had arranged for Joanna to marry into the Lawson family. In three years, Karen was the only person in the household who'd shown Joanna genuine kindness.

Karen's voice was warm with concern. "Joanna, sweetheart, have you been drinking too much medicine? Is your stomach upset?"

"Mom..."

Joanna hesitated. She wanted to tell Karen about the contraceptives, but Justin clearly didn't want her to have children. Speaking up would only humiliate her further and break Karen's heart.

She made a soft sound of agreement instead.

"I knew it. You're a good girl—you wouldn't throw a tantrum for no reason. Let's stop the medicine for a while, then."

"Thank you, Mom." Relief flooded through Joanna.

Karen continued, "You've been so busy taking care of your grandfather, you haven't been home in ages. Can you come for dinner tonight? I just baked your favorite cake."

Karen loved to bake. Joanna adored her cakes.

After a moment's thought, Joanna couldn't bring herself to refuse such kindness. "All right."

As they were about to hang up, Karen added, "Bring Justin with you. Tell him to stop working so much and come home for once."

Not coming home was certainly true. Whether he was actually working was another matter.

He's probably with his first love, Joanna thought bitterly.

Still, she dialed his number.

"Hello?"

"Grandmother said—"

A bright female voice in the background made Joanna freeze mid-sentence.

On the other end, Lillian seemed to realize her mistake. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Justin. I thought that was my phone."

"It's fine."

Justin's voice was gentle, without a trace of annoyance. When he spoke to Joanna again, his tone turned noticeably colder. "What is it?"

Am I interrupting them?

Mary's words echoed in Joanna's mind: She doesn't deserve to bear his children.

She wasn't worthy. But maybe Lillian was.

"Your grandmother wants us home for dinner tonight." Joanna kept it brief.

"I'm busy." Justin was even briefer.

"Fine."

This time, Joanna hung up first.

Her expression was grim. She touched up her makeup and took a taxi to the Lawson estate.

Justin's father had died young. His grandfather had groomed him to inherit Lawson Corporation, but had also passed away three years ago from illness. Now the sprawling mansion housed only Elizabeth, Karen, and Justin's cousin, Hazel Lawson.

Hazel's parents had died in a car accident when she was young. The family pitied her and indulged her every whim, which had turned her into a spoiled brat.

As Joanna reached the front door, Hazel's voice drifted from the living room.

"First place! Lillian won first place! With all those elite competitors from around the world, and she still came out on top. She's incredible!"

"Not like Joanna. All she can do is laundry and cook. She's useless at everything else."

"Grandmother, I don't know why you were in such a rush three years ago. Why did you make Justin marry Joanna? If you'd just waited for Lillian to come back from abroad, he could have married her instead. Wouldn't that have been so much better?"

"Look at the photos I took. Don't they look perfect together?"

Hazel had her back to the door and didn't notice Joanna. She was too busy showing Elizabeth pictures on her phone.

From a distance, Joanna caught a glimpse of the photos—Justin and Lillian in an intimate embrace. Her steps faltered. She didn't have the energy to walk inside.

"What... what are they doing?" Elizabeth squinted at the screen, clearly uncomfortable.

Hazel knew the context of the photo and quickly explained. "Lillian almost fell, and Justin—"

She caught sight of a slim figure in the doorway and stopped mid-sentence. Then she changed her story: "Justin caught her just in time. Grandmother, you should have seen how worried he was about Lillian."

Hazel pressed on. "He's so caring toward her. A hundred times better than how he treats Joanna."

Elizabeth thought Hazel's comments were inappropriate, but she didn't stop her.

Hazel continued, "Joanna can't compare to Lillian at all. Justin barely comes home, but he's always spending time with Lillian. That proves he likes Lillian. If you ask me, if Justin had married Lillian instead, you'd already be holding a great-grandchild by now."

"That's enough." Elizabeth finally objected, though her tone was mild.

Hazel didn't care. "I'm just stating facts. Joanna isn't as pretty as Lillian. She isn't as accomplished as Lillian. And as a woman, she can't even produce a child. She's completely worthless."

Karen emerged from the kitchen just then. She hadn't heard the full conversation—only Hazel's final remark. When she saw Joanna standing pale-faced in the doorway, she immediately scolded, "Hazel! That's enough! You don't know what you're talking about."

She turned to Joanna with a warm smile. "Joanna, sweetheart, you're here! Perfect timing—the cake just came out of the oven. Come see."

Only then did Elizabeth notice Joanna's presence.

Joanna remained rooted in place. The silence was excruciating.

Karen walked over and took Joanna's hand, her smile diplomatic. "Your sister is young. She doesn't know any better. She was talking nonsense—don't take it to heart."

Joanna's gaze was ice as she looked at Hazel, who showed no remorse and was actually smirking at her with challenge in her eyes. "She's nineteen. That's not young."

Hazel had always been spoiled. This wasn't the first time she'd insulted Joanna. In the past, Joanna had ignored it. But this time, she wasn't backing down.

Karen looked flustered. She turned to Hazel again. "Apologize to Joanna. Now."

"I'm only telling the truth. I won't apologize." Hazel stood up, acting as though she were the injured party. "Unless she wins an award like Lillian, or gives the Lawson family a baby to prove me wrong, I'm not apologizing."

Karen opened her mouth to respond, but Elizabeth cut her off. "Enough! Are you as childish as she is? Why are you arguing with a teenager? Besides, she's not wrong."