Page 110 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

She didn’t seem shocked when I told her it all traced back to Eiza, and I just asked her why.

“My mother was suspicious of her intentions. Ever since she found out I’m having a boy, your stepmother’s been trying to get close to me, saying her daughter is also expecting a son and that we should share the experience together. But I’m not naïve. I spent years around the palace, and she never even acknowledged my existence before.”

“You’re telling me my half-sister Nalini’s baby is a boy?”

“Yes, that’s what Eiza told me. Why?”

My blood runs cold. “Because by law, if our child didn’t survive, my nephew would become my heir.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. We could have more children.”

“Not if I were dead.”

Chapter 49

The Next Day

At the Hospital

The test results are in. My system was dosed with the herb.

The obstetrician said the only thing that kept me from losing my baby was the fact that I’d drunk the tea just minutes before the pain began and that I vomited soon after, while waiting for Kaled to arrive.

I’ve always thought of myself as a calm person, but today I feel murderous rage, and I think my husband does too. In truth, so does our entire family. My mother, Jazmina, even my father-in-law Kamran, all look like they’ve aged years. Their faces are drawn, their anger impossible to hide.

The plot is so sordid it doesn’t feel real; it feels like something out of a Hollywood movie.

When he told me they would interrogate Eiza today, I said I was going with them. Kaled tried to talk me out of it, but I stood my ground. I need to look that woman in the eye.

How can someone who is a mother find the courage to harm a child who hasn’t even been born? Any child? What kind of monster, someone who’s known the joy of giving birth, can scheme to steal another woman’s right to become a mother?

She congratulated me on my pregnancy, talked to me about childbirth, all while plotting to rob me of the privilege of delivering my son.

She didn’t just plan to kill my baby; if my husband’s theory is right, she wanted to destroy my entire family. Yes, because the only way it makes sense for her to target my son is if she intended to get Kaled out of the way too.

A shiver of fear goes down my spine.

When the pain started, I didn’t know what was happening. My abdomen seized in spasms, a sharp, ripping ache. My intuition screamed it was the baby, and it was a blessing that I moved quickly and called for help.

I’m trying to show him I’m in control, but the truth is I’m still terrified.

We’re waiting for the doctor to do the ultrasound. Even though the obstetrician assured us everything looks fine, I know I won’t truly calm down until I hear my son’s heartbeat.

“You’re very quiet.”

“I’m nervous.”

“So am I.”

I lift my head and, for the first time, see vulnerability in his usually unshakable face. It can’t be easy for a man like him to lose control of his own life.

“But whatever the results say, we’re in this together,ayuni.”

I understand what he isn’t saying: if what they gave me harmed our son in any way, we will love him all the same.

Of course that’s true—nothing would change for me—but my heart twists at the thought that my baby, who hadbeen growing healthy inside me, might have been hurt when I couldn’t protect him.

“Ready, Your Highness?” the nurse asks after a knock on the door.