Kneel to You No More

I sat on the velvet sofa in the living room. My fingertips traced the cool rim of the celadon teacup. When the door was pushed open, the wind chime rang sharply. The woman who entered was wearing an off-white dress. Her pregnant belly protruded, stretching the hem of the dress and causing it to warp slightly. She walked straight to the sofa opposite me and sat down, her movements deliberately composed. "I am Evelyn Pearson," she said, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of provocation, "I have been with Ethan Silva for almost two years." I did not look up; my eyes remained fixed on the tea leaves in the cup. "Mrs. Silva," she said again, emphasizing the word "Mrs.", "Ethan said that the one he truly wants to marry is me." At last, I lifted my eyes to look at her. Her face carried the softness of a new mother, yet in her eyes lay a fierce determination. "What do you want?" I asked, my voice as calm as a deep pool. "I want you to leave him," Evelyn Pearson straightened her back, adopting the posture of the rightful wife, "This place was always meant to be mine." I pressed the call bell beside me. Chandler, the butler, soon appeared at the doorway. "Chandler," I said, "bring me the two documents from the study." Chandler nodded and withdrew. Evelyn looked at me, a trace of confusion in her eyes. After a moment, Chandler returned with the documents and a check. I pushed the documents toward Evelyn. "The one on the left," I said, pointing to a document, "is the transfer paperwork for the suburban villa with a garden, along with a luxury car." Evelyn's eyes lit up slightly. "The one on the right," I said, pointing to the other document, "is a check for five million." Her breathing visibly grew more rapid. "Two choices," I said, looking at her with an utterly steady tone, "take the villa and the car, quietly bear the child, and never appear before Ethan Silva and me again." Evelyn Pearson's fingers clenched tightly around the hem of her skirt. "Either," I paused, "take the check and leave this city, never to return." She remained silent for a long moment, her fingers nervously brushing over the two documents. Finally, she looked up, reluctance flickering in her eyes, yet she chose the document on the left. "I'll take the first one." She said. I gestured to Chandler to hand her the document. "Sign your name, and all of this will be yours." I said. Evelyn Pearson took the pen and signed her name swiftly on the document. After signing, she picked up the documents and stood up. "Mrs. Silva, I hope you mean what you say." She left that sentence hanging as she turned and left the living room. The moment the door closed, I lifted my teacup. The warm tea slid down my throat, but it couldn't dispel the chill in my heart.