Ashlyn stood with her back against the wall, her chest heaving. Her jewelry box was empty. Her floor was bare. Her dignity was in shreds.
But she still had one card left to play. The trump card.
Ashlyn spoke, her voice trembling but filled with a desperate defiance.
"Stop threatening me," Ashlyn said. She raised her chin, trying to look down at Marissa, though she felt very small.
She moved her hands. She placed both palms protectively over her stomach, cradling the flat curve of her belly.
"I am carrying the Thompson family child,"
Ashlyn declared. Her voice rose, gaining strength from the lie she had turned into a truth. "I am the mother of the second great grandson. What can you do? You cannot hurt me. You cannot touch me. The Dowager will protect me. If you stress me, if I faint... the blame will be on you."
She looked at Marissa with a challenge in her eyes. Dare to cross this line, she thought. Dare to hurt the great-grandchild.
