The Bond Between Us ( Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1092

A woman without children has nothing to rely on.

In high society, heirs mean everything.

Right then, Juliana felt a fire light up inside her. She was determined to raise Layna well—Layna would be her pride, her answer to everyone who looked down on her.

Mrs. Goad snorted. “She’s just a girl. What good is that? The Stranz family needs a boy to carry on the name.”

Layna was her own granddaughter, but Mrs. Goad barely seemed to care.

Hiding around the corner, Layna overheard it all. Her cheeks burned with indignation and shame. She silently vowed she’d never forget what her grandmother said.

Juliana’s eyes were red with anger, but Mrs. Goad didn’t stop. “Juliana, you know as well as I do that you can’t have children. The Stranz family can’t just end with you. We won’t indulge you forever. I’ll have Wesley find another woman—either you step aside, or you pretend you don’t know.”

Was she supposed to just accept her husband having another woman?

“Is this Scott’s idea?” Juliana demanded, desperate. “He agreed to this?”

“There are three great failures in life, but not having a child is the worst. This is Wesley’s decision,” Mrs. Goad said, firm and cold. “For now, you’re still the Stranz family’s young madam. So act like it. Don’t embarrass us by moping around in wrinkled pajamas. And this year—don’t bother showing up at the family memorial.”

With that, Mrs. Goad turned on her heel and left.

She clearly didn’t want to see Juliana a second longer.

The Stranz family memorial was a big deal—everyone showed up unless they had a real excuse. By telling her not to come, Mrs. Goad was making it clear: Juliana was no longer welcome as a Stranz.

Juliana snapped after Mrs. Goad left. She broke things, yelled until her voice was hoarse. The housekeepers just watched from a safe distance.

“She’s gone too far! That old witch. I’m not leaving this family—we’ll see who gives in first.”

Back when she was pregnant, Mrs. Goad had showered her with gifts. After she lost the baby, Mrs. Goad took every last one back.

“Aunt Juliana.” Layna showed up, trying to comfort her. “I’ll study hard and make you proud.”

Of course, that was just talk.

Juliana was still puzzling over it when she spotted Anastasia coming out of the same store. The housekeeper was chatting with her like they were old friends, then walked off carrying two delicate shopping bags.

Why was her housekeeper so chummy with Anastasia?

The housekeeper was only supposed to clean, nothing else.

Suddenly, Juliana remembered her growing suspicions. When she’d fallen on the stairs, they’d been strangely slick. Later, Anastasia had said odd things—telling her not to mention the pregnancy to anyone, urging her to recuperate at the mountaintop villa.

That villa was isolated and eerily quiet—Juliana had hated it and refused to go.

She and Anastasia had never gotten along. Since when did Anastasia care about her well-being?

There had to be something more.

A chilling thought flashed through Juliana’s mind: Anastasia and the housekeeper had worked together, tampering with the stairs, causing her to fall.