The Ugly Wife’s Stunning Comeback novel Chapter 3

He didn’t push for answers.

Felicia spoke up again. “Tomorrow’s Monday. Are you free in the afternoon? Maybe we could go to the registry office and get things started. We have to wait for them to sort it out anyway, right?” She figured by the time the paperwork was done, the baby would almost be here.-

Max glanced at her, his eyes sharp and a little scrutinizing. He looked away. “We’ll do it when I say.”

Felicia just nodded, lowering her gaze. She let it go.

The car pulled up at the Hawthorne mansion. Miranda had called them home for one reason—the baby.

The Hawthorne family was mostly men. Miranda had two sons, Jeffery and Brandon. Jeffery had two boys. The older one, Daniel, had already married and had twin boys who were five now. The younger, Luke, was twenty-four and still single. Brandon only had one son, Max.

So when Felicia turned out to be pregnant with a girl, Miranda and Brysen were over the moon.

“It’s wonderful news,” Miranda said, her face lighting up. “This little girl is a blessing. Brysen just seems healthier.”

Max’s mother Tatiana noticed how much Miranda cared about Felicia’s pregnancy and quickly jumped in to agree, adding a few kind words for Felicia’s benefit.

Felicia sat quietly, polite and agreeable. She nodded at the right moments, not drawing any attention to herself.

Tatiana watched her, struggling to hide her annoyance at Felicia’s chubby, meek appearance. Still, with Miranda present, she kept her real feelings to herself.

Miranda was in such a good mood that she gave Felicia a beautiful bracelet, the kind that cost a small fortune.

Felicia was startled and tried to refuse. “I can’t take this.”

“She’s giving it to you,” Tatiana said, her voice a little too sharp. “Just accept it.”

Felicia hesitated, then gave in. “Thank you, Grandma.”

“Take care of yourself,” Miranda said. “We want a healthy, happy baby.”

Felicia smiled and nodded. She knew Miranda wasn’t really being kind to her—it was all about the baby.

They were supposed to stay for dinner, but Max got a call. His whole demeanor changed. His eyes softened, his voice turned gentle. He was talking to someone with clear affection. It sounded like they had a pet together. He said the name Sugar, his tone warm and tender.

Miranda nodded. “Exactly. Everyone’s watching you, waiting for you to mess up. Let her raise the baby, then you can decide what to do. No need to rush things.”

Max was quiet for a moment, his expression impossible to read. “I understand, Grandpa. Grandma.”

Later, when Felicia saw Miranda again, Miranda told her, “Max had to leave for an urgent work thing. I’ll have the driver take you home when you’re ready.”

Felicia nodded. “Thank you.”

Before she left, Miranda pulled her aside. “Even though you’re pregnant, you still need to move around and take care of yourself. When your mother-in-law were expecting, she we still went to events and managed the house. Getting something might be easy, but keeping it is the hard part.”

Felicia got it right away. Being a Hawthorne wife wasn’t easy. If she wanted to stay, she had to change.

As she was now, she only embarrassed Max.

She’d tried to get her act together before—yoga, exercise, a few diet plans—but she could never stick with it. She was exhausted, both in body and spirit, and the weight just kept piling on.

But Miranda was right. She couldn’t keep going like this. Not for the family, not even for Max, but for herself and her future.