Phoebe Thorne was deeply aggrieved. Her belly grew larger by the day, slowing her down, yet her workload hadn't lessened in the slightest. Perhaps because she was getting older, this pregnancy was particularly difficult. With her first two children, she could still walk briskly at eight months. Now, at only five, she already felt completely drained.
'But what would happen if I went back to my family? I'd have to come back eventually; it wouldn't change a thing. Besides, if I left, my daughter would be the one to suffer. My mother-in-law would just order her granddaughter around and would never lift a finger herself.'
'I've been married into this family for over a decade, and that old hag has never done a lick of work. My heart has gone completely cold; I've given up all hope for her.'
"Goldie, that's enough," Phoebe Thorne chided in a low voice.
