Chapter 833

Amelia stared wide-eyed at Rebecca's furious, twisted face. The words "divorce" and "get out" left her dazed and empty-headed. Confused and helpless, Amelia slowly stood and began to walk out.

"Come back here! I'm not done yelling at you! How dare you? How dare you?! Asking your mother-in-law to sell her things—you have no shame, you filthy wretch! You dirty little thing!" Rebecca shouted, her rage intensifying as she saw Amelia trying to leave. "Come back here! Someone grab her!"

Perhaps Amelia's trembling body and unsteady steps, resembling a fragile vase on the verge of shattering, prevented anyone from physically restraining her. Instead, they urged, "Madam Amelia, please wait!"

Amelia, seemingly deaf to them, continued walking, step by step, back toward her courtyard. However, at the end of the corridor, she saw Viola, heavily pregnant and supported by Poppy.

Instinctively, Amelia stepped back, remembering Viola once handing her a pair of scissors. A shiver ran through her; fear surged.

"What's the meaning of this? Why did you only buy two Evergreen Pills? Didn't I tell you to get seven or eight?" Viola demanded, her dissatisfaction evident. "Don't even try to tell me you don't have the money. I discussed it with Barrett last night. You'll be managing the household from now on, and Barrett will contribute 30 percent of his salary to the family fund. We'll handle the rest ourselves."

"30 percent?" Amelia, regaining some rationality, instinctively covered her cheeks as a sharp sting appeared. "30 percent? Why is it 30 percent? Everyone else contributes nearly all their salary. How can we make ends meet with just that?"

"Why can't we make it work? We've always managed before, haven't we? Even when Barrett's salary was lower, we still made do," Viola retorted.

Amelia swallowed hard. "So, you're saying that from now on, if you contribute 30 percent, you will take care of your own living expenses, food, and travel?"

Viola sneered. "Are you out of your mind? If I'm managing my own expenses, why would I contribute 30 percent to the family fund?"

Amelia, despite the buzzing in her ears, tried to maintain a normal conversation. "But the biggest household expenses are yours! Your royal jelly and supplements, and then there's Aurora. Do you have any idea how much it costs each month for all the maids and servants you keep? 30 percent won't even cover your expenses, not to mention Mother's medicine. Are you saying Barrett won't help with that? And what about you? You're raising children, but I don't have to? I've sold all my jewelry, and yet you can still eat royal jelly every day…"

Viola sneered coldly. "Ah, so that's it! You're jealous of me eating royal jelly. You want a taste too? Fine, I'll set some aside for you every day. I've never seen someone so greedy—trying to snatch royal jelly from a pregnant woman. Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself if word gets out?"

Amelia felt a mix of anger and shame as she looked at Viola, whose confidence and wealth starkly contrasted with her own meager state. Suddenly, she felt speechless.

Silently, she returned to her room and sat for a long time, untouched food and water, lost in thought until her husband, Benjamin, came home.

He was fuming. His mother's servants had recounted the events to him upon his arrival, leaving him furious. Only after piecing together the situation did he learn his wife had suggested selling Rebecca's jewelry.

Wasn't that a slap in his face? Wasn't that a direct indication of his inability to provide?

"What kind of madness is this?" Benjamin exploded upon entering the room. "You, as my wife, have the audacity to tell my mother to sell her jewelry to support the family? Is there anyone more disrespectful than you?"

Amelia raised her pale face. Since returning to her room, she'd wrestled with the misery of her life. But as long as her husband understood her, she could bear it. Yet, she received no comfort; instead, a tirade, without him bothering to understand the situation. Amelia's heart sank.

Benjamin grabbed her arm harshly. "What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and apologize to my mother! The servants said you were out for half the day and didn't bother to attend to her when you got back. Is this how a daughter-in-law behaves? You're so disrespectful—what good are you to me?"