I stared at the vase for a long time.

Suddenly, I sat up in a panic, like someone jolted awake from a nightmare.

I had completely forgotten something incredibly important.

I quickly pulled the nurse over.

"Robin, where's my phone?" I asked.

"Mrs. Andrews, it's in the cabinet over there. If you need it, I can get it for you," she replied.

The appellation made me cringe involuntarily. Anything related to the Andrews family now repulsed me.

"Thanks, just call me Shelley," I said.

I grabbed the phone, yanked off the tattered screen protector with a ripping sound, and powered it on.

I opened my email, relieved to see that the video was still there.

This video was proof of Patric's affair—talk about a silver lining in a bad situation.

On Monday, I went to the Andrews Group HQ.

As soon as I entered the office, I was informed that I had been promoted to the reception desk in the CEO's office on the top floor.

Something felt off.

My instincts were right. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the top floor, I saw Kelsey Montes, the woman Patric adored.

She strutted into the CEO's office, swaying her hips in red-soled heels, coffee in hand.

I limped over to the reception desk, quietly arranging my things.

There, I waited for someone to brief me on my new duties.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.

I looked up to see Kelsey.

She flicked her hair back as if she were adjusting some imaginary strands.

"Shelley, right? Go mop the far end of the hallway," she said.

The top floor had its cleaning staff.

She was just making things difficult for me, trying to put me in my place.

I complied, silently reminding myself that this was all to gather evidence.

My lawyer had told me that proving infidelity was tough, and the more evidence, the better.

Patric would divorce me eventually.

But if I could prove his affair, I'd have a better chance of winning custody of Elsa.

After I finished mopping, I hobbled back to the reception desk, where Kelsey took it up a notch. She sneered, "So, the mighty Harding family's daughter is now a cripple. Karma sure doesn't wait long, does it?"

I frowned, leaning against the desk and massaging the pressure point between my thumb and index finger.

It was a way to ease the throbbing pain in my head.

"Please, keep it down," I said, irritation lacing my voice.

One of the side effects of my brain injury was frequent, splitting headaches.

Kelsey's brows shot up.

"You must have forgotten that you're just a lowly receptionist now, and I'm the CEO's secretary. How dare you speak to me like that?"

I frowned at her sudden outburst.

Just then, the sound of leather shoes clicking on the floor echoed from the CEO's office.

Kelsey's arrogance vanished, replaced by a pitiful, fragile expression.

She leaned in close, whispering in my ear, "Trash like you deserve to be unloved by your husband, alienated from your daughter, and have your parents-in-law kill your two children."

I stared at her coldly and took a step back.

Then, I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Shut up!" I snapped.

The slap echoed through the hallway.

Kelsey clutched her face with one hand, while the other trembled as she pointed at me, about to lash out.

But someone beat her to it.

Patric strode over, raising his hand and slapping me across the face.

"Shelley, you venomous woman! How dare you hit Kelsey?" he barked.

Kelsey staggered forward, conveniently collapsing into Patric's arms.

He turned slightly to cradle her.

"Patric, don't be mad at Shelley. It's my fault for chatting too much and annoying her," she said in a soft, pitiful voice.

Her words had the desired effect.

Patric's eyes blazed with fury.

"Apologize to Kelsey! She was just looking out for you, worried about how you'd handle the new position. Is this how the Harding family raised you?"

My face burned from the slap.

Their voices only made my headache worse.

I rubbed the pressure point between my thumb and index finger.

The headache intensified, but I felt nothing inside.

It was like watching a cheesy soap opera unfold in front of me.

Kelsey glanced at me, a challenge in her eyes.

She snuggled closer into Patric's arms.

"Shelley must still be shaken up from the car accident. I don't blame her. Patric, could you take me to the hospital?" she said.

Patric tenderly brushed her face with his hand.

"Kelsey, you always let yourself get hurt. She doesn't deserve your kindness," he said.

Then, like flipping a switch, he shot me a venomous look.

"Apologize to Kelsey right now and then go clean the pool! Don't waste any more of my time. I need to take Kelsey to the hospital," he demanded.

His actions played right into my hands.

The hidden camera on me must have captured everything.

I obediently said, "I'm sorry."

Kelsey responded, "It's okay. If slapping me made you feel better, I don't mind the pain."

I smiled, nodding politely.

"Mr. Andrews, if you don't take Miss Montes to the hospital now, her face might heal on its own," I said.

Patric scoffed, "Get to the pool, now."

I put away my smile and said, "My leg isn't fully healed yet. I can't get it wet."

Coldness flashed in Patric's eyes.

"This is your punishment for hitting someone without cause. You can't refuse," he said.

"As for your leg, you can go see a doctor after you're done cleaning."

I stared at him, bitterly asking, "What if I just don't go?"

He sneered, "Then I'll have the bodyguards force you into the pool."

As he spoke, the bodyguards quickly gathered behind him.

They were ready to take me away on his command.

My last bit of hope vanished.

The atmosphere was so intimidating that even the onlookers retreated.

Even Kelsey fell silent.

I glanced at the four tall, stern-faced bodyguards.

I scoffed, "Mr. Andrews, I signed a contract. Treating an injured employee like this could land you in court."

He pressed his lips together, unwilling to back down. "Do you think that threatens me?"

"I wouldn't dare threaten you. I just want to remind you not to forget that I have the backing of the Harding family," I replied.

Kelsey clung to his arm.

"Patric, I'm fine. Don't cause trouble with Shelley because of me," she said.

I found it amusing.

"Miss Montes is so kind. I was wrong to hit you. How about you just dock my pay for today?" I said.

Kelsey nodded eagerly.

Then she coaxed Patric to leave with her.

As they entered the office, I plopped down on a chair.

Seeing no one around, I sent the video I had just recorded to my lawyer.

I asked him to edit out the parts showing their intimate actions and add them to the previous videos. I instructed him to have the notary office handle it specially and keep it safe.

After sending the message, I rubbed my palm.

I remembered my lawyer saying that proving infidelity was difficult and required a lot of evidence.

Patric usually had many bodyguards around.

He was a hypocrite and never openly showed affection to Kelsey.

My people couldn't get any evidence.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be suffering here.

In the evening, I returned to the villa.

The maid said Patric had just called, saying he wouldn't be home for dinner.

I asked her to boil an egg for me.

I sat on the sofa, using the hot egg to soothe my face, when a message came from my assistant.

He said there was a lead on the driver who caused the accident.

The driver was drunk and had already been arrested.

But he was diagnosed with a mental illness, so his sentence wouldn't be severe.

It was also discovered that he had no family.

There was a high possibility that it was intentional.

After all, delivering goods to the villa area required multiple security checks, so how could he be drunk and speeding?

I thought for a moment and told my assistant to check the driver's bank statements.

Saturday was the Andrews family's banquet.

During the event, I didn't see Patric and Kelsey behaving particularly closely anymore.

Maybe my stare had been too obvious.

One day, Patric called me into the CEO's office.

His eyes were full of disdain.

He told me not to have any unrealistic hopes.

I had deliberately distanced from him over the past few days.

It had caught his attention.

But even if he were on his deathbed, he wouldn't fall for me.

I silently reminded myself that I was doing this for Elsa's custody, which was the only reason I didn't throw hot coffee in his face right then and there.

To avoid raising suspicion, I pinched my palm, squeezed out a few tears.

I acted like someone whose little schemes had just been exposed.

I told him that no matter how he treated me, I still loved him.

The more disgusting the words were to me, the more earnestly I said them.

For the family banquet, I arrived at the old house early.

I went there mainly to see Elsa.

Over the past few days, I had crammed on parenting knowledge, researching what children between three and six years old liked.

I brought some carefully selected toys with me.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Elsa in a pink princess dress.

She was sitting in the living room with Patric's mother, Maureen Andrews, watching TV.

When she heard the noise, she glanced at me and then turned her head away.

I respectfully greeted Maureen and gently said to Elsa, "Elsa, this is a gift from Mommy."

She didn't take it.

I placed the gift aside, sat down next to her, and picked her up.

She screamed, "Don't hold me!"

She wriggled out of my arms.

I was about to say something when Patric entered with Kelsey.

Kelsey sweetly greeted Maureen.

Then she walked over with a smile and scooped Elsa into her arms.

"Hello, Elsa! I'm Kelsey. You can call me Auntie. Here's a gift for you," she said.

"Thank you, Auntie," Elsa replied as she accepted the Barbie doll set.

Kelsey held her close and sat down on the sofa directly across from me, playing affectionately with her.

Seeing Patric still standing, she said in a coquettish tone, "Patric, it's hard for me to hold Elsa and open the gift at the same time. Could you help me? I want to teach Elsa how to play with it."

Patric naturally sat down close to them and started opening the gift, while Kelsey chatted with Elsa.

The atmosphere was so harmonious that they looked like a family of three.

Maureen shot me a glance before turning back to watch TV.

She never liked me and wouldn't interfere in Patric's personal life.

Fortunately, I didn't feel any negative emotions.

Or else, this scene would have depressed me for days.

Calmly, I curled up on the sofa, eating grapes while admiring my sweet daughter.

Those sparkling big eyes and her chubby little face were simply delightful.

Elsa wasn't a tool for me to compete with Kelsey.

As long as she was happy, I didn't bother exposing Kelsey's little tricks.

The motherly love I owed Elsa for the past four years, I would make up for it, but not in a rush.

Before I knew it, the fruit platter was almost empty.

I called for Adele to wash some more.

Before I could finish my sentence, a stern male voice rang out.

"All you know is eat. Your husband brought another woman home, and you can still eat?" he scolded.