When he heard Christina's provocative words, Ben tugged the corner of Wanda's clothes. “Mommy, why don’t we just let Christina have the necklace? We already have so many at home.”

Wanda forced a bitter smile. “What if this is the only one I want?”

She had never cared for luxury items, but this time, she refused to back down.

Eric gently squeezed her hand to comfort her before giving Ben a playful flick on his forehead. “In this family, we listen to Mommy. How can you give away something Mommy likes?”

He raised his paddle again. In the end, Eric won the bidding with the price of seventy-five hundred thousand dollars.

Christina's face turned red with rage. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stormed out of the auction hall.

Eric took a deep breath, got up and prepared to chase after her. However, before he left, he leaned down and kissed Wanda on her forehead. "I’ll go get the necklace and grab a hot milk for Ben while I’m at it.”

Ben, who had been about to follow his father, stopped in his tracks turned to Wanda and started to pester her to tell him a story. It was a familiar tactic and silent agreement between the father and son duo.

In the past, Eric would use this trick to distract Wanda and give himself a legitimate excuse to slip away and indulge his passion in his escapades.

However, children were children and Ben's ploy was easy to unravel. Wanda used the excuse of needing fresh air and slipped away. Ben didn’t press any further and let her go.

She stalked Eric until he stopped Christina in the bathroom. From behind the wall that separated them, she could hear clearly Christina's crying voice.

“It’s all your fault! You made me lose face in front of that woman. You only love her. You don’t care about me at all. If I’d met you earlier, there’s no way you would’ve married her!"

Then she added, "The only reason she’s still around is because she is your childhood sweetheart."

Christina cried for a long time. Eric just listened and did not say anything. When she could not cry anymore, Eric laughed softly and said, “Look at you, you've cried like a little kitten. You’re such a mess.”

His teasing only made the young woman puff out her cheeks in indignation and she put her hands on her hips. “I don’t care! Your wife stole the necklace I wanted. You have to make it up to me tonight!”

The air between them grew thick with passion and Eric’s voice dropped to a husky murmur, “You said it yourself. Don’t beg me to stop later.”

The man who always held himself when he was with Wanda turned into a ravenous wolf in front of Christina.

Wanda stood there as she listened to the lewd sound, of their lovemaking and torturing herself. When it was about to end, she finally couldn't bear it and fled the place that was suffocating her.

What she did not know was that after she left Christina asked Eric, "Do you love me?"

“If I didn’t, why would I do this with you?” Eric answered.

Seeing the lust clouding his eyes, she pressed further with a coy tone, "What if you had to choose between me and that old woman?”

“Of course, I’d choose you," said Eric.

“Then how about you divorce her and marry me?” Christina asked.

When he heard this, Eric's face instantly went cold. "You're crossing the line."

Seeing that the girl was crying from his fright, Eric reverted back to his amorous demeanor. He held her in his arms and comforted her, “You know I rarely touch her. Isn’t that enough to show how much I love you?”

Christina through her tears. However, what she truly desired wasn’t just his affection. She wanted to be his legitimate wife. She was tired of sneaking around like a thief.

As she thought about this, her eyes drifted to her flat stomach. One day, she would make Eric divorce Wanda willingly and marry her.

Meanwhile, Wanda had no idea where to go. She eventually found an empty room, the darkness within matching the emptiness in her heart.

Tears fell uncontrollably. Seeing it with her own eyes was far more devastating than any picture could have been.

Since giving birth, her intimacy with Eric had dwindled to almost nothing. Back then, she had naively believed it was because he cared for her fragile postnatal state.

However, now, she realized it was simply because he had indulged himself elsewhere and couldn’t be bothered to fake interest with her.

Her phone vibrated. Another provocative message from Christina lit up the screen.

This time, it was a photo of the disarrayed bathroom and a pair of torn black stockings.

She wrote, "Guess what Mr. Gordon just did? Isn't it just a necklace? If you want it, take it. After all, his heart is with me."

Wanda did not block her because Christina still had a purpose to serve in the coming days. 

Her bitter thoughts were interrupted by a distant wail. “Mommy! Mommy, where are you?”

The heartrending cries jolted her back to reality. Wanda wiped her tears and stepped out of the room.

Ben dashed toward her like a little whirlwind and flung himself into her arms. “I thought Mommy didn’t want me anymore! Waaaaah.…”

Tears clung to his lashes as though he’d suffered an unimaginable grievance. “Mommy, promise me. Wherever you go, you have to take me with you.”

Hearing the commotion, Eric hurried over. He paused for a moment at the heartwarming scene but couldn’t shake a creeping sense of uneasiness.

He walked up to them and handed Wanda the necklace. I expectedly ran into a client. We chatted for a bit longer than planned.”

Wanda's trembling fingers brushed over the familiar necklace. Once, she had believed that marrying Eric would give her the family she longed for.

However, not all men were like her father, who loved only one woman his entire life. Most of them were just like Eric. They were unfaithful men who had the skill to maintain the façade. 

Perhaps overwhelmed by everything, Wanda fell ill with a high fever upon returning home.

Feeling the scorching heat of her body through the night, Eric panicked. He scooped her up and rushed her to the hospital.

When she woke up, a nurse greeted her with a warm smile and offered her a glass of water. “Mrs. Gordon, you’re finally awake! You’ve had a fever for three days and three nights. Mr. Gordon and your child stayed by your side the whole time without rest.”

She added, "Honestly, I don’t know what’s on your mind. If I had a husband and child who loved me this much, I’d be grinning from ear to ear.”

The nurse sighed and after advising Wanda to think positively and let go of her worries, she left the ward.

As Wanda glanced at the calendar to confirm the date, Christina strutted in, her stomach noticeably bulging.

“I'm pregnant, the baby is Mr. Gordon.” She threw the pregnancy report to Wanda's face.

"So?" Wanda asked but she had just recovered from a serious illness and her voice was a bit muffled.

“The child can't be without a father, so please divorce Mr. Gordon," Christina demanded.

She hadn’t expected she would be pregnant either, but it was the perfect excuse to push Wanda out of the picture.

“Does Eric know?” asked Wanda.

“He’ll find out soon enough. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

When Christina remembered Eric's warning, she gulped.

“It's my birthday on the fourteenth, if you're capable of calling him away from the press conference, I'll file for divorce," said Wanda.

“Are you sure? Won't you lie to me?” Christina was a bit incredulous.

“I'll do what I say," Wanda said.

It was not just a divorce; she would disappear from Eric's world forever.

When he saw Christina, his eyes darkened. "What brings you here?” he asked.

“Mr. Gordon, this is my first pregnancy, I know about the fact that Madam had once given birth to a child, so I've come to ask for some advice …”

“After all, it’s my first time being a mother," said Christina, affectionately stroking her still-flat stomach with an air of motherly care.

“My boyfriend didn’t want me to get pregnant so soon. He said it would ruin my figure. I’m still deciding whether to keep the baby or not," she added.

Ben's eyes widened when he heard this and he quickly said, "Christina, I want a little sister to keep me company.

Christina covered her mouth and laughed, “Good. When the time comes, you must protect your sister and not let certain bad women bully her.”

Ben nodded earnestly; his face serious.

Although the child didn’t grasp the hidden insinuation, Wanda did. Seeing that Christina had indeed talked too much and crossed the line, said in a cold voice, “My wife is not feeling well, you should leave first.”

Christina's beautiful face turned pale, then red. She was clearly upset when she reluctantly left the room.

“She’s just careless by nature and sometimes speaks without thinking. Don’t let it bother you,” Eric said as he carefully put down the still-steaming healthy food, one by one.

“From now on, I’ll keep a closer eye on you to make sure you stay healthy," he told her.

As he reached out to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, Wanda instinctively pulled away and made an excuse, “I’m sweaty and I feel gross.” She fixed her gaze firmly on him as she said that.

Caught off guard, his eyes flickered then avoided hers. He lowered his gaze and clasped her cold hands. “How could you be gross? No matter what, you’ll always be fragrant to me. I’d never resent you.”

To prove his sincerity, Eric kissed the back of her hand gently.

Ben, accustomed to his parents’ occasional displays of affection, covered his eyes with his chubby hands and pretended to be embarrassed.

“Euww … gross!” he shouted, his chubby hands covered his eyes, pretended not to see. However, his little feet shuffled to the other side of the bed as he grabbed Wanda's free hand in his small arms and promised, “I’ll give Mommy lots and lots of warmth too!”

Passersby who saw this scene through the glass couldn’t help but envy the woman on the bed. They imagined that she had a blessed life.

However, that tender moment did not last long. Eric's phone vibrated.

As he unlocked it, Wanda took a fleeting glance and caught the contact name, “Sweetheart.”

Before she could look closer, Eric abruptly stood up. “Wanda, there’s an urgent meeting at the company. I’ll bring back something delicious for you when I return.”

He ruffled Ben’s hair and patiently instructed, “Be a little man and take good care of Mommy.”

“I want to go with Daddy!” Ben protested.

Eric's resolution shook, "Why don’t I just ….”

"Just go," Wanda interrupted, her tone calm yet firm. “Take him with you. It’ll save me some trouble.”

Though Eric was surprised he didn’t insist on staying. He picked up Ben and left the room. At the doorway, he paused his steps and glanced back, as though he sensed something amiss.

The setting sun streamed through the glass, casting a soft glow over Wanda’s delicate features, blurring her silhouette. It was as if she might vanish completely the next moment.

Yet Wanda didn’t meet his gaze. She simply stared out the window and watched the desolate view.

A few hours later, the father and son duo who were supposed to be at the company appeared in a video sent by Christina.

In the clip, Ben was sitting in a living room, while eating cake and playing games, his cheerful voice called out, “I love Christina the most!”

The video transitioned into a long audio clip.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you just saying I could do whatever I wanted? Can’t take it anymore now?”

The man’s hoarse voice dripped with lust, filled with heavy undertones. Then came the sound of lips and tongues entangling, followed by never-ending gasping breaths.