Chloe instinctively took a step back.

Then she hid her wrists behind her back.

But the strong perfume smell was choking.

The supervisor of the housekeeping center grabbed Chloe's hand and sniffed it.

Then her face darkened.

She demanded, "Chloe, apologize to the client."

I threw a pack of wet wipes to the supervisor, coldly eyeing Chloe.

The supervisor wanted to wipe, but as soon as she got close to Chloe's face, Chloe stepped back.

She screamed, saying it was a violation of her rights as a worker and that she could report it to the police.

Declan came forward to intervene, saying this was just a small friction between us.

He said, "My wife doesn't understand. It's not just Chloe's fault."

I looked at him coldly.

I said, "Since that's the case, why don't you pay her salary? She worked for one day in total, and the fee is one thousand dollars."

"One thousand?"

Declan's eyes widened as he held up one finger.

He knew maternity nurses were expensive, but he didn't expect them to be this expensive.

Unable to speak clearly, he questioned me, "You gave birth to the child and hired the maternity nurse, but you want me to pay? I won't pay. I didn't even get to enjoy her services."

He sat far away.

His face was full of anger.

Chloe's eyes were filled with tears, her face red from being wiped with tissues.

The supervisor held the tissue, apologizing to me.

She said their management was not strict enough, they would deal with this seriously, and we didn't need to pay for the service.

Hearing that he didn't have to pay, Declan became smug.

He kept praising Chloe, saying she did a good job, the food she cooked was delicious, and she cleaned well.

His words embarrassed the supervisor.

Finally, she asked me, "Was the postpartum meal prepared by Chloe to your liking?"

I muttered, "Postpartum meal?"

If last night's beef with chili and soup counted...

Declan answered, "The beef was so delicious, even better than what my mom makes."

His words further embarrassed the supervisor.

She told us that the company would fire Chloe and blacklist her across the industry.

A maternity nurse of this quality couldn't remain in the profession.

I wholeheartedly agreed.

Letting her go on to harm other new mothers would be a great misfortune.

Chloe was sobbing.

When she heard she could no longer do this job that earned her so much money, she pointed at the cosmetics in the bathroom, saying I had smashed several tens of thousands worth of her makeup.

She wanted to call the police for compensation.

"Well..."

The supervisor obviously hadn't dealt with such a situation before.

"Call the police. Do it," I said.

I closed the bathroom door behind me.

"Don't wipe out the fingerprints."

The police came to a conclusion, and Chloe was on the verge of breaking down.

Because real eyeshadow and lipstick wouldn't dissolve in water instantly.

When I saw her cosmetics had turned into a muddy mess, I knew immediately that they were all fake.

Moreover, she couldn't provide any purchase receipts, only claiming that a previous client had gifted them to her.

As for my cosmetics, since I used them for clients, everything was purchased from authorized counters, with receipts and codes all intact.

Now Chloe not only didn't make any money but also had to compensate her.

She finally swallowed her pride and lowered her head.

She explained that she couldn't have children but loved kids, which was why she had worked as a nurse.

She couldn't afford the compensation and begged me to let her off.

I was burning with fever, my head pounding to the point of near collapse.

Just as my mother-in-law arrived, under the police's mediation, we had Chloe write an IOU. The company would act as a guarantor, and she'd pay back the money in installments.

I rode in a patrol car to the hospital, telling my husband and mother-in-law to keep a close watch on the child.

Although my mother-in-law was simple and honest, her childcare skills were almost non-existent.

She couldn't even mix baby formula properly or dilute hot water with cold, and if left alone at home, there was no telling whether the baby would be suffering from diarrhea by the time I returned.

But surely, she wouldn't harm her grandson.

I still believed too much in human nature.

When I came home after getting my IV drip, I thought my eyes were deceiving me.

Chloe was holding my son, chatting and laughing with my husband and mother-in-law as they had dinner together.

When they saw me return, Declan came up to explain, saying that as soon as I left, the baby started crying.

It was Chloe who managed to calm him down.

He said, "You're just too sensitive. Chloe is good at taking care of the baby."

Her mouth full of food, my mother-in-law echoed his words.

She said, "Exactly, and Chloe is from my hometown. I believe she's a good person."

The two of them stared at me as if I were the bad person.

It was fine.

I waved the IOU Chloe had written for me.

I said, "You make more than 20 thousand dollars a month. You should be able to pay me back in two or three months."

Declan panicked, suggesting that Chloe could take care of the baby as compensation for the debt.

Even my mother-in-law said they had already discussed it, and besides, my cosmetics weren't worth that much.

They were used anyway. No one would want them if thrown away.

I sneered. They'd done the math quite well.

The only one left to suffer was me.

I said, "You earn 26 thousand dollars a month. That's one thousand a day. If I don't get my money every day, you can get out of my house."

Chloe sobbed.

My mother-in-law tried to calm things down.

Declan stormed into the room, yelling at me, asking if I had something wrong with my head because this situation was easily resolved.

I shot back, "Exactly. Paying off a debt is simple. Why can't you figure that out?"

I was packing clothes that Declan had tossed all over the floor.

He pointed at me and asked, "Do you have someone else outside? Is that why you keep making a fuss every day? Do you want to divorce me?"

I said, "Yes, let's get divorced. I can't spend another day with you. We'll sign the agreement now, and when the child turns one, we'll file for divorce."

The next time we met was at the funeral home.

When I was lying alone, I couldn't hold on any longer.

I couldn't bear going to the hospital alone. Before it was for prenatal check-ups, and now it was for treatment. No one cared.

Declan pushed me out the door, throwing my luggage out along with me.

From inside, I could hear the baby's babbling and Chloe's voice.

"Call me Mommy," she said.

My mother-in-law sighed, saying how peaceful the house was now.

Declan added that now, as a family, they could live happily ever after.

I was stunned.

I stayed far away, observing for several days.

Chloe moved into the master bedroom, behaving like the lady of the house.

Every day, she and Declan went out together.

The joke was on me.

That was my son, but without money, I had no power to change anything.

I cried as I called old friends, begging them to find me some makeup artist gigs.

But I hadn't worked in so long that my skills were rusty. Who would want me now?

Thankfully, a bridal photography studio took me in as an apprentice, providing food and accommodation.

I had a good personality and was willing to work overtime. Soon, I became a team leader among the other girls.

My makeup skills were recognized, and soon, my pay started to rise as well.

Then I received an assignment to do bridal makeup for a client.

The bride requested me.

The moment I saw the bride, I nearly fainted.

I should've seen it coming.

It was none other than Chloe.

She was wearing a wedding dress, raising an eyebrow at me.

She said, "What's the matter? Didn't expect it, did you? Today's my wedding. If you don't do a good job, I'll complain about you and get you fired."