“Baby, Mom is very happy that you gave birth to our daughter. She said you’ve been working hard lately, so she specially organized a birthday party for you tonight. I’ll take you there right now.”

Before I could say anything, he lifted me from the bed and placed me in the wheelchair, then pushed me out of the room.

When Elowen and I arrived at the hotel, the birthday party had already started. Maya and my mother-in-law were standing by the crib, holding Yasha, smiling and accepting guests' blessings. The atmosphere was very lively.

But as soon as I appeared, the lively atmosphere came to a halt. Guests began to look at me with strange eyes.

“Isn’t today supposed to be her birthday party? Why is she wearing a hospital gown? Didn’t the Aldridge Family prepare a dress for her? And what’s that smell on her? Has she not showered for days?”

“She’s still coming in a wheelchair? Could it be that giving birth left her paralyzed? I wonder if her daughter will be mocked for having a paralyzed mother. How pitiful.”

“The Aldridge Family invited us here to celebrate her birthday and we all dressed up specially. But she shows up like this. Does she think we’re not worthy of her dressing up for us? Don’t give me the excuse of being too tired to take care of herself after giving birth. When I had my child, I wasn’t like this. To me, it just seems like she’s looking down on us.”

The guests murmured, openly making malicious assumptions about me. But what they didn’t know was that due to the severe injuries to my lower body, the doctor had forbidden me from getting wet. Even though the stench from my body made me gag and feel nauseous, I had to endure it.

In the past, Elowen might have said a few words for me, but now all his attention was focused on Maya and Yasha, not far away. After pushing me into a corner where no one was around, he went over to join them.

My mother-in-law, feeling embarrassed by me, was furious. She didn’t care how many people were around and pointed at my nose, shouting. “Callista, you must be doing this on purpose to embarrass the Aldridge Family, right? You already dress like a country bumpkin on a regular day and I’ve told you today is your birthday celebration. Yet you still show up like this? Is this how much you want people to think I’m a wicked mother-in-law who likes to bully her daughter-in-law, even refusing to buy you a decent outfit?”

“You poisonous woman, I never should have let Elowen marry you. You’re not even worth a single finger of Maya. Marrying into our family was the worst luck ever. If Maya weren’t my adopted daughter and couldn’t marry Elowen, there’s no way it would have been you.”

Looking at the scene now, I indeed couldn’t compare to Maya even in the slightest. Her skin was like porcelain and her beauty indescribable. She wore and carried only the finest luxury items and wherever she went, she was the center of attention.

As for me, whether now or in the past, Elowen always asked me not to be extravagant, as he liked women who were frugal and good at managing a household. I believed him, so in the five years of marriage, I never spent recklessly. I saved every penny I could.

But it wasn’t until I saw Maya’s posts on social media, where Elowen bought her luxury goods almost every day, that I realized just how much money he spent on her. One of those items could have covered everything I spent in five years.

That was when I understood, it wasn’t that he didn’t like extravagance, it was just that he didn’t think I was worthy of it.

Looking at the disdainful looks from the guests, I clenched my fists in humiliation, wanting to speak, but it felt like something was lodged in my throat and I couldn’t utter a single word.

Seeing this, my mother-in-law grew even more furious. She yelled, “What are you still here for? Hurry up and get out! Don’t let your stench stink up my granddaughter!”

After saying that, without waiting for my response, she had someone push me out of the banquet hall and shut the doors, locking me out.

I listened to the lively atmosphere coming from inside the room and felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation. I turned my wheelchair and fled in embarrassment.

In the middle of the night, I felt thirsty, so I got into a wheelchair and went outside to find some water. However, when I reached the living room, I saw Maya pressing Elowen onto the sofa and said coquettishly, “Elowen, you're so hot. Let me help cool you down, okay?"

"Maya, stop joking around. It wouldn't be good if Callista sees this."

"She’s asleep right now and won’t notice. Elowen, don't refuse me anymore. I know you’re suffering from holding back."

As soon as she finished speaking, Maya leaned in and kissed Elowen on the lips. Elowen didn’t refuse. Instead, he turned over and pinned Maya underneath him.

After a while, I heard the woman's pleasant moan and the man's low roar of pleasure from release from behind the sofa.

I felt my stomach churning and almost vomited. I finally suppressed the urge and reluctantly took out my phone to take a picture of this scene.

Not long after I returned to bed, the door suddenly opened. I thought it was Elowen and ignored him.

The next moment, scalding hot water poured onto my face. The sharp, burning pain startled me, causing me to sit up. When I looked up, I saw Maya standing at the bedside, smiling ambiguously as she watched me.

"I know you saw everything just now. Elowen has always loved me. Marrying you was just to sever any thoughts you had about your fiancé. Over the years, whenever he had free time, he would come to me, just to take care of my needs, including your four children. The truth is, they weren't lost by accident. It was because I told him I didn’t want you to have Elowen's child. So, Elowen planned for you to have a miscarriage."

"As for why the fifth child was able to be safely born, it's because I wanted to have a child with Elowen, but I didn’t want my figure to change after giving birth. So, I used your womb to have Yasha. During that time, Elowen kept giving you supplements, but it was actually to ensure the child absorbed all your nutrients."

Maya grew more and more smug, laughing as if her joy knew no bounds. "Callista, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, my daughter wouldn’t have grown so plump and fair. And I wouldn’t have known how wonderful it feels to be loved by two men!"

I was so angry that my whole body shook and I raised my hand to strike her. But before my hand could even touch her, she collapsed heavily onto the ground.

In the next moment, Elowen rushed over, hurriedly pulling Maya into his arms with a panicked expression.

"Maya, are you okay?"

Maya shook her head, looking pitiful as she spoke, "I'm fine, Elowen. Don’t blame her. She didn’t mean to push me. Please don’t blame her…"

Maya's words only made things worse. The moment she spoke, Elowen immediately shifted all the blame onto me. He stood up and kicked me off the bed.

"Callista, what has Maya done wrong for you to treat her like this? I even thought you were tired from childbirth and wanted to take you out to relax, but now, it seems there's no need for that."

My body crashed heavily onto the ground, the pain making me gasp. Then, I noticed a strange smell beneath me. Looking down, I realized I had lost control of my bladder.

An overwhelming sense of humiliation surged through me. I tried to get up, but it was useless. All I could do was watch helplessly as Elowen carried Maya out of the room.

In the end, it was the housekeeper who found me, cleaned me up and put me back in the wheelchair.

I could no longer bear living in such humiliation, so I called my best friend and asked her to come pick me up early the next day.

The next morning, someone brought over the divorce papers. Just as I was about to sign, Elowen’s call came in.

"Callista, Maya was terribly frightened by you last night and has been admitted to the hospital. You need to come apologize to her right now!"

I gave a self-deprecating smile, hung up the phone and signed my name on the agreement before leaving the villa.

However, just as I stepped out the door, a black sedan blocked my way.

The next moment, the car door opened and Vero excitedly jumped out.

"Callista, I've missed you so much!"

She rushed up to me, wanting to hug me, but froze when she saw me sitting in the wheelchair. She pointed at my legs and asked, "What happened to your legs?"

I hadn’t expected her to come directly to my house to pick me up and I was a bit surprised. Hearing her ask about my legs, I felt an inexplicable ache in my heart.