“He made me and my daughter take a taxi to the birthday party. If something happens in this heavy rain, who will be responsible?”

Before I could finish, Theo interrupted me coldly.

“Enough! Is there no one good in this world in your eyes? We live in a peaceful society. What kind of accident could happen? How come you always get into accidents?”

“It’s rare for Stella to ask me for help. Are you really being so petty?”

“If you have time to argue with me, you could have called ten taxis by now!”

With that, he hung up the phone roughly, leaving me breathing heavily in anger.

My mother-in-law, Barbara, saw this and came over, looking impatient.

“Are you scolding my son again? He’s a man who has to support his family. He’s not your servant. What kind of attitude is that?”

“If Theo told you to take a taxi, why didn’t you just take one yourself? It’s such a nice day, why ruin it for everyone?”

It turned out that the entire family knew about Theo and Stella. All this time, I was the only one left in the dark.

Seeing my silence, Barbara thought I was feeling guilty and started lecturing me endlessly.

“Men have so much pressure at work, it’s already tough enough. As his wife, you should be a supportive partner. Instead, you’re always causing trouble and picking fights. How are we supposed to live like this?”

“Stella’s parents died trying to save Theo. All these years, who can he talk to about his guilt? You don’t understand, but you’re even jealous of a child. How can you be a mother?”

“I’m putting this out there. If you dare to look down on Stella, you can leave the Baron Family! Don’t even think about getting custody of the child!”

The relatives who had come to give gifts also took the opportunity to lecture me.

“Don’t get me started, Adele. The relationship between Stella and the Baron Family isn’t as simple as you think.”

“Stella and Theo have known each other for over a decade, longer than you’ve been married. If there was anything between them, it would’ve happened long ago. There wouldn’t have been a chance for you to come into the picture.”

“If it weren’t for your scheming and insistence on marrying Theo, they would’ve been a perfect match. Now that there’s a child involved, just let go of the past and focus on the present. Be patient and endure it.”

Some people started whispering, “I heard that back then, Stella worked really hard to get into the same university as Theo and was planning to confess her feelings, but then she found out that Theo had a girlfriend named Adele Weasly, who was so strict with him that he couldn’t even talk to female classmates.”

“It’s fine that Stella didn’t hold a grudge against her, but now she’s become the mistress and is acting all high and mighty. She’s just spoiled!”

“Look at her, she’s so angry her wrinkles are showing. Compared to Stella, she’s not even half as pretty. I don’t know what’s wrong with Theo, why he’d choose her.”

Barbara sat in the middle of the hall, clearly expecting me to handle the situation. Hearing others constantly criticize me, I was so angry I nearly fainted on the spot.

I didn’t know how the truth had been twisted in their ears. But as far as I remember, when I first met Theo, he never mentioned Stella a single time.

The only thing he ever said about Stella was that night when he was drunk and spoke his true feelings.

He said that when he was young, he was ignorant and made a mistake that cost two lives. He swore to take good care of the couple’s children to repay his debt.

Over the years, he had spent a lot on that child, ensuring that all his needs were met at the same standard as his own.

He cried as he hugged me, saying the pressure was too much for him to bear, that the weight of two lives was almost too much to carry.

I thought he was a responsible and reliable man. My guard gradually lowered. After that night, our relationship heated up quickly.

At the opening ceremony, he confessed his feelings to me in front of the entire school.

After I rejected him, he insisted on sending me flowers and meals for two hundred days.

I worked part-time to earn money for living expenses, so he rented out the entire restaurant so that I could have time to rest.

He hired a hundred passersby to support me when I was handing out flyers.

To give me a sense of security, he swore he wouldn’t speak to any other female students besides me.

The proposal banquet on graduation day was still posted on the school forum, envied by countless junior and senior students.

But time has passed and the once beautiful memories have faded into fleeting bubbles.

Looking back, there were already signs of his relationship with Stella.

On the wedding day, Stella took a bite of king crab and clutched her stomach, saying she was allergic.

Theo left me behind and rushed to the hospital with Stella without looking back.

***

I couldn’t stay in this house for another second.

Holding my daughter, Luna, I ran into the rain with an umbrella. Not a single person came out to stop me or show any concern.

I walked along the highway for hours before a car suddenly pulled up beside me.

The window rolled down, revealing my boss’s face, Charles Garnier, so flawlessly handsome it was almost infuriating.

He raised an eyebrow slightly.

“What’s the matter? Got kicked out so quickly?”

“I told you that man wasn’t reliable. There’s no such thing as pure friendship between a man and a woman, but you wouldn’t listen. What do you think now?”

“You lost the bet. You’ll have to work for me for free for two months.”

I took a deep breath.

“I accept the consequences of the bet. Deduct the two months’ wages from my year-end bonus. I don’t want it.”

“If you came here for money, you’ve miscalculated. I don’t have a single penny on me.”

Perhaps these men, Charles, were better at judging other men.

If I had listened to him earlier, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Unfortunately, there was no turning back now. It was too late.

“Do you really think I’m such a money-grabbing person? Do you really see me as a capitalist?”

“Didn’t you make me work overtime plenty of times before?”

Charles was speechless, swallowing the rest of his words.

“That’s not what I meant. Come on, get in the car. I just moved nearby.”

“If you don’t have a place to stay, my place is always open to you. You’ll just have to cook for yourself and I’ll have one more mouth to feed. It shouldn’t be too much trouble, right?”

I furrowed my brows and studied him.

I clearly remembered his place was near the company. Why did he move so far away?

I got into the car swiftly and gave him the hotel’s location.

“You still haven’t given up? What’s so special about that man that makes him better than me?”

“Adele, after all these years, can’t you give me another chance? Whatever Theo can give you, I can give you too. Whatever he can’t give you, I can give you as well!”

His eyes grew increasingly intense, but I really wasn’t in the mood to talk about this.

“Let’s just leave it to fate.”

As the Maybach started moving, I suddenly felt a warm current beneath me. I pressed my hand against his shoulder.

“Wait a sec!”

“I think… I need to buy something.”

Charles skillfully found a nearby convenience store, but after mentioning the hygiene products, the owner said all brands had been sold out.

I showed the owner the photo of Theo on the wallpaper just an hour ago and he nodded immediately.

“That’s him. I remember him. In all the years I’ve been running this store, I’ve never seen a man spend so much on this. It must be for his wife and he seemed pretty desperate!”

“These days, it’s hard to find a man who cares so much about his wife.”

So, Theo wasn’t too busy to come home. He just had come home because of Stella. But he only took a carload of sanitary pads.

The sound of the door closing woke his sleeping daughter, who started crying loudly in the car.

I fumbled around trying to comfort her, my mind filled with the words the shopkeeper and Theo had said.

Until a ringing phone interrupted my thoughts, when I answered, Theo’s voice was impatient.

“Why aren’t you at the hotel yet? Your parents are already there. How can you make the elders wait for the younger generation?”

“Stella’s stomach hurts, I can’t leave her. What’s wrong with you? Can’t you move any faster?”

“I also need sanitary pads, but the shopkeeper said everything in the store has been sold out. Theo, what a coincidence…”

My voice was so calm I didn’t recognize myself.

Before he could speak, Stella immediately said in a sweet voice, “How could this happen? Is my menstrual cycle the same as my sister-in-law’s? That’s such a coincidence…”

“I thought Adele’s was at the beginning of the month. This change is so sudden.”

The implied meaning in her words instantly enraged Theo.

“Adele, why are you so full of ulterior motives? Since Stella isn’t feeling well, you’re following her example? It’s not unusual for a store to sell out of everything. Can’t you just go to a few more stores? Is that a valid excuse?”

“Stop making excuses for yourself. If all else fails, can’t you just use toilet paper? Your parents and relatives are waiting for you. Can’t you be a little less arrogant?”

Before I could react, the call was hung up again.

Charles looked at me thoughtfully. I was about to ask him to drive to a restroom first. Luna started crying again.

Her diaper was no longer holding and the urgent priority was to take care of the child.

When we went to the nearest mall to buy diapers, the store clerk pointed to a figure in the distance and said that Charles had bought out the entire store’s supply.

He held a black card in his hand, casually instructing the store clerks to carry the diapers.

“Yes, we want this one too. Take it all and load it into my car.”

“Money isn’t an issue. The problem is making my boss happy.”

“Who is your boss?”

“Theo Baron, the president of Baron Group. Do you know him?”

“Mr. Baron just had a son. The cost of a few diapers is nothing. Just do as I say.”

I thought Theo had finally done something kind.

Before I could even celebrate, after revealing my identity, I was publicly humiliated by that shopkeeper.

“What Mrs. Baron? I don’t know her. Mr. Baron didn’t mention her. I only listen to Mr. Baron.”

“Where did you come from? You can’t even afford diapers and you’re pretending to be rich?”

His phone screen suddenly lit up. Someone had sent a message asking about the progress.

I glanced at the wallpaper and saw it was a photo of Stella. What else was there to understand?

“Name your price. How much are you willing to sell it for?”

The other person looked me up and down with disdain.

“Ten thousand per photo, cash only. Hand it over.”

I froze in shock.

Now I couldn’t even ask Charles for help.

Luna’s cries grew louder, attracting the mall security guards who were ready to escort us out.

As I was frantically trying to figure out what to do, my phone popped up with some messages from Theo.

[It’s okay, you don’t need to come. Take Luna home and stay there.]

[Today happens to be Stella’s birthday, so we’ve changed Luna’s birthday party to Stella’s birthday party.]

[Don’t argue with me. It’s your fault for dragging your feet. We’ll just have to reschedule the first birthday banquet for next year. I have no idea what you’ve been doing all day. What’s so busy about that?]

The hotel staff hadn’t received the message and continued filming the event as planned, leaving the video for me as a souvenir.

When I opened the video, Stella stood on stage in a custom-made evening gown, with countless diamonds sparkling on the skirt, blinding everyone.

It didn’t look like a last-minute replacement. It seemed more like it had been planned all along.

“Hello everyone, I’m truly sorry for the last-minute change. It’s just that my sister-in-law, Adele, is a very busy person and couldn’t bring Luna over.”