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.”

“Everyone, don’t be angry with her. She’s a woman and it’s understandable that her emotions are all over the place after just giving birth.”

“So that everyone didn’t come for nothing, I’ve changed Luna’s birthday party to my birthday party. Welcome everyone to come celebrate my 24th birthday. Here, I want to give special thanks to one person.”

“My brother, Theo, who is also the closest person in my life...”

Stella’s group of close female friends had somehow replaced the relatives below.

Upon hearing this, they all started urging her to shout, “Give him a kiss! Give him a kiss!”

The backdrop still displayed her daughter’s photo, but it now felt incredibly ironic.

Theo looked awkward, his face turning red all the way to his ears.

“This isn’t appropriate. It’s your birthday party; I shouldn’t be the center of attention.”

“Don’t say that. Without you, I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you, Theo.”

A friend beside them winked.

“Mr. Baron is just being shy. In other countries, it’s popular to kiss on the cheek when you meet. You’re so shy, you must have feelings for our Stella, right?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Stella lowered her head and kissed him on the corner of his lips.

“Drink the wine! Drink the wine!”

The shouts grew louder and louder.

Theo no longer resisted and obediently drank the wine with her. The glass was still half-filled with ice cubes.

That was what she meant by her “menstrual period.”

The video showed the moment the two of them drank the cup of wine.

The baby’s cries shattered the last remnants of my fantasy. If my child’s father were this kind of person, it would be better to find a better father.

I knew it clearly in my heart, but tears still flowed uncontrollably from my eyes, accompanied by waves of nausea.

Charles hurriedly handed me a tissue.

“Let me take you to the hospital. With such severe postpartum reactions, how can he let you go out alone?”

“No, it’s okay.”

With red eyes, I slowly raised my head to meet Charles’s worried gaze.

“Congratulations on becoming a father. Want me to become you wife too?”

I could feel his body stiffen instantly.

“What did you say?”

“You’re already married…”

“We haven’t registered yet. He said he doesn’t have time.”

During the waiting period for the marriage registration, Theo had sent a message to his assistant at some point.

When I came out with the marriage certificate, the car was already filled with sanitary pads and diapers. There were also countless small stuffed animals.

Charles blushed and coughed.  “I bought them randomly. They’re gifts for the baby.”

“I’ve never been in a relationship or had a child before. I’ll learn as I go.”

After saying that, he took out the household registration book. My name and my daughter’s name had already been added.

Below was a thick stack of property deeds and property transfer agreements.

“I’m different from Theo. Even though I don’t know what you want, I’ll do my best.”

“If you ever get angry with me, this will be your and the child’s security.”

Holding my daughter, I finally smiled sincerely for the first time in a year.

“Thank you.”

“Now, it’s time to settle the score with them.”

I contacted the hotel again and booked the banquet hall next to Stella’s birthday party for my daughter’s birthday party.

The banquet hall was already filled with guests. But this time, they were all Baron Family relatives.

As soon as I entered the hotel lobby, Theo spotted me in the main hall. He hurried over, sized me up and looked at me with apparent disdain.

“Today is a special day, with so many friends here and you show up in your pajamas?”

“Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me and get revenge?”