I stood at the door, looking at their backs in silence, feeling only disappointment.

Nowadays, he cared less and less about me. I couldn't tell if he trusted me too much or didn't care at all.

The night before the divorce agreement was approved, the doorbell rang.

I was about to open the door when Conrad suddenly came out of the kitchen and stopped me. "Don't move, it's my guests."

I was taken aback. "His guests?"

He smiled faintly and said, "I forgot to tell you, I invited some friends over today to give Lilian's son a name."

I stood there, speechless for a long time.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just ... a name."

He said as a matter of course, "They are all professors who teach literature and philosophy at the university, so it won't be too big."

"Why did you do this at 'our' home without notifying me?"

He looked at me with a hint of impatience in his eyes and replied, "I didn't inform you because I was afraid you might feel uncomfortable."

"You knew I was uncomfortable, but you still did it?"

He sighed and lowered his voice. "Honey, please stop making trouble, okay? Just this once."

I sneered and when I was about to speak sarcastically, he suddenly held my hand and said, "This is the last time, I promise."

His eyes were sincere and his voice was deep.

"Once we choose the name for Lilian's son, I'll arrange for Lilian to go on a blind date. I have wanted to deal with her affairs for a long time, but I have never had the chance ... I'll also give you what you want to be public. On our tenth anniversary, I'll tell everyone that you are my legal wife."

I froze. I didn't expect him to say these words.

But I couldn't believe it anymore.

Every word he said sounded like sugar-coated bullets, with layers of sweetness wrapped in cold excuses.

"So, are you really going to send her away?"

"I promise."

Before I could pursue another questions, I heard the sound of Lilian opening the door from the living room.

"Welcome, welcome! Please come in! My little boy has just woken up. This is the best time!"

I unconsciously turned around and saw a few young men and women carrying gifts, smiling and greeting each other while changing their shoes.

When Lilian dealt with them, she glanced over at me with a hint of smug in her eyes.

It seemed to be telling me that she was the wife Conrad openly acknowledged and I was not.

I stood there with my fingertips cold.

Conrad still held my hand and whispered in my ear. "Please, just pretend for one night ... just one night."

I laughed, very lightly, but extremely bitter.

I didn't say anything more and stuffed the divorce agreement back into my pocket.

I no longer had the strength to make a fuss, nor did I want to argue with him.

Making a fuss meant I still hoped, but silence meant I had completely given up.

I sat in the corner of the sofa, watching the guests come in and out, complimenting, blessing and surrounding the child and Lilian, while Conrad always stood by her side.

"Have you thought of a name for the child?"

"We've thought of a few, bu we'll ask the professors to review them later."

"Lilian is so lucky to have married a good husband and have a lovely son."

I could only feel my eardrums buzzing as I listen to these words.

I once thought that I had supported the entire company for him and accompanied him through the most difficult years, including the years when his father was hospitalized, shareholders forced him to abdicate and the company's accounts were in chaos and that I could gain a legitimate identity in return.

But in the end, I was just a tool he used to maneuver around.

A temporary actor who even had to "pretend to be invited" to the naming party.

The lights in the room were warm and the atmosphere was filled with clinking of glasses.

The professors have already come up with several names for the child, such as "Roland Helderman", "Cedric Helderman" and "Lucien Helderman", each one more elegant and grand than the other.

"Lucien Helderman, I think it's good! It's catchy and has a scholarly atmosphere."

"Yes, you choose the good name, Mr. Helderman."

"Then this one?" Someone looked at Conrad with a smile.

Conrad nodded and his gaze gently fell on the child.

Lilian, on the other hand, smiled brightly and said in a warm voice, "Lucien, do you like this name? Come on, call me Mommy."

She held the child and leaned against Conrad's shoulder, her movements familiar and natural, as if they were already a family of three.

Everyone thought they were husband and wife and no one questioned.

After dinner, a group of people sat around the sofa drinking tea and laughing, talking about old things.

Lilian smiled and said, "Actually, Conrad and I have known each other since we were kids."

"Really?"

"Yes, we grew up together. I loved wrestling back then and he would carry me home every time. Once I sprained my ankle and he even stole some medicinal wine from home to apply on me, but he got beaten by his father as a result."

Everyone burst into laughter.

She continued. "There was another time when I had a fever and felt dizzy. He ran four kilometers from school and brought me medicine in the rain ... I still remember when I foolishly asked him, "Are you going to marry me in the future?"

She looked at the man with a smile, her voice a little shy and sweet. "In the end, he said, 'You are so stupid, if I don't marry you, who will marry you?'"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Mr. Helderman, so you've been so responsible since you were young."

"Yeah, no wonder you two have such a good relationship."

"By the way, your son is growing now, when are you going to hold a wedding?"

Before the words could finish, someone started to make trouble after drinking and said, "Stop talking, be honest and give him a kiss!"

"Yes, yes, yes, give him a kiss!"

"We are all here to be witnesses today. Give him a kiss to cheer him up!"

Lilian blushed, lowered her head and smiled as she refused. "Stop it."

And Conrad just said gently, "Oh, stop it."

He unconsciously glanced at me, feeling somewhat guilty.

I sat in the corner, my nails stuck in my palm.

Laughter, noise and warmth surrounded me like a tide, but not a single drop of it was for me.

Before, Conrad had also sent me medicine, but that was when I had a high fever and couldn’t get up. It was the only warmth I had in my drowsiness.

He also carried me through the corridors of the emergency room and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

But those words and actions seemed insignificant compared to what he did for Lilian.

I once blinded myself for the thoughtfulness and tenderness and was moved by this little bit of love.

Now I realized how ridiculous I was.

I felt suffocated in my chest and every breath felt like a knife cutting.

Just at this time, Nicola sent me a message.

[The agreement has been approved. You have a one month cooling off period for divorce. You will be free immediately.]

I locked my phone, stood up and said calmly, "I'm leaving."

Everyone looked at me in surprise, as if they had just remembered that I, the secretary, was in the room.

Conrad frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"

I looked at him and didn't answer his question. Instead, I said calmly, "Go home."

His expression changed slightly and his lips moved, as if he was about to say unconsciously. "Isn't this your home? Where else are you going?"

But he didn't say it in the end, probably because there were too many people present.

I didn't look at him again and turned around to walk out of this noisy room.

Just as I left, a sharp voice from a woman came from the living room.

"What's wrong with her? She's just a secretary, why is she so arrogant? With that expression and tone, it's as if the whole world revolves around her."

"Right, she's just a secretary. You're too indulgent to her, Mr. Helderman."

"Conrad, I advise you to fire her immediately to avoid any trouble."

All the comments pierced my spine like needles.

But Conrad's voice was light and fluttery. "She ... will be back soon, she dare not leave."

I stopped in my footsteps.

There was a line of defense in my heart, which was silently torn apart.

He said confidently, I dared not leave.

Just like his usual attitude, firm and arrogant, it seemed that no matter how much I cried, how much pain I felt, or how I left, I would obediently return to his side in the end.

But he would never know that I was no longer the woman who waited for him to come back.

I didn't go home a whole night.

Conrad finally lost his temper.

His mother called and told him that it was the anniversary of his grandfather's death and all the relatives from the ancestral home had arrived, so Conrad had to go back with me.

He didn't wait for me and rushed back to his family's house with Lilian.

In the car, he kept staring at his mobile phone and sent me voice messages.

"Honey, answer the phone."

"Stop making trouble. I will tell everyone clearly when I get home that you are my wife."

"Lilian is just a guest and her son is not mine either. I will arrange for her to leave sooner or later."

"Come back, I'll take you to buy the bag you have been looking at for a long time, okay?"

The voice messages came one after another, with an anxious tone.

But what he didn't know was that I was already at the airport.

I glanced at my vibrating phone, removed the SIM card and threw it into the trash can beside me!

Conrad, we didn't have to see each other again from now on.

On the other side, his face became more and more ugly when he saw that he was blocked.

He frowned and the hand holding the phone tightened again and again, his finger bones turned white and the veins on his forehead appeared slightly.

There was only one intersection left to reach his family's house. The white flags outside the car window fluttered in the wind. He felt a tightness in his heart and his breathing was stagnant.

I didn't answer the phone or reply to the message.

From yesterday till now, I hadn't replied to him at all.

It was not like he hadn't seen me lose my temper before.

But I never disappeared.

I had always been such a soft-hearted woman. If I suffered a little bit and felt wronged, if he coaxed me with a candy, I would come back.

Even if tears were still falling, I would still lean over and ask him, "Do you miss me?"

But now, I seemed to have completely disappeared from his life.

The more he thought about it, the colder his face became and even a hint of anger faintly appeared in his heart.

Did she really get angry with me?

Just because of what happened that day, did she really think that I would come to beg her humbly?

What a wingnut!

"Conrad." A soft voice came from the passenger seat, interrupting his thoughts.

Lilian held the child in her arms, her voice sweet and cautious, "We'll go back soon ... what are you going to tell your grandma, your parents and the others?"

"What did you say?" he asked perfunctorily.

Lilian lowered her eyes, smiled with a little grievance and pretended to be calm. "I mean ... when other people in our hometown ask about it, should I still say that I am your wife as before?"

She added cautiously. "I won't argue with Serena, I just ... want to give my son an identity ...."

Conrad's hands trembled and he almost stepped on the wrong brake.

"Lilian." His voice was colder than the wind outside the car. "I didn't intend to embarrass you in front of the elders, but I didn't agree to let you continue to play her role."

"I said, when I'm going back to my family's house this time, I want to tell them that she's my wife."

The smile on Lilian's face froze in place, her lips slightly parted, but she could no longer utter a word.

The child whined and moved restlessly in her arms.

Conrad said nothing more, opened the car door and got off first.

The preparation had been set up in the mourning hall, with the old man's portrait on the table and mourning flowers hanging on both sides of the door, creating a solemn atmosphere.

As soon as he entered the door, someone came up to him and said, "Mr. Helderman, please come this way. Your grandmother has arrived."

"Also ... the chanting prayers for your grandfather are almost ready and we are just waiting for you to preside over the ceremony."

His grandmother, Margareth Helderman, sat at the highest seat in the mourning hall, dressed a plain white gown, with a sorrowful expression.

As soon as she saw her grandson, she paused her gaze and frowned slightly. "Where's your wife? Why didn't she come with you?"

"She ...." he said in a deep voice, his eyes swept around and finally suppressed his emotions. "She was stuck in traffic on the way. She will be here soon."

Margareth stared at him for a few seconds, said nothing and just sighed softly.

Conrad took his mobile phone and pretended to check the message, but actually, he called me again.

[The number you're calling is temporarily unavailable, please try again later ....]

He didn't believe it, he called three times in a row, but still heard the same mechanical female voice.

Cold sweat trickled down his back bit by bit.

The worship ceremony was about to begin and the chief priest was in place.

"Mr. Helderman." the assistant walked in hurriedly, holding two wooden gift boxes in his hands. "The gifts Ms. Craivanger asked someone to send ... have arrived."

The air suddenly froze at this moment.

Everyone's gaze swept towards him.

"What gift?" He blurted out. His voice tense.

The assistant replied in a low voice, "She said it's for your grandfather ... two big gifts."

As soon as the words fell, the hall fell into a strange silence.

Conrad's pupils slightly contracted and he stared fixedly at the two wooden boxes, as if someone had pressed him in his chest.

What the hell does she ... want to do?

Two 'gifts'?

On the anniversary of my grandpa's death?