Just like that, Mandy moved in. At last, the family of four was reunited. When the two children saw Mandy, their faces immediately filled with shock and joy.

The younger one could not hold back her excitement and blurted out, “Mom!”

Fortunately, Sean reacted quickly. He pulled Eve into his arms and kissed her on the cheek, then laughed casually.

“Our daughter is calling you.”

However, in reality, the adopted twins—one boy and one girl—had been living in the Baker residence for a full three months. During that entire time, they had never once addressed Eve as Mom, and that was even though, before learning the truth, Eve had loved and cared for them as if they were her own flesh and blood.

Now, in order not to give anything away, the so-called daughter, Annie Baker, shot Eve a vicious glare. Then, with obvious reluctance, she said, “Mom, I want some pistachios. De-shell them for me.”

The pistachio shells were hard, and de-shelling them always made her fingers ache. Hence, she thought she would make Eve suffer for having the nerve to compete for her dad’s affection with her mom.

Before this, Annie had often asked Eve to de-shell pistachios for her. Eve had simply assumed the child liked them and never thought too deeply about it, so she opened them every time without complaint. Yet now, seeing the undisguised malice in the child’s eyes, Eve’s heart instantly went cold.

“If you want them, get the nanny to de-shell them for you.”

Sean stepped forward protectively, blocking Eve. He gently took her hand and said with a smile, “My wife’s hands are so soft. I don't even have the heart for her to de-shell them for me.”

Mandy’s expression darkened instantly. Hatred flashed across her face as she silently glared at Eve.

Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly asked, “Sean, where’s your rosary?”

Sean had always worn a rosary on his wrist. It was something Eve had personally prayed for him to receive. She had traveled far, kneeling step by step in sincere devotion and climbing at high altitude just to ask for them on his behalf. The rosary had been blessed by a senior priest. Sean had been so deeply moved that he had worn them on his left wrist ever since, never once taking them off.

Now, his wrist was empty.

“Where is my rosary?” Sean froze in shock. “I was wearing it this morning…”

Just as anxiety rose in his chest and he was about to look for them, he looked up and met Mandy’s gaze, filled with unmistakable desire. Her face was flushed red. She licked her lips slowly, then, under Sean’s stare, discreetly slid her hand between her thighs. As she did, she deliberately swayed her body slightly and let out a soft, breathy moan.

“Ah… Sean… My stomach hurts. Can you help me upstairs to lie down for a while?”

The hint could not have been clearer.

Sean’s breathing instantly grew heavier. His voice dropped as he said, “Eve, I’ll help Mandy upstairs to rest first. Take care of the kids.”

Without waiting for a response, he eagerly supported Mandy and headed upstairs with her.

Eve’s heart turned cold. She instructed the nanny to take the two children away before she silently went upstairs.

The bedroom door was left slightly open. Sean was in such a hurry that he had even forgotten to lock it.

“Are you crazy? You actually put my rosary in a place like that!”

Sean was scolding her, but there was no real anger in his voice—only a faint trace of excitement.

“Ah… Sean…It’s too deep. I can’t get it out. Help me, please…”

Mandy grabbed his hand and guided it downward. Soon after, Eve heard the sound of beads hitting the floor. One rosary bead, smeared with an unknown liquid, slowly rolled to her feet before coming to a stop.

Eve closed her eyes in despair. The rosary she had once knelt step by step to pray for—beads that carried her devotion and faith—had now become tools for their affair.

Right in front of her, without even bothering to hide it, they trampled on her love and desecrated her faith. She did not want a marriage or a man like that anymore.

Eve was done with it all. That very night, she contacted a lawyer and got him to draft the divorce papers for her. At the same time, she paid a professional team to erase every trace of her existence.

“I want to disappear completely,” Eve said over the phone. “How long will it take to erase every trace that I was ever here?”

“At the earliest, one week,” the other party replied.

Eve froze for a moment.

Sean had once said that Mandy only had one week left. After one week, everything would be over. He would return to the family, come back to her side, and love her wholeheartedly again.

The thought made Eve laugh softly.

How could such a good deal exist in this world, thinking that he could play around until he was satisfied and then come back to his family? Did he really think she would stay where she was, waiting for her forever?

No. She would not wait, and he would not be able to come back to her either, because by the time he decided to come back, he would realize that he no longer had a family.

“Fine. One week,” Eve said without hesitation. “I’ve transferred the money. Make sure I disappear completely.”

The next morning, the desecrated rosary appeared on Sean’s wrist once again. The sight made Eve feel sick. She could not even bring herself to eat breakfast.

Sean, however, looked proud of himself. “Eve, I found the rosary you gave me. They’re a symbol of our love. I’ll wear them for the rest of my life and never lose them again.”

The moment he said those words, Mandy, who was sitting across from them, suddenly twisted in pain. She spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the floor, her body convulsing violently.

“Mandy! What’s wrong?” Sean rushed over and scooped her into his arms.

At the same time, the two children burst into loud sobs.

Annie pointed at Eve and shouted, “Dad, it was Mom! Mom secretly put mango in Mandy’s food! Mandy is allergic to mango! She wanted to kill Mandy!”

Sean frowned instinctively and immediately denied it. “Annie, don’t talk nonsense. Eve isn’t that kind of person.”

However, in the next second, the older twin, Zack Baker, suddenly rushed over and covered his sister’s mouth. His voice trembled with fear as he said, “Annie, stop talking, or Mom will beat us to death!”

As he spoke, he deliberately pulled up his sleeve. His arm was covered in deep, bloody welts layered one over another, as if they had been struck repeatedly by a barbed whip.

Sean’s eyes widened. He slowly raised his head and stared at Eve in disbelief.

“Did you do this to them?”

Eve’s expression remained calm. “If I say I didn’t, would you believe me?”

When they got married, he had promised her that he would believe her unconditionally. However, seeing Mandy coughing up blood and the two children covered in injuries now, all that remained in Sean’s heart was anger.

“They’re only five years old. Do you think they’d lie? And in this house, besides you, who would dare lay a hand on them? Eve, they’re just five-year-old children. How could you be so cruel?”

Mandy was still convulsing, and Sean no longer wanted to argue. He picked her up, ready to take her to the hospital.

At that moment, Eve suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Her throat felt swollen, as if something was choking her. Red rashes quickly spread across her skin—clear signs of a severe allergic reaction.

“Soy...” she clutched her neck and struggled to speak. “I’m allergic to soy...”

That morning, she had only drunk a cup of latte with oat milk. Everyone in the house knew she was allergic to soy, so the servants would never put soy into her drink.

Annie shot Eve a smug glance. She was the one who had added the soybeans.

“S-Sean…” Eve’s breathing grew more labored.

She tried to call out to him, hoping he would take her to the hospital as well. However, all Sean did was shoot her a cold look.

“Eve, quit the act. Everyone in this house knows you’re allergic to soy. Who would dare put it into your drink? You did something wrong, refused to admit it, and now you’re faking an allergy for attention. I’m deeply disappointed in you.”

With that, he turned around, carrying Mandy, and walked out. He left Eve alone on the floor, abandoned and unheard.

When Eve woke up again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. The person sitting by her side was not Sean but the family’s housekeeper.

“Ma’am, you’re finally awake,” the housekeeper said, still shaken. “I was the one who brought you to the hospital. I made the oat milk myself. I swear to God, I didn’t put any soybeans in it.”

Eve slowly closed her eyes. A thin tear slid down the corner of her eye.

“I know.”

The housekeeper had made the oat milk, so she was absolutely certain there were no soybeans in it. Yet when Eve collapsed, the housekeeper still chose to believe that it was an allergic reaction and rushed her to the hospital. However, where was Sean? The man who had once promised to love her for the rest of his life had left her alone at home, waiting to die.

Mandy was in the hospital room right next door. Late that night, when Eve got up to use the restroom, she saw Sean standing beside Mandy’s bed, keeping watch over her.

He used to do the same for Eve whenever she was sick. A man of his status was always busy, with endless responsibilities and obligations. Yet every time Eve fell ill, he would cancel all his work and stay by her side. He would pour her water, cook for her, and coax her into taking her medicine…

Thinking of those memories, Eve’s eyes reddened. She could not understand how something once so beautiful had turned into this.

“Sean, I’m about to die,” Mandy said weakly from the bed, tears clinging to her lashes as she leaned into his arms. “Before I die, I want an answer. After all this time, did you ever love me?”

Sean fell silent for a long time.

“Even just a little would be enough,” Mandy sobbed. “Sean, I’m not asking for your whole heart. If you’ve ever felt even the slightest bit of affection for me, I could die with no regret.”

Looking at Mandy’s tear-streaked face, Sean’s heart ached. As if he could no longer suppress his emotions, he reached out and pulled her tightly into his arms.

“Mandy, of course I have feelings for you,” he said softly. “Forgive me. I can’t tell you that I love you because I already have Eve. I can’t betray her. But if Eve didn’t exist, I could tell you this: you would be the woman I love most in this world.”

Eve felt as if someone had punched a hole straight through her heart and squeezed it. She lifted her hand to touch her face, only then realizing that tears were already streaming down.

She had once believed that Sean was only with Mandy for the thrill of it. She had thought there was nothing between them but desire—no love. However, how could there be no love? When Mandy collapsed, coughing up blood, his eyes had been filled with panic and concern. When Mandy placed the rosary, one that Eve had once knelt step by step to beg for, into such a filthy place, he had not said a single word of blame. The scales in his heart had already tipped long ago.

Eve turned away, tears falling as she walked off. She had barely taken a few steps when her phone suddenly vibrated. Mandy had sent her a video.

Below it was a message that read: [Everything he once gave you, he has also given to me.]

Eve tapped on the video, and a lively wedding scene appeared on the screen. At a glance, she recognized the venue. It was the very place where she and Sean had held their wedding. Not only was the location the same, but the decorations, the layout, and even the smallest details were identical.

For a brief moment, Eve almost believed the video was footage from her own wedding. However, that illusion was shattered the second Mandy, wearing a white wedding gown, appeared on screen.

Eve gasped.

“Mandy, I’ve heard from Sean that you’re pregnant with his child, and twins at that,” Sean’s mother said warmly in the video, holding Mandy’s hand with obvious affection. “I’m so happy! You’re truly a great blessing to the Baker family! Even though you and Sean can’t legally get married, I promise you this: everything Eve has, you’ll have too. And everything she doesn’t have, you’ll have as well.”

As she spoke, Sean’s mother removed the emerald bracelet from her own wrist.

“This is the Baker family’s heirloom,” she said with a smile. “It’s an antique, something once worn by royalty. There’s only one of these in the Baker family. It’s passed down only to the daughter-in-law.”

With that, she slipped the bracelet onto Mandy’s wrist and said, “Mandy, you’re the only daughter-in-law I acknowledge.”