Three hours later, Celine returned home while clutching her belly.

After resting for a day, she looked at her pale face in the mirror and tremblingly picked up her lipstick. After doing a simple makeup look, her complexion returned to normal, but she was still sweating coldly due to the pain.

She wrapped herself in a blanket and lay on the couch. She called the housekeeper over. "Sort out all the jewelry and bags in the display cabinet and send them to the auction house for sale. All proceeds will be donated to the impoverished mountainous areas."

Harry heard that just as he pushed the door open and froze instantly. "Celine, why do you suddenly want to sell these things?"

Celine lowered her eyes and avoided his gaze, "I want to donate them because I don't like them. Consider it as doing a good deed for the baby's sake."

Fortunately, Harry did not think much of it and walked over, hugging her and soothing her. "That's good. I'll take you to an auction in a couple of days, you can pick out things you like, and we'll gradually fill the empty display cabinets, okay?"

His tone sounded like comforting a child. Celine did not reply but changed the topic. "Have you finished your work?"

"Yes, I know you've been working hard recently. How about I stay home and accompany you and the baby for the coming week?"

Harry reached out to touch her belly, yet she promptly held his hand.

He looked down and noticed her belly seemed a little flatter. His brows furrowed slightly. Just as he was about to ask, Celine's phone rang.

Seeing the word 'Uncle' on the phone screen, she answered.

"Celine, your aunt came back yesterday. Everyone's discussing having a meal at the old house. Are you coming?"

"I'm not feeling well, so I'll pass..."

Before she could finish, Harry snatched the phone from her. "I'll be there on time with Celine."

Seeing his eagerness to agree to the dinner, Celine's heart skipped a beat. She could not help but think of the 99 failed phone calls she made on the day her father died.

It turned out he seized every opportunity to see the person he truly loved when it came to her. He disregarded her wishes, nor did he care about her recent grief. He simply followed his heart to love and meet the person he loved.

After hanging up, Harry saw the expression on Celine's face and realized he had just lost his composure. He held her cold hand and explained, "Celine, I know you're upset, but you're pregnant after all. You can't wallow in pain. I'll accompany you back to the old house to see your family and clear your head."

Celine forced a smile but said nothing.

The couple arrived at the old house at 7:00 pm.

Before entering, Harry handed Celine a gift. "Your uncle said you and your Aunt Juniper haven't seen each other for years, so we should prepare a gift."

In the past, Celine would have thought him considerate. Now, she knew he just wanted to use her to give a gift to someone he liked. She did not expose him and stepped into the bustling hall.

Hearing the voice, Juniper, who was chatting with someone, turned around and saw Celine and Harry, who was holding Celine's hand. She paused for a moment before asking hesitantly, "Celine, who's this?"

Celine did not answer, unsure how to respond.

Harry remained silent, but the relatives nearby warmly introduced them, "Juniper, you've been abroad for three years and didn't come back for the wedding, so it's normal you don't know him. This is Celine's husband, Harry Slate, the president of Slate Group..."

Juniper swayed slightly, a flash of shock in her eyes. However, having seen many grand occasions, she quickly came to herself and stepped forward to shake his hand.

The two exchanged polite greetings as if it were their first meeting.

Only Celine could see the subtle tension between them. She handed the gift to Juniper, saying only one sentence, "Aunt Juniper, welcome back."

"I'm only back for a month. I'll go back to Palto after this."

Harry's expression visibly turned grim.

Juniper pretended not to notice and smiled as she unwrapped the gift. When she saw the dazzling gemstone necklace, admiration appeared in her eyes. "Celine, you have such good taste! I've had my eye on this necklace for ages."

Celine took in both of their expressions, her tone indifferent. "Harry picked it out. He has always had good taste."

Harry barely ate anything during the meal, spending most of his time drinking and helping Celine with the food.

Relatives and friends smiled dotingly and teased, "Celine is so lucky to have married such a good husband. Look how loving they are!"

Celine forced a smile, looking at the beef and lamb in her bowl without touching her cutlery. After she became pregnant, she suffered from severe nausea and could not eat any meat.

Harry knew this and had been on a vegetarian diet with her for a month. Today, he forgot all about it. He was busy changing plates to bring all the fish and shrimp on the table to Juniper.

Juniper had loved seafood since she was a child.

After the meal, Harry was completely drunk.

Their relatives and friends were worried about them going back in such a state, so they asked them to stay.

Celine called the housekeeper to help him back to a room. After washing up, she turned off the lights in the bedroom and only left the one beside the bed on.

After a while, Harry opened his eyes drowsily and reached out to hold her in his arms. "Juniper, you came back for me, right?"

Celine froze completely, but she did not tell him that he had mistaken her for someone else. She paused for a long time before asking in reply, "What about you? Who did you get drunk for today?"

"It's you, Juniper. It's only you. Don't you understand?"

Although she had already expected the outcome, hearing it with her own ears still caused her agony. She finally understood why those who buy alcohol to drown their sorrows would pretend never to drink liquor in front of her. It was because he was afraid of revealing his true feelings, like he did today, and was afraid of being discovered by her.

She clutched her hands tightly and could not breathe. She had no choice but to break free from his embrace.

She sat in the bathroom for two hours before calming down.

When she came out again, Harry was no longer in bed.

Celine opened the bedroom door and saw the voice-controlled light on the balcony turn off. She walked silently over and saw through the window Harry and Juniper standing outside.

The darkness concealed his expression, but Celine could hear his suppressed voice. "Didn't you tell me yesterday you weren't going back to Euronia? Why did you change your mind today?"

"What about you? Why did you marry Celine without telling me?"

Hearing Juniper's calm tone, Harry felt his fury burning brighter. His remaining rationality crumbled instantly, and he gripped Juniper's hand. "Don't you know why I married her? She looks so much like you, and she's your blood relative. Only by being with her can I see you openly! Instead of flying to Palto and waiting downstairs alone for dozens of hours just to sneak a glimpse of you, like what happened a few days ago!"

It turned out he had gone to Paris for Juniper, which was why he had not answered a single phone call.

Celine was terribly shocked, and her fingers dug deeply into her palm.

Juniper had not expected him to come up with such a plan and murmured, "You're insane!"

"I am insane! I've been insane since the day you insisted on breaking up with me, don't you know? I want you by my side. Even a substitute who looks like you is enough for me to cherish for the rest of my life!"

His unvented pain stunned Juniper. After a long silence, she finally managed to squeeze out an equally agonizing reply. "Harry, what do you take Celine for? You've been married for three years. She's even pregnant with your baby. Don't you feel anything for her?"

Harry laughed immediately. "Juniper, she's just a substitute. How do you expect me to feel anything? Even if I did, all I can think about is you when I look at her face that looks like yours!

"Celine and I are having a baby soon. I've already chosen a name—Harper Slate. It's a combination of our names. This way, we'll be together forever!"

Hearing that, a chill ran through Celine, and her tears could not help but stream down.

Harper Slate. What a good name.

She closed her eyes, recalling his insatiable behavior in bed after their marriage and his nervous attitude during her pregnancy. She bit her lip hard, swallowing the desperate cries of pain.

Having exhausted her last bit of strength, she leaned against the wall. Her steps faltered as she turned away.

The sounds of their argument faded. Before the bedroom door closed, she heard Juniper ask, "Aren't you afraid Celine will find out the truth?"

Harry said, "She'll never know. Even if she did, she loves me so much that she'll never leave!"

Never?

Celine touched her flat belly and showed a bitter smile. She would personally smash the cage he built and fly toward the sky of freedom, never looking back.

Harry did not return that night.

Celine got up at daybreak. Without disturbing anyone, she went home alone and completed her immigration procedures with her documents.

Just as she finished, she received a call from Juniper. "Celine, could you come with me to the cemetery today? I want to pay my respects to your father and also visit my sister's grave."

Celine's mother passed away a long time ago, so she had little contact with her maternal grandmother's side of the family. Although she and Juniper were only five years apart, they were not particularly close. However, since Juniper was going to pay her respects to her parents, Celine could only agree.

She bought a bouquet. She saw a sports car parked not far away as soon as she arrived at the cemetery entrance.

It was Harry. He saw her and immediately got out of the car. He walked to her side. "Why didn't you let me accompany you to the cemetery?"

Celine looked at Harry intently. "Didn't you leave in the middle of the night? Harry, I didn't say I was going to pay my respects. How did you know I would be here?"

Harry took her hand. "My stomach wasn't feeling well yesterday. I saw you in the bathroom and went to the hospital by myself. I heard your Aunt Juniper say she wanted to pay her respects with you when I came back this morning. So, I followed her here."

His lie was almost perfect.

She gave a soft hum in reply and remained silent.

When she arrived at the cemetery and saw the two tombstones side by side, Celine felt a wave of sadness well up in her heart.

The two people who loved her the most were gone.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Juniper walked over and gently patted her shoulder. "Celine, your parents are no longer here, but Harry will take care of you for the rest of your life. Your baby is about to be born, and you will have a new family."

She spoke so earnestly as if she had already determined for Harry that their marriage would last forever.

After she finished speaking, Harry quickly answered, "Yes, I will take good care of you and the baby. Don't be sad."

Celine only felt irony when she heard this.

Harry promised to take care of her for the rest of her life, not because of love, nor because of responsibility, but for another woman and his unspeakable desires.

Celine swallowed her emotions and looked up at the photos of her parents. "Yes, I will have a new family."

However, it would have nothing to do with Harry anymore.

After the memorial service, a light rain began to fall.

Juniper and Celine sat in the back seat while Harry drove.

Feeling the awkward atmosphere in the car, Juniper started a conversation. "I heard an Itolian restaurant opened in the south of the city. How about we try it for lunch?"

Harry immediately changed directions. "I heard the owner is Itolian, and the food is really authentic."

"Really? The pizza I had in Palto..."

The two chatted about Itolian food to Scandinian food, and then about their recent experiences.

No matter what the other said, the other could quickly chime in, never letting the atmosphere become awkward. Their rapport was like that of a couple who had been together for years, sharing everything.

After this thought flashed through her mind, Celine smiled self-deprecatingly.

They had indeed been together for many years. The places they had been together, the things they had done for each other, and their familiarity with one another were far beyond what a substitute like her could compare to.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Harry habitually handed the menu to Juniper.

She took it and was about to open it when she remembered something and instead handed it to Celine. "Pregnant women must have many dietary restrictions. Celine, you do the ordering."

Celine casually ordered a few dishes, but Harry frowned when they arrived. "You can't eat any of these. Have you forgotten the doctor's orders?"

Juniper turned to look at Celine's belly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "Celine, aren't you four months pregnant? Why does your belly not look like it belongs to this stage of pregnancy?"

Harry immediately stood up, wanting to check, but he accidentally bumped into a waiter delivering the food.

The food cart overturned, spilling all the dishes.

Harry instinctively shielded Juniper, protecting her from the spilled soup and cold dishes.

Celine was not so lucky. The freshly made hot soup splattered all over her legs, instantly causing blisters. Her face contorted in pain as cold sweat covered her forehead.

Steam surged, and she gripped the tablecloth as she watched Harry pick up Juniper and hurriedly leave. In that instant, Celine's heart sank.

The scene was chaotic, and the waiter quickly helped her to a safe area.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Juniper and Harry arguing.

"I told you I'm fine! You should go back and take care of Celine!"

"Your hand is all red from the burn. Why do you act so tough? Let me send you to the hospital first. I'll come back for her later. Juniper, why are you so stubborn? You were worried about me just now, afraid I'd get burned. You still care about me, right?"

"So what if I do? So what if I don't? Harry, we've broken up. You've married Celine, and she's pregnant with your child!"

Hearing Juniper's agonized screams, Harry's eyes instantly reddened. "You know perfectly well that she will never be as important as you!"

Juniper paused for a few seconds and was about to speak when she looked up and saw Celine at the door. Her pupils contracted sharply, her voice filled with unprecedented panic. "Celine, why did you come out?"