Jonas looked at me like he was waiting for me to take a bite. But before I could, he casually brought something up.

"Andy, Mitch's depression is getting worse. She doesn't have anyone to look after her, so I'm thinking of bringing her home."

He paused for a moment, then added, "After all, you caused this mess, so I'll make up for it on your behalf.

Hearing his self-righteous tone, I couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. So that's what all this was about, huh?

Just then, my little boy Ashier came running over while carefully holding a bottle of aspirin.

"Mom! Here, take this! It'll make you feel better!"

He smiled so sweetly.

"This way you won't spread your sickness to Momma Mitch!"

I turned cold and stared straight at Jonas.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I make up for a mistake I didn't make?"

I held Ashier's hand tightly and looked at him with anticipation.

"Ashier, let's say Mommy has to leave... Are you gonna come with me?"

He's my child, a part of me, so a glimmer of hope lingered in my heart.

But in the next second, my boy yanked his hand away and shouted, "I'm staying with Aunt He forever! I'm not going anywhere with you!"

My heart sank instantly.

Jonas pulled Ashier behind him, dumped the bowl of pasta into the trash, and looked down at me with disdain.

"Hey, Andy, who are you kidding? Come on, you begged me to marry you every year! Ha! No way you'd actually just run away now."

With that, he took Ashier by the hand and walked out of the door.

Before they left, I heard him muttering to himself, "Ugh, I really made the right decision to put you under my name when you were born. If it had been on hers, who knows what kind of mess we'd be dealing with."

Ashier chimed in with his tiny voice, "I'm happy you didn't marry her, Daddy!"

The door closed behind them, and my strength gave out. My fever was relentless, sapping my energy.

Trembling, I dragged myself to the hospital

After a few IV drips, the fever subsided somewhat.

Feeling slightly better, I took out my phone and spent hours carefully drafting apology messages to every guest who had been invited to our wedding. I humbly explained that the wedding was canceled.

But the replies baffled me—many guests said Jonas had told them the wedding was still going ahead as planned.

One friend, someone I was close with, hesitated for a while before finally adding me to a group chat.

The group's name? Wedding in Progress.

The admin of the group was Jonas, and just as I joined, he sent a chat.

[Folks, we can't wait to see y'all at my wedding with Mitch! See y'all in a month!]

So it's true—the wedding was still happening. The only difference was that... the groom had a new bride.

I scrolled through the chat history, finding messages from him even late at night. He had been meticulously planning every detail of the wedding, handling everything himself.

Someone then mentioned: [In a month? I heard the Rockefellers are also holding a wedding next month.]

Jonas replied smugly. [Guess Mitch and I are really meant to be. Even a big-shot family like the Rockefellers wants to share our spotlight!]

I stared at the chats with my face expressionless. Without a word, I left the group.

Probably seeing the notice that I left the group, Jonas immediately called me.

"Andy, you... Do you know everything? H-Hey, let me explain…"

But before he could continue, I heard Mitch's voice in the background. "Jonas, how do I look in this wedding dress?"

In the next second, Jonas completely forgot about me.

"Andy, just stay home and wait for me to explain. I'm a bit busy right now."

Just with that, he hung up.

Not long after, I saw Mitch's post on Insta—pictures of her and Jonas in their wedding attire.

When I got back home, Jonas still wasn't there.

Ashier was sitting alone in the living room. The moment he saw me, he walked up, tugged at my sleeve, and said, "Mom, can you take me to the amusement park? Please?"

At first, Ashier and I had a great relationship. We used to go out and have fun together.

But ever since Mitch appeared, Ashier started growing distant, even resentful toward me.

It had been so long since I'd seen this sweet side of him, and for some reason, it softened my heart.

I couldn't help but give in. I took him to the amusement park.

But something felt off.

While we were there, he seemed completely distracted, his mind elsewhere.

I asked cautiously, "Ashier, are you not having fun? Should we head home?"

The moment I said that, he tensed up. "No! I love it here! Don't go home!"

But I could tell something was wrong. "Baby, your face looks pale," I said. "Let's head back so you can rest."

I took his hand to leave, but he yanked it away.

That's when I squinted. "What's going on at home?" I asked, my voice turning cold.

At that, he couldn't hold it in any longer. His face turned red, and he exploded. "You think I want to spend time with you? You're so annoying!"

He raised his voice even more. "If it weren't for Dad saying Mitch is going to give me a little sister, I wouldn't even bother coming with you!"

What the heck? In broad daylight, Jonas couldn't even hold his lust! He even used our son to send me away so he could fool around with Mitch!

Anger surged inside me, but I stayed calm on the outside. Even as Ashier kept hurling insults, telling me I shouldn't have been his mom, I forced him into the car and drove home.

The moment we got to the door, I heard it...

The bed shook violently and the unmistakable wild sound of their delight echoed from inside.

It took a while before Jonas finally came out.

As soon as Ashier saw him, he ran over excitedly. "Daddy, is Momma Mitch going to have my little sister?"

I thought, at the very least, he'd have the decency to avoid answering in front of me.

But no. He ruffled our son's hair and said with a smile, "This time, Momma Mitch will definitely give you a sister."

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to leave that hell for good.

I was about to head to the bedroom to grab my things, but Jonas blocked the door.

He gave me a disapproving look. "She's tired right now. Don't disturb her."

Then, as if nothing was wrong, he pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my head.

"Andy, I didn't tell you earlier because I was afraid you couldn't handle it," he began to explain.

He reasoned, "Mitch just wants someone to love her. She's depressed. Can't you give her some space?"

And he had the nerve to promise, "Once she's better, I'll divorce her and marry you."

The scent of lust lingered on him, making me want to throw up.

I shoved him away and snapped, "If she needs someone to love her, she can just find someone else! Why does it have to be you?"

"Listen," he said, "I'm the only one she trusts."

That made me laugh so bitterly that tears began to well up. "So, sleeping with her in my bed—was that part of her therapy too? Did she also want a kid with you, huh?"

Before Jonas could reply, Ashier stepped forward. "It's me! I'm the one who wants Momma Mitch to have a baby sister for me!"

Right then, Mitch walked out of the bedroom, rubbing her sleepy eyes, wearing my pajamas.

"What's going on?" she asked groggily.

Jonas and Ashier rushed to her side, speaking in unison. "Nothing. Go back to sleep. We'll handle this."

From behind them, Mitch shot me a smug, triumphant look.

At that moment, I didn't even bother packing. I just rushed straight out the door.

I didn't want him or our son anymore.

I went straight back to my parents' place.

It had been 10 years since I'd seen them, and the moment they saw me, they hugged me with tears in their eyes.

Mon and Dad asked me over and over if I was sure about this—if I'd really thought through the decision to marry someone else.

They assured me that if I didn't want to, they wouldn't force me.

But I nodded firmly.

Not long after I left, Jonas sent me a message.

[Andy, come back as soon as you've thought things through.]

And then another message, a warning this time:

[But don't dare come back on my wedding day. Mitch doesn't like being disturbed.]

As if I'd go to his wedding just to make a scene.

Mitch also messaged me—a photo of my luggage dumped in a trash can.

[Andy, I've turned your room into our wedding suite. Hope you don't mind!]

I didn't bother responding to either of them. I was too busy planning my own wedding.

My parents hired the top designers to make my wedding gown and shoes.

Before I knew it, the big day arrived.

Washington is huge, but wouldn't you know it—our wedding cars crossed paths.

Jonas spotted my dad in the driver's seat of my car and immediately got out, walking over respectfully.

"Mr. Fitzgerald, whose wedding car are you driving today?"

The Fitzgeralds hold its reputation in Washington. Everyone in the business world knows Dad. Even top CEOs call him respectfully.

Jonas, as someone just gaining success in the business world, was no exception.

He had worked with Dad before, but only because of me—Dad had thrown him a bone out of pity.

Before Dad could reply, Jonas noticed me in the back seat, dressed in my wedding gown.

In an instant, he froze, completely thrown off.

"Andy?!" he called out in disbelief.

I glanced at him but with nothing but a cold expression in my eyes.

When he finally got a good look at my face, he started trembling all over. Without thinking, he rushed to the car door, trying to pull it open.

But Dad went furious. "Jonas! What do you think you're doing, huh?" he barked.

But Jonas ignored him, staring straight at me like he was piecing something together.

"You... You're a Fitzgerald. Andy, you're Mr. Fitzgerald's daughter?"

When I nodded, his face twisted in disbelief. He shook his head violently, refusing to accept the truth.

"No. No way. How is that possible?!" he blurted out.

"I-If you're his... his daughter," he stammered, "then why the hell did you spend 10 years with me? Why go through all that suffering?"

I gave him a cold smile.

"Oh, so you do realize how much I suffered all those years."

When I first met Jonas, he had nothing. He wasn't the rising star he is today—just a broke guy trying to start a business.

Back then, he fell for me at first sight and wouldn't give up. Even if he only had 10 bucks in his pocket, he'd spend it all to buy me a gift.

I was moved by his sincerity, but Dad was furious. He told me, "That poor boy is not good enough for you! He will never amount to anything!"

I was young and rebellious, so I fought back, saying I'd cut ties with my family.

My dad, just as stubborn, disowned me.

And I left. I stayed with Jonas and endured a life of hardship—leaky apartments, unhealthy roadside food, and endless early mornings and late nights.

Dad thought I'd cave and come running back.

But for Jonas, I endured it all.

Eventually, Dad swallowed his pride and sent Mom to convince me to come home.

But I couldn't bring myself to leave Jonas.

So I stayed.

For 10 long years.

Jonas likes to think he climbed his way up on his own—that he earned his spot as one of Washington's rising businessmen.