I had always been a little dizzy by nature. My head was often muddled.

Three years ago, in that same haze, I picked up a drunk woman and brought her home.

She woke up and stared at me for a while before suddenly saying, “Let’s get married.”

I did not think much about it. I just nodded and thus became the rich husband of a powerful family. They gave me a credit card that I could use however I liked, and I could live in a luxury house without any limits.

We had a son, but alas, he was kidnapped. It took me two years, but I managed to find him again. I was about to tell my wife when she handed me a divorce agreement.

“I’m bankrupt. This is my last sum of money. Take it and leave.”

At that moment, a few chat messages suddenly appeared in front of me.

[Wow! The female lead’s crush, the male lead, has returned to the country!]

[She is probably pretending to be bankrupt. She wants to get rid of the male supporting character to go back to the male lead!]

[She got drunk back then because the male lead left. The male supporting character was just a stand-in!]

What?

So I was a replacement?

I nodded slowly. “Oh. Then let’s get a divorce.”

The light in her eyes went out at once.

I looked at her and felt that I had forgotten to say something.

Whatever. I would say it when I remembered.

Ruby Xander pressed her lips together tightly. She pushed both the agreement and the pen toward me.

Her eyes turned slightly teary. Her fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the table twice.

It was her small habit when she felt nervous.

I looked at the agreement. I did not rush to take the pen. I reached out and touched the back of her hand on the table instead.

“Your hand is cold.”

Ruby flinched a little, but she did not pull her hand away.

I did not read the agreement. I simply picked up the pen and raised it to sign.

Ruby grabbed my hand. “Wait! Read it carefully before you sign.”

She then explained the agreement to me line by line. She was leaving the villa to me and giving me all her savings. Every debt under her name would have nothing to do with me. She had even set up a trust fund for me with a good amount of money. It would ensure that I could live well in the future.

The chat appeared in front of my eyes again.

[What the hell? This divorce agreement only benefits the guy?]

[Ruby is such a perfect woman. Why do I feel like she really is bankrupt?]

[No, that’s not right. In the original story, she really does become super rich later…]

After hearing her words, I felt like my head was spinning.

“I don’t understand. I just have to sign it, right?”

I tried to sign the agreement again.

Ruby stopped me once more.

She pressed her lips together before speaking. Her voice sounded a little hoarse.

“There is one last condition. Divorce doesn’t mean we cut off contact. If you ever need my help in the future, just tell me.”

I looked at her in confusion. “You’re already drowning in debt. What can you even help me with?”

Ruby had nothing to say. She lowered her head.

I suddenly thought of the past three years. No matter how busy she was, she always replied to my goodnight messages. The desserts I casually mentioned would always show up in the fridge the next day. Every time I came home drunk, the entrance light would always be on.

My heart suddenly softened a little. I said seriously, “Then if you ever get so poor that you can’t even afford food, come find me. I’ll take care of you.”

Ruby lifted her head in a startled motion.

Her eyes filled with tears. She swallowed hard without realizing it. After a long pause, she replied in a low voice, “…Okay.”

The chat floated across my vision again.

[What kind of attitude is Stephen showing? She gave him all the best things!]

[I feel so bad for Ms. Xander. She still thinks she doesn’t deserve anything.]

[Yarden needs to come out and comfort her!]

[Stephen is just tipsy all the time…]

Ruby said she had found a job at a construction site carrying bricks. The pay was high. It included food and accommodation. She said she would leave right away.

She stood at the entrance with a suitcase in her hand.

She turned back to look at me.

Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she said nothing. She opened the door and walked out.

The moment the door closed, the chat blew up.

[Carrying bricks? Seriously?]

[A CEO carrying bricks… Why do I kind of want to laugh?]

[Stop laughing. This is actually really sad.]

[Wait, is she really bankrupt? Otherwise, why would she actually go do that?]

I went back to the bedroom and saw her dresses hung neatly inside the wardrobe.

Everything still carried Ruby’s presence.

On the nightstand, her business magazine was still there. She read it every night.

In the bathroom, her toothbrush stood next to mine.

I lay on the bed and thought about the past three years.

She stayed up late to fix the music box I had broken. When I woke up from a hangover, there was always warm water and hangover medicine by the bed. Every time she came back from social events, no matter how late it was, she went to the guest room first to wash up. She was afraid that the smell of alcohol would bother me.

My thinking was suddenly interrupted by the buzz of my phone.

It was the private investigator. He had sent encrypted photos and a location.

In the photo, a little boy looked at the camera with a blank, innocent expression. His features looked very much like mine.

[Mr. Wilson, your son, Casper Wilson, has been found at Sunshine Welfare Home in the neighboring city. We’ll bring him back so you can reunite.]

Only then did I remember.

Ah. I forgot to tell her that our son had been found.

The chat suddenly flashed like crazy.

[Yarden is here! He is right outside the villa.]

I walked to the window and saw a man in a white suit standing outside the iron gate. His hair was neatly styled.

…

I opened the door.

Yarden Smith looked me up and down. He showed a smile that said, “Just as I thought. You’re Ruby’s husband, aren’t you?”

He paused. “No, her ex-husband.”

I leaned against the doorframe and let out a yawn.

“Who are you?”

Yarden brushed his hair back and started to introduce himself. He kept hinting that he and Ruby had been childhood sweethearts. Three years ago, Ruby got completely drunk because he had left the country. Since he had come back, she would naturally get a divorce.

The chat floated across my vision.

[Yarden is so handsome!]

[Stephen, feel inferior!]

[The comment above should get their eyes checked. To be fair, Stephen looks better.]

[No fighting over men. Also, why do I feel like they don’t look alike at all?]

[I think so too. Is Stephen really a replacement for Yarden?]

Yarden pulled something out of his bag. It was a photo of him and Ruby in high school. They stood together. Ruby did not smile, but her eyes looked much softer.

Yarden spoke in a gentle tone, but his eyes carried a sharp edge.

“She has never loved you. You were just a replacement.”

I looked at the photo for three seconds.

“She was a little chubbier back then. Her face was rounder.”

Yarden froze.

Then I added, “Thank you for telling me all this. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what she looked like in high school. Can you give me the photo? I want to keep it as a memory.”

The chat grew lively again.

[Is that really the point?]

[I can never keep up with the way Stephen thinks.]

[But for some reason, that felt kind of satisfying.]

[Yarden got shut down. Hahaha.]

Yarden’s expression changed slightly. He coldly said, “You really are unusual. But it doesn’t matter. She has already chosen me. Do you know why she left the villa to you? She is about to move into my place.”

I tilted my head and thought for a moment.

“Well, that’s good. She won’t have to sleep at a construction site. Carrying bricks is very tiring.”

My tone was sincere. There was no jealousy at all.

Yarden had nothing to say.

Before he turned to leave, he said, “Someone like you deserves to be dumped.”

The door closed.

I leaned against the door and slowly crouched down. It was not that I did not feel sad. My sadness just came a little slower than other people’s. I reached into my pocket. There was a photo inside. It showed my son right after he was born, before he was kidnapped.

“Casper,” I said softly, “it looks like your mom is going to be someone else’s mother.”

I stayed there for a while. My mind went blank. Then, I picked up my phone.

I wanted to send Ruby a message. I wanted to tell her that I had found Casper.

I had just unlocked my phone when the chat suddenly flooded in.

[Oh my god! Ms. Xander is really carrying bricks!]

[She has blisters on her hands… I checked the later parts of the story. She really is extremely rich. Can someone explain what is going on?]

[I can’t explain it either. I want to know too!]

[Yarden called her and asked for the address. He is driving to the construction site now.]

I stared at the chat and forgot what I was about to do. Something in my chest felt a little empty. I walked to the wine cabinet. I wanted to take a bottle.

The chat floated across my vision again.

[Stephen drinks too much. Now that his son is back, what if he gets drunk and hits the kid?]

[Right. Ruby still doesn’t know that the child has been found. In the later story, she has no child. This kid must have been killed by Stephen.]

I paused and quietly put the bottle back in the cabinet before locking it. My phone suddenly buzzed.

Ruby sent a message.

[Remember to eat dinner. Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Don’t sit in the dark and use your phone. Don’t stay up too late.]

I looked at the message for a while.

All of a sudden, I did not want to divorce her anymore.

…

A week later, I received a bank notification.

Ruby had transferred me some money. She had also left a note.

[This is two weeks’ salary. Take it and use it first.]

The amount was not large. The numbers were uneven.

I stared at the message for a while as the chat instantly flooded in.

[Ruby really left herself only enough for bread!]

[She has blisters on her hands and still thinks about her ex-husband.]

I slowly got up from the couch.

I touched the photo in my pocket and said slowly, “Casper, your mom looks like she is about to starve.”

Then, I walked into the kitchen. I had barely stepped into it in these past three years. Ruby had always cooked all kinds of dishes for me. I only knew how to cook instant noodles, and I often burned them.

I searched for recipes. I nearly cut my hand and forgot to add salt.

After two hours of struggle, I finally made a pot of soup.

Then, I went to the pharmacy and bought antiseptic as well as bandages.

I followed the scattered hints from the chat about the “new development area in the south of the city” and took a cab there.

The construction site was full of dust.

I stood at the entrance in soft home clothes and sneakers. I held a thermos. I looked completely out of place.

The chat laughed at me.

[Stephen looks kind of cute like this.]

I was looking around when a white car pulled up.

Yarden got out. He held a neatly packed food box.

He saw me as well. His smile stiffened for a moment before it returned to its usual elegance.

“Mr. Wilson?” he walked over. “What are you doing in a place like this?”

He looked at my thermos and chuckled.

“Bringing food for Ruby? Her stomach is weak. She can’t handle anything too oily.”

I looked down at my soup.

“It’s chicken soup. It’s not oily. I already skimmed the oil off.”

Yarden stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“Mr. Wilson, there are some things you may not understand. Ruby is at her hardest stage right now. She needs someone who can help her rise again. Not someone who only knows how to make soup.”

I thought about it for three seconds.

“But she is carrying bricks right now. Carrying bricks needs strength. Presently, helping her to ‘rise again’ isn’t relevant.” I paused and added, “I’m not someone who only makes soup. I can earn money myself. I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet.”

The chat was stunned.

[Yarden got completely shut down.]

[Stephen’s logic is always strange, but somehow you can’t refute it.]

When the atmosphere froze, Ruby walked out of the construction site.

She wore a dusty work uniform and had bandages on her hands. Sweat covered her forehead. She saw us and clearly paused.

Yarden immediately moved toward her. “Ruby, I brought you food…”

Ruby walked straight past him and came to me instead.

Her brows were slightly furrowed. “Why are you here? There is too much dust here.”

I lifted the thermos and the bag of medicine.

“I brought you soup and medicine.”

Ruby’s eyes softened. When she took the things from me, her fingers trembled slightly.

Yarden’s face turned pale. “Ruby, I came here specially…”

Ruby turned to him. Her tone was polite and distant.

“Mr. Smith, thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need it. Don’t come again, please.”