The dull ache from the surgery spread through my body. I leaned closely on Helios and walked toward the hospital door.

Just then, two people came closer, making me stop in place.

It was Nielson and Katniss, whom he was carefully holding.

The world was absurdly small.

Nielson held Katniss tightly with one arm, while his other hand carefully carried her bag, his face full of care.

He lifted his head and saw me. His eyes stayed for a moment on my overly pale face, a brief sign of worry passing through his eyes.

But then he saw Helios beside me and shouted, “Heather, bringing another man to the gynecologist? Is this how you were raised? You’re a shame to the Sanchez Family! Go home now!”

Katniss, meanwhile, pressed even closer to Nielson, her hand softly touching her lower stomach, looking weak and helpless.

“Nielson, don’t talk to Heather like that. Helios and she grew up together; it’s normal for them to come to the gynecologist together.”

Nielson’s eyes moved to Katniss’s hand on her stomach, his earlier anger softening right away into care.

“If your stomach hurts or you feel bad, stop worrying about others. This time, we found the best doctor to help you get better. Once you recover,” he paused, looking ahead with hope, “we’ll have another child.”

My body shook without control.

Even though the lasting pain of losing a life still stayed inside me, I was still grieving the life that was gone.

And yet, right in front of me, Nielson, with another woman, calmly and firmly planned for their next child.

I nearly collapsed, only staying upright because of Helios’s strong support.

In the middle of deep pain, I softly laughed.

Nielson frowned, looking at me with dislike. “What are you laughing at? You’re acting like a crazy woman, not at all like Mrs. Sanchez!”

I stopped laughing, stood up straight and said, “Nothing, I wish you a happy marriage.”

After saying that, I stopped looking at Nielson, only leaning even closer to Helios and slowly walked past them.

Behind me, I could almost hear Katniss’s sweet complaints and Nielson’s gentle comforting words.

Anyway, everything from now on had nothing to do with me.

I politely turned down Helios’s offer to stay at his apartment and went back alone to that cold villa.

I took out my suitcase and quietly started packing.

After all, we hadn’t been married long and I didn’t have many things that truly belonged to me. I wouldn’t take anything Nielson gave me. I opened the drawer and stared blankly at the box I once valued the most.

Inside were some old yellow photos: a secret photo of Nielson playing basketball, a picture of him at a press meeting…

And a thick diary, writing down the happiness I felt when I thought I was close to him, the helpless feeling I had when signing the contract, the pain of being locked in the wine cellar, being hit in front of others.

But now, all of that meant nothing.

I went to the backyard, lit a lighter and watched these things slowly burn into ash in the fire.

When the last flame went out, leaving only small red pieces, I knew that the old Heather of the past was gone.

Everything connected to Nielson no longer mattered to me.

After cleaning everything up, I went upstairs like I was in a daze and softly pushed open the nursery door.

The baby slept peacefully. I stood next to the crib, my heart full of mixed and hard-to-name sadness.

This “son” of mine, in name only, wasn’t he innocent too?

Just as I was lost in thought, a strong smell of alcohol suddenly came from behind me and a strong arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

It was Nielson. He had drunk a little; his voice was rough and low, with a forceful tone. “Heather, be good and listen to me. Isn’t being Mrs. Sanchez good?”

Without thinking, I fought with all my strength. “Let go of me.”

My struggle seemed to make him angry. His arms tightened and his hot lips pressed close to my ear.

“Why are you hiding? Isn’t this what you always wanted?”

“It’s just too bad you don’t have Katniss’s scent. You’re too thin, not like Katniss’s body, soft and warm…”

The deep shame made my body shake. I grabbed a glass of cold water from the table and threw it in his face without thinking.

Nielson froze, the cold water clearing the effects of the alcohol. Anger slowly rose in his eyes.

He looked at me without speaking, then, like he remembered something, he laughed.

Then he pulled a black bank card from his suit pocket and tossed it onto the floor in front of me.

“Heather, I spoke incorrectly earlier. This card has five million. Buy whatever you want.” Nielson stepped closer, his voice softer.

“Heather, I have something else to talk to you about. Katniss’s birthday party is in two days. It’s her first birthday since she came back and she must not be treated badly.”

He looked at me closely. “You are Mrs. Sanchez. You need to be patient. As long as you behave, the place of Mrs. Sanchez will always be yours. From now on, let’s live well together, okay?”

I listened quietly, watching his awkward act, looking at the black card that stood for the so-called payback.

Then I slowly lifted my head, a very soft smile spreading on my face. “Okay.”

Nielson seemed surprised by my “understanding,” stopping for a moment before a look of pleasure showed on his face.

I kept smiling, but my eyes were cold.

“Since it’s such an important day for my sister, why don’t we stream the whole thing live? Let the whole city see this feeling. That’s the best way, right?”

Nielson’s eyes brightened and he tapped my shoulder with approval. “Let’s do it this way, Heather. You’ve finally grown up.”

He was in a good mood and couldn’t wait to leave, calling Katniss as he walked.

“Katniss, I want the birthday party streamed live, so everyone can send you their good wishes...”

I stood there, watching Nielson walk away. Let the whole city watch how this carefully planned birthday party finally turned into a full joke.

This would be my last gift to them.

The next day, early in the morning, Nielson and Katniss took me to the city’s most expensive custom dress shop, using the excuse of picking a dress.

Katniss, like a real wife, warmly hooked her arm around Nielson’s. “Nielson, do you think this looks nice?”

“You look nice in anything, but I think the champagne color fits you better. You wore this color on our first date.”

Nielson looked down at Katniss, gently moving a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his action easy and close.

So Nielson remembered so many small things, yet he never seemed to care which color truly fit me.

Katniss laughed softly as she changed into the champagne dress and Nielson personally fixed the edge of her skirt.

“You need to make your waist a bit looser. You’ve gotten thinner lately. I’ll cook you something healthy tonight.”

At that moment, I remembered the doctor’s words when I was lying on the surgery bed.

“Too thin, the womb wall is thin. You need to take good care of your body.”

Both were thin, but the difference was clear.

The shop staff all gathered around them, calling out “Mr. Sanchez, Mrs. Sanchez,” as if I were the extra person who didn’t belong.

I quietly watched everything. There were only a few days left anyway.

After picking their dresses, Nielson and the others still felt unhappy and went to a nearby high-end children’s clothing shop.

As soon as they walked in, Katniss seemed full of motherly love.

“Nielson, look! This outfit is so cute! Our baby will look so handsome in it!”

“This one is nice too. It feels so soft. The three of us standing together will look perfect.”

I, like someone who didn’t belong, like a babysitter, quietly followed behind.

But Katniss still did not leave me alone.

“Heather, you should touch them too. You should learn how to choose nice things for the child,” her eyes seemed to casually pass over my flat belly, her voice full of ill intent, “But you’re still young, you probably don’t know what it’s like to be a real mother yet. You can’t feel that blood bond.”

My lower stomach seemed to ache again. Every word she said felt like a reminder of what I had just lost.

How laughable.

Nielson didn’t even know the truth.

Maybe my silence made Katniss happy, because she laughed softly and didn’t trouble me again.

After leaving the baby shop, Nielson got a call from the housekeeper, saying the old lady wanted to see the child.

So the plan changed; after picking up the child, we drove to the large old house that stood for the Sanchez Family’s power.

This was my first time going to the Sanchez Family’s old home as Mrs. Sanchez, yet I felt like a stranger.

Hyacinth Sanchez completely ignored my presence.

“Katniss is here! Come over fast so I can look at you. You seem thinner again after only a few days. Has Nielson not been taking good care of you?”

Her voice sounded warm, as if Katniss were her real daughter-in-law.

“Oh, Heather is here too?” Hyacinth looked me up and down, her eyes as if she was judging something she didn’t like.

“Don’t stand at the doorway. Come in and sit. Pour Katniss a cup of tea.”

After all, Katniss was not the officially accepted Mrs. Sanchez. Even though Katniss had betrayed Nielson, the Sanchez Family still treated her as the real lady of the house.

I straightened my back and stepped back. “I won’t interrupt your family gathering anymore. I’ll leave now.”

Hyacinth’s slightly angry voice came from behind me.

“Heather, is this how you behave? So rude. You really should learn some manners.”

I slowly turned around, with sarcasm in my eyes. “Mrs. Sanchez, you seem to have forgotten that I never asked for this role in the first place.”

Hyacinth had no reply, her face turning even darker. “Too rude! Such a sharp mouth! Make her kneel at the door. She can only stand up when she admits her mistake. I want to see how strong she really is.”

Nielson, standing nearby, looked like he wanted to speak, but in the end he stayed silent.

Two servants grabbed me hard and with a heavy thump, I was forced down onto the cold, hard ground.

Then they went into the old house together like a family, as if I were someone who didn’t matter.

The night grew darker, the air colder and my body started to shake without control.

I bit my lip.

Then a coat was placed over my shoulders.