As soon as I stopped talking, Lorenzo took the file, held the pen, and signed his name on the last sheet.

Looking at his clear and smooth signature, it felt like something inside my chest had emptied out.

All those years of emotion ended so simply with that one stroke.

The lawyer acted quickly. Once I gave him the agreement, in less than a week, I could part from Lorenzo.

After Lorenzo signed, he reached forward and rested his hand on my swollen belly, his touch natural and familiar, "Baby, do you miss Daddy?"

"Yesterday, Daddy didn’t attend Mommy’s award event. There is a reason… right? Our baby is so gentle, you won’t blame Daddy."

When he spoke, his voice was light, as if he had only skipped a usual gathering.

My belly moved slightly.

My throat felt tight, and I felt drained.

Lorenzo was always like this.

No matter what he did outside, as long as he returned to me, he became that kind husband again, that father who truly waited for the child to be born.

That version of him made me think, for a moment, as if nothing had changed, as if, as long as I chose not to see or hear, he had never betrayed me.

But a false hope was still not true.

Once betrayal took place, it remained.

I chose to leave him.

Lorenzo seemed to sense my cold attitude, his voice holding a bit of doubt.

"Wife, you are so quiet today. I thought you would be like last night, calling again and again until I answer."

"Isn’t that what you want?"

I answered calmly.

"A smart, obedient wife who does not question how you return kindness."

Lorenzo clearly paused.

But soon, Lorenzo reached out, pulled me into his arms, and lowered his head to kiss the corner of my forehead.

“This is right, wife. You’re becoming more and more understanding.”

“To me, she’s just family. That kiss on the livestream was only an act, nothing.”

Nothing.

Those four words felt like a thin layer of dust, settling lightly yet choking me until it was hard to breathe.

I suddenly thought back to a long time ago.

Lorenzo and I had shared our first kiss, so serious and shy.

That day, his eyes were filled with only me, his face flushed, his voice firm.

“You are the first person I kiss, and the only one.”

In the end, time had worn love away.

A kiss had also turned into nothing more than an ordinary act.

I did not notice when my nails had already pressed into my palm, the small, sharp pain spreading little by little.

"I understand."

I cut off Lorenzo, wanting to take back the signed agreement.

"Wife, which house do you like?"

Seeing what I did, Lorenzo picked up the document again. "I will help you look at it."

I did not stop him and instead felt a quiet hope.

If Lorenzo opened it and found that it was not a house purchase contract but a divorce agreement, what would he do?

But in the next moment, a loud sound of glass breaking came from the bedroom, followed by a short cry from a woman.

Lorenzo’s face changed at once, and he quickly dropped the document and turned to run into the bedroom.

My heart, which had just lifted, dropped straight down.

Forget it, what am I still hoping for?

Even if Lorenzo knew it was a divorce agreement, it would only cause me more problems.

I placed the divorce agreement into my bag and followed Lorenzo to check what had happened.

What I saw in the bedroom made my breathing stop.

Ariella stood next to my bed with red eyes, and on the floor lay the broken wedding photo.

The frame was cracked, and the glass was in pieces.

But Lorenzo did not even look at it.

He gently held Ariella’s hand, lifting her fingers, lowering his head to blow on them. "How can you be so careless? Is the cut deep? Does it hurt?"

Ariella stuck out her tongue in a playful way.

"How do I know you placed the wedding photo by the bed? It is dangerous. I was only helping you remove a risk."

After she spoke with a smile, as if only then seeing me at the door, her face paused and quickly showed a bit of awkwardness.

"Ah, sorry, sister-in-law, I bothered you."

"The water pipe in my house broke. I cannot bathe. Lorenzo lets our mother and child stay here for a while…"

My fingers tightened a little, and remembering those three photos made me feel sick.

Lorenzo looked at Ariella with clear worry and care.

I only felt foolish. These past months, sending Ariella abroad made me lose the chance to see their lies earlier.

Although I no longer wanted to love Lorenzo, it did not mean I would accept Ariella going too far.

I spoke with sarcasm, "Can it be that sister-in-law cannot even afford a hotel, or do you think living in my marital home feels better?"

Lorenzo frowned at once and cut me off without thinking,

"Can you speak more gently? She is my sister-in-law. Bringing my brother’s orphan to stay in a hotel, how would that look if people find out? It is not like there are no rooms at home."

It felt like as long as Ariella held the title of sister-in-law, whatever she did was seen as fine.

Before I could speak, she had already gently pulled Lorenzo’s sleeve and said quietly, "I only want to look at your room. I don’t mean anything else."

"It’s my fault." Her tone sounded upset. "I cause you to argue… maybe I should go."

After Lorenzo spoke, a small hint of regret crossed his eyes, as if he realized his tone toward me had been too strong.

Hearing this, he quickly reached out and drew Ariella into his arms.

"Why go?"

His voice softened at once.

"Don’t overthink. I decide things in this house. If I say you can stay, then you can stay."

Lorenzo’s words felt like a hard slap across my face.

How long had it been? I no longer had any right to decide things in this house.

Ariella lifted her head from his arms, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes, and asked softly, "Then what about the broken wedding photo?"

Her eyes moved to the pieces on the floor.

Lorenzo followed her gaze, glanced once, and said without care.

"Since it's dangerous, just throw it away."

I suddenly looked at Lorenzo. After making sure he didn't say it wrong, I let out a laugh.

"Alright, then throw it away."

"Anyway, it isn't anything important."

Lorenzo probably didn’t expect me to agree so easily. He had only said it without thinking.

Didn’t I value the wedding photos the most?

Before, no matter how bad our arguments got, I never wanted to touch those wedding photos.

But he didn’t know the reason I cared about them was that the day we got the certificate was the happiest day for me, and I held onto that day tightly.

But now, nothing matters anymore.

I turned around and called the servants, telling them to get rid of all the wedding photos in the house.

A slight surprise showed on Ariella’s face, and she smiled. "Sister-in-law is really kind."

"Lorenzo, see how thoughtful your sister-in-law is. She’ll surely agree to my next request, right?"

Then I heard Lorenzo speak in a direct tone.

"Miguel is weak and gets cold easily. Our room faces the sun. Let sister-in-law and Miguel stay there together."

I didn’t think Lorenzo would say such words, asking me, a pregnant woman, to give up the room.

And Lorenzo had been ready for me to get angry, holding back many words.

But I agreed instead.

"Alright, but there are many of my things in the room. I’ll move them out first."

Before, I would have argued and refused to move, but now, since I’d be leaving in a few days, moving earlier or later made no difference.

Lorenzo almost said it wasn’t needed, but Ariella spoke first, "Then I really trouble you, sister-in-law."

Lorenzo had to hold back his thoughts. He moved closer, held my hand, and said in a low voice.

"Wife, three days later is the baby welcome party. I’ll make it special for the baby as compensation, alright?"

"I know."

I replied softly.

Then I started to arrange the bedside cabinet. Inside were my ID card and household register.

My belly suddenly ached. I stumbled without noticing, my hand pressed against the broken glass on the ground, and blood flowed out right away.

And Lorenzo had already gone with Ariella to pick up her child, Miguel, not noticing it at all.

After I became pregnant, my pain felt much stronger, and at this moment, it hurt so much that tears came down.

I couldn’t help remembering that, even when I bent down, Lorenzo would get very worried and wouldn’t let me do heavy or tiring work alone.

But once Ariella showed up, everything was put before her.

I pushed away the sadness in my heart, quietly packed my important things into my bag, and hid them well.

As for the rest, I let the servants throw everything away.

Even though none of them were worth bringing back to my wealthy family, I didn’t want to leave my things for Ariella to use.

Cars carried the items out one by one, and the house quickly became half empty.

My throat felt blocked, I bit the inside of my mouth, and my hand rested on my stomach, gently rubbing it.

"Baby."

I asked in a low voice, "If in the future Daddy and Mommy get a divorce, will you blame Mommy?"

The baby in my stomach moved once.

I already knew the answer in my heart.

After getting rid of the things, I went to the company by myself.

I started to check the shares, organize the projects, and divide the team and resources under me.

I wouldn’t take any of Lorenzo’s assets.

But this company was built by me and him from nothing, so I had to take the part that belonged to me.

After all, I didn’t want the mistress to benefit.

The assistant asked me, "President Bailey, do you want to take control of Stetson Mall?"

I paused and didn’t answer right away. Instead, I planned to go to Stetson Mall and take a look.

This mall, from design to building to later operation, was planned step by step by Lorenzo and me.

It held the years we built everything from nothing, and it was proof of our love and time together.

Even if we were going to divorce, I still felt reluctant about this mall. It was like my first child.

But when I reached the mall, I was stopped at the entrance.

The manager looked troubled.

"President Bailey, you can't go in. President Ortiz has reserved the whole mall today to celebrate Ms. Gray’s son’s birthday."

Reserved the whole place?

With a dark face, I pushed the manager aside and rushed to the fifteenth floor.

On the rooftop, inside the glass flower room I built for my future child, Lorenzo had already brought Ariella and her child there first.

The three of them looked peaceful and happy.

They really knew how to choose a place for a birthday.

I called the assistant in a cold voice and said, "I have to take Stetson Mall."

I wouldn’t let Lorenzo ruin what I built and use this place to please other women.

Over the next two days, I moved my focus away from Lorenzo, but he still stood out strongly.

Every day, after briefly greeting the baby, he would take Ariella and Miguel out to do live streaming.

Through the live stream, I saw him take the mother and child skiing, surfing, and shooting.

Two days of that life looked richer than spending a whole month with me.

I didn’t say anything. I blocked the live stream and continued preparing for the baby welcome party.

This was a newly popular event to welcome a baby. I had planned this day eight months earlier.

Even though the baby hadn’t been born yet, I didn’t want to break the promises I made to her.

On the day of the event, guests gathered around me, and words of congratulations came one after another.

Everything went well until the noise rose at the entrance.

Ariella led the child into the hall. She wore costly and refined clothes, and the boy named Miguel kept looking around.

The next moment, like a wild bullet, he suddenly rushed toward the beautiful cake in the center.

“Bang!”

My eyes shrank. Before I could stop it, I could only watch as the cake made by a top pastry chef over three days and nights was smashed apart by him.

The mood at the party changed at once. My head rang, and blood rushed up.

Without thinking, I ran forward and shoved the child away.

“Get out, who lets you come in!”

Miguel cried loudly, the sound sharp and hard.

“Sorry… sorry…”

Ariella quickly rushed over, her face in a panic and hurt, “I just want to come give you my blessing and bring the child to see things, I really don’t expect it to turn out like this…”

Her voice shook, and her eyes turned red fast.

Lorenzo hurried over, his face full of worry.

“Lorenzo.” I looked straight at him, my voice cold and tight.

“Do I say today’s party is very important to me?”

“Do I say random people aren’t allowed to come in and mess up the place?!”

After I said those words, the area went completely quiet.

Ariella’s face turned pale at once.

She clearly didn’t expect me to say such harsh words in front of so many people.

“It’s my fault…” her voice broke.

“I don’t know if you don’t welcome me… if I know earlier, I don’t come…”

As she spoke, as if she felt deeply hurt, she stepped back and hid behind Lorenzo.

The people around had already started whispering.

Their eyes moved between us, clearly watching the scene with interest.

I only felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Lorenzo had already bent down, lifted Miguel, and gently comforted him.

“It’s okay, don’t cry, tell me, did you fall?”

Miguel cried softly and shook his head, his eyes wet, just like Ariella.

After making sure the child was fine, Lorenzo’s face slowly darkened.

He looked up at me, his eyes cold and unfamiliar.

“Vienne, I think you’ve been more reasonable these days.”

“I don’t expect you’re still the same as before, making a scene for no reason, losing your temper at any moment!”

“I kindly brought my sister-in-law and nephew to the gathering, and I’m wrong? And what do you mean by messy people?”

“When you say this, how do you expect others to see me? If this spreads, they’ll think I treat my widowed sister-in-law unfairly.”

As he spoke, with slight frustration.

“When do you become so self-centered? You can’t even accept a child, and you even push him?!”

I was so angry that I laughed.

Even though I clearly said Ariella and her child weren’t allowed to show up, Lorenzo still brought them and ruined everything.

In the end, I was the selfish one.

I lifted my head and looked at Lorenzo, my voice slowly turning cold.

“Lorenzo, you let someone else’s child ruin the baby’s welcome party, and you call that selfless?”

His face darkened right away.

He clearly didn’t expect that I would say this in front of so many people and not save his pride.

“Vienne!” Lorenzo’s voice rose at once.

“Don’t I bring Miguel here to make things lively for the baby? You really don’t know how to value kindness!”

After he spoke, as if he didn’t want to argue anymore, he reached out, pulled Ariella close by the shoulder, held her in his arms, and turned to leave.

I stayed where I was and took a deep breath.

My chest felt tight and painful.

But I still turned back, forced a smile again, and said sorry as I saw the guests out one by one.

When the last guest left, the hall became completely empty. I slowly raised my hand and softly held my belly.

“Sorry, baby, mommy can’t give you a perfect welcome party.”

My heart felt heavy. I turned and walked upstairs, going to the glass flower room on the fifteenth floor, hoping to settle myself.

There was a small room inside, a little place I had prepared for the child. The key had always stayed only with Lorenzo and me.

But when I reached the door, a bit of unease rose in my heart.

Because the door stood open.

When I saw inside clearly, my whole body froze where I stood.

Everything that once filled the room was gone!

Only a mess stayed on the floor.

The Barbie dolls were cut into pieces, the cloth dolls were torn apart, and all those toys for girls lay on the ground like thrown trash.

And those toys meant for boys, not one was left.

I didn’t have to guess to know who did this.

Sure enough, when I opened Ariella’s social page, I saw her silly son holding the toys I had prepared for the baby, smiling happily.

The caption said: “Thank you, Godfather, for getting these gifts. Miguel likes them so much!”

I bit my teeth hard, my chest hurting so much I could barely breathe.

If these things were just casually bought, it would’ve been fine, but they weren’t.

These were all limited-edition gifts I had gathered little by little over these eight months for the baby!

I looked through information, asked doctors, chose materials, and considered safety one by one. Since I didn’t know if the baby was a boy or a girl, I prepared everything I thought the child might like;

From one year old to eighteen years old, what to play with and what to use, I had already sorted and bought ahead.

Some were made by me on order, some were fixed, cleaned, and kept by me myself.

I had slowly filled this room bit by bit.

I had even prepared everything for her up to eighteen years old.

But now nothing was left!

Everything was taken by Lorenzo and given to the mistress’s child!!

My throat tightened, and it became hard to breathe.

I lost control, held my belly, turned, and rushed downstairs.

At the office entrance on the fourteenth floor, just as I reached the hallway, I was stopped.

Miguel stood there, holding my Transformer toy, his eyes showing some malice.

“Bad woman!” he shouted at me, “Go die! You’re not allowed to bother my dad and mom while playing!”

As he spoke, he lifted the toy in his hand and threw it at me.