“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.

Play?

My heart dropped, and I walked past him coldly, then pushed open the office door right away.

The scene inside the office hit my eyes with nothing hidden.

The desk was messy, papers spread everywhere, Lorenzo stood beside it with untidy clothes, Ariella was partly held in his arms, her hair loose, her face red.

I was at least a married woman, with just one smell, I could tell what had happened.

My stomach suddenly turned, and I felt sick.

The moment Ariella saw me, she froze, then quickly moved closer into Lorenzo’s arms.

And Lorenzo, without thinking, tightened his hold.

Showing a protective position.

I stood at the door, my fingers gripping the frame tightly, pain tightening in my stomach.

“Lorenzo.”

My voice shook.

“The toys I prepared for the baby, where are they? Why do you give those things to Miguel?”

Ariella’s eyes turned red right away.

“Sister-in-law, don’t be mad. We just saw a room full of toys in the glass flower room. Miguel liked them a lot. Lorenzo let him choose what he liked. We didn’t expect that they were prepared by you for the baby…”

“I’ll let Miguel give the things back to you now.”

“Give back? How can they be given back? The things were all ruined by you!”

I lost control of my voice in anger, and Lorenzo cut me off with impatience.

“Enough, Vienne. Who are you talking to with such a harsh tone? Ariella is your sister-in-law!”

“You already scared the child in front of so many people at the party just now. These things, just treat them as compensation from you as the aunt. Whether Miguel takes them to play or breaks them, that’s his choice.”

Compensation?

My mind buzzed.

“Lorenzo.” I stared at him, my voice almost shaking. “You clearly know those were prepared by me for our child—”

“Can you stop making a scene out of nothing?”

Lorenzo cut me off right away, his brows and eyes cold. “They’re just some useless stuff. Is it necessary to come here and cause trouble?”

He looked at me like I was someone unreasonable.

“Or do you have to make everyone feel awkward before you’re satisfied?”

Any toy in that room, taken out casually, was a limited edition worth tens of thousands.

In Lorenzo’s words, they had turned into useless junk.

I had once thought that even if he wasn’t faithful, even if he didn’t love me anymore, at least he was sincere to the child and could still be a good father.

But everything had turned out to be just my imagination.

The child wasn’t even born yet, and he could already give the child’s things to the mistress’s child. After the child was born, what would I face? I didn’t even dare to think.

I stood there, my heart hurting so much that even breathing became hard.

Seeing that I didn’t speak, Lorenzo stepped forward instead.

As if nothing had happened, he bent down, his eyes falling on my stomach, his tone gentle like giving charity.

“Baby, when the time comes, Dad will buy you the most expensive, the best toys, okay?”

“These messy things, just let big brother play with them first. Our baby is a generous, good baby.”

He reached out and pinched my face, as if nothing had happened.

“Don’t keep a straight face, wife. We can buy them again when the time comes. Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you and the baby.”

Lorenzo thought I was still as easy to comfort and fool as before.

Even then, he likely still believed I couldn't see the clear tension between him and Ariella.

But I had already noticed the condoms they quickly tucked away beneath the files.

If it had been before, I would've surely called out their vile affair no matter what.

But now, I didn't have the energy to ask anything anymore.

Anyway, I planned to walk away.

As for their ugly affair, I would gather everything and reveal it to the paparazzi on the day of divorce, not today.

I stared at Lorenzo’s face, once so familiar to me, and felt it was odd and almost laughable.

Back then, we had stayed in this office, working through so many late nights together, building everything from zero to now.

I remembered how he used to fall asleep at the desk, and I also recalled the first time he finished a deal, when he held me tight and laughed like a kid.

Back then, he had said this place would be where our future began.

But now.

Everything here felt so filthy that it made me sick.

I turned around and walked out.

I didn't want to look again.

But as I got to the door, someone suddenly stopped me.

Miguel came running over at some point, glaring at me, his eyes showing hate.

“Bitch!” he shouted, “When I grow up, I'll beat you to death! The baby in your belly is also a bastard!”

I shook with anger, my hands tightening without control, but seeing his still young face, I didn't do anything.

I only wanted to move him aside and leave.

But before my hand reached him, Ariella had already rushed over.

She quickly grabbed the child, then her body fell back, hitting the floor hard.

“Ah!”

She screamed in pain, her face going pale at once.

“If you’re angry, take it out on me!” she said, holding the child close, her voice breaking, “Don't harm the child!”

Right after, a loud slap echoed around us.

My face snapped to the side, my ears buzzing.

Lorenzo stood before me, breathing fast, his eyes hard and cold.

“Vienne, have you done enough damage?”

“When do you turn into this?” His tone held back anger. “Jealous, mean, can’t even accept a kid, not the same as before.”

I stayed in place, one side of my face hurting with heat.

My fingers curled tighter little by little, and even my knuckles looked white.

The last small piece in my chest broke apart right then.

I laughed in anger, forcing myself to keep my voice from shaking.

“What are you saying about change? Do I need to question nothing, worry about nothing, always act calm and understanding, just to prove I didn’t change?”

“Then what about you, Lorenzo? Didn’t you change, too? Are you still the Lorenzo who said he would love only me?”

Lorenzo clearly froze for a second, his eyes shifting away.

A sharp pain suddenly hit my stomach, my breath stopped, my body dropped without control, I could only crouch down, my hand pressing over my belly, and cold sweat quickly covered my back.

Lorenzo’s face shifted, and he stepped closer without thinking.

“Wife, what’s wrong with you?”

“Lorenzo, Miguel lost consciousness!” But before he could reach me, Ariella quickly caught Miguel, her voice shaking as she called his name.

Without stopping, Lorenzo turned back, picked up the child, and walked away, not even looking at me again.

When he reached the door, he seemed to think of me and turned back to leave a line.

“Wife, calm down. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

The room went quiet once more.

I crouched where I stayed and closed my eyes. I had already made up my mind not to cry for this man again, but the tears still wouldn’t stop.

Lorenzo.

I had regretted it long ago.

If I hadn’t fought with my family because of you and hadn’t left the place that should have protected me without thinking, maybe I wouldn’t have reached this point today.

How could I be this foolish, believing you would love me for life?

After I got back home, I kept getting ready to leave.

Ariella sent me three awful photos. I couldn’t eat or sleep, and before I go, I have to leave three big gifts for this cheating pair.

These past few days, Lorenzo seemed to think I had become more understanding.

To make up for it, he started buying me things more often, jewelry, presents, and all kinds of costly toys for the child.

I had someone throw all of those things away.

Lorenzo didn’t notice at all.

Because he was busy staying with Ariella, bringing her and Miguel in front of different cameras, building attention, and talking online.

Comments online kept coming. Some said that even the cold Lorenzo could be this gentle when he meets the person he loves.

When I read that line, my heart moved a little.

That kind of praise used to belong to me in that circle before.

Five years earlier, several men bothered me in a narrow street, and it was Lorenzo, still studying at the university, who brought me out of that mess.

At that time, I felt something change inside me.

Later, I worried he might feel less than me, so I hid who I was and acted like my family was only at the same level as his.

I stayed by his side from having nothing to having something, quietly gave him help, supported him through the hardest time, and little by little turned that distant man into someone who smiled at me and would bow his head for me.

During these five years, I gave so much effort, and only then did that cold man slowly become warm.

The Lorenzo who loved me used to be the most admired boyfriend and husband in that circle.

When I got sick, he stayed by my bed all night, and in front of others, he never hid that I was the only one for him.

But now I understand I was never his only one.

In his heart, Ariella was.

When he was younger, she was the sister-in-law he looked up to.

Later, she became the widowed sister-in-law he needed to care for.

After that, she turned into a woman he could stay close to in a proper way.

And I was only a part that could be replaced.

There were only two days left before I left.

That day was his mother’s sixtieth birthday. She had treated me well, so in both feeling and reason, I should go.

I went by myself.

After all, Lorenzo didn’t come home, and he didn’t come to pick me up.

But when I walked into the banquet hall, I saw Lorenzo standing in the middle of the crowd. Ariella held his arm. Their clothes clearly matched, and their expressions looked natural and close.

Miguel, who looked like Lorenzo, stood beside them and made them seem like a real family.

And I stood by the doorway, like an outsider.

When the nearby relatives noticed me, their faces changed a little. They likely thought I would cause a scene like before.

But I just looked away, walked over, gave the gift to his mother, and smiled as I wished her good health on her birthday. My tone stayed calm, and my manners were proper.

I didn’t look at him again.

Lorenzo stood there, his face going stiff for a moment.

I didn’t cause any trouble. He should’ve felt at ease, but instead, he became strangely annoyed.