Chris lifted Matty from my arms and laid him gently on the bed. Then, turning back to me, he took both my hands in his, rubbing the calluses on my palms with his thumbs.

“Nadine, it is my fault for making you wait all these years. Has someone in the village been mistreating you?”

I pulled my hands away from his and looked down at the rough calluses, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.

“Everyone is so exhausted they barely have time to sleep,” I said quietly. “Who has the energy to bully anyone? I am just tired, that is all. Don't overthink it.”

Chris, who grew up in the countryside himself, knew how tough farm work could be. He also understood that I was not just working the fields; I was caring for our son with cerebral palsy and his mother, who had a crippled leg.

So instead of pushing further, he just wrapped his arms around me.

“Nadine, you will not have to work so hard anymore,” he said gently. “I bought a place in the city. This time, I came back to bring you there so you can finally enjoy life. But there is something I want to discuss. We are just a little short on paying off the mortgage. And with school district housing, there is a rule. If you have no outstanding loans under your name, you can register two children at the same time.”

My throat tightened, and heat rose behind my eyes.

Instinctively, I tightened my grip around the peace pendant in my hand. It was the small dowry I had saved for myself after years of scrimping and scraping.

And this man wanted to use that money to pay off his mortgage.

“Chris, we only have one child,” I said slowly. “We do not need two school slots.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the bedroom door swung open.

Gemma was the first to appear, her limp as familiar as ever. Behind her, Melissa and a little boy followed, who looked almost exactly like me when I was young.

Without meeting my eyes, Gemma went straight to Matty’s bedside.

Melissa, however, stepped forward. She deliberately, slowly opened her handbag, pulled out a property certificate, and handed it to me, making sure her new wedding ring caught the light.

“Nadine, do not misunderstand,” she said smoothly. “Chris only did this because he felt sorry for me. He wanted to help my child get a spot to study in the city.”

I stayed silent.

She placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and nudged him forward.

“Tucker, say hi to Aunt Nadine.”

“I don’t wanna call some country lady Auntie!” Tucker cried. “I wanna go home! The mosquitoes here won’t stop biting me!”

He recoiled from me as if I carried something infectious.

Still silent, I opened the property certificate.

On the line labeled “Owner,” Melissa’s name was printed clearly.

I froze.

Noticing my reaction, Chris immediately jumped in, talking fast.

“Nadine, don’t take it the wrong way. Getting kids into a city school is complicated. I only put her name down so the property records and the school paperwork would line up. Melissa lost her whole family in a fire, and she’s been raising her kid on her own. Since we’re all from the same hometown, I figured… if we could help, we should. But if you mind, I will change the property information as soon as I get back. And we can take our time paying off the mortgage.”

He snatched the certificate from my hand, as if he feared I would fling it across the room.

But I said, calm and detached, “Schooling is important. Handle it however you think is best.”

Shock flickered across his face, followed by visible relief and then almost giddy joy.

“Nadine, I knew you would be the most understanding.”

Right then, I thought, 'No, Chris. I'm not understanding. I don't care anymore.'

I glanced over at Tucker. He was hiding behind Melissa, scratching at his mosquito bites impatiently, looking at me as if I were just another insect buzzing nearby.

“Um… Nadine,” Melissa said, trying to sound gentle, “Tucker does not seem used to staying here. Maybe we should pack up and head back to the city tomorrow?”

I lowered my head and smoothed Matty’s bedding, not bothering to look at her.

“I have no problem with that,” I said evenly. “But if everyone goes together, the car will be overloaded.”

Tucker tugged on Chris’s sleeve, his voice small and pitiful. “Daddy, I do not want to stay here feeding mosquitoes…”

Chris gave me a panicked look and quickly tried to explain, “He is just a kid. He talks nonsense. Nadine, do not take it to heart.”

Chris’s mother tried to smooth things over as well, guilt written all over her face.

“Yes, yes… Tucker never had a father growing up. Maybe he is just exhausted from the trip and talking nonsense in his sleep.”

Melissa’s eyes, however, flashed with open pride and provocation, even though she kept her voice soft and agreeable.

“That is right, Nadine. Tucker only acts this way because he likes Chris so much. He even asked me once if he could make him his godfather.”

“Recognizing a relative is fine,” I said with a smile. “Since that’s the case, why don’t you all head back first? Matty has a neurology appointment tomorrow, and Mom needs to pick up more medication for her leg. You can use the time to get the new place ready.”

At that, some of the tension eased from Chris’s expression.

I, however, found the situation almost ridiculous. He knew exactly what mattered most to me: Matty’s condition and Gemma’s mobility problems.

When Matty was born, the doctors said specialized therapy offered only a one percent chance of recovery. So, for ten years, rain or shine, I carried Matty on my back for miles to the town clinic each week.

Regarding Gemma’s bad leg, I also consulted a doctor. With regular massages and medication, there’s hope for improvement.

So for ten years, without fail, morning and night, I massaged her bad leg for an hour each time. I even learned proper techniques from the doctor.

Carefully, I helped her leg recover from being unable to touch the ground to walking again, and to give Chris enough money to start his business, I sold everything my parents had left me.

Even while keeping our household afloat, I set aside the money from grain sales each month to support him.

When Chris finally returned to the present moment, guilt and a hint of heartache surfaced in his eyes.

“Nadine, the medical facilities in the city are better than the town’s. Let us take Matty there for treatment.”

Before he could finish, Melissa jabbed an elbow sharply into his side.

The rest of his words faded into the sound of insects chirping outside, and he did not attempt to bring the subject up again.

A silent, bitter laugh rose inside me.

“No need,” I said quietly. “Matty and Mom’s conditions are important. I do not feel safe leaving them to anyone else. You all settle into the new home. Once I am done here, I will come find you.”

Chris’s face tightened, as if he still wanted to say something.

But before he could speak, Tucker poked his head out from behind him and shot me a disgusted look.

“There are only three bedrooms,” he complained. “I do not want Dad getting talked about because of someone.”

For this child, who was not mine and hadn't grown up with me, I felt no affection at all, and I knew precisely where his snide comments came from: Melissa had taught him.

If I moved into the new house as Chris’s wife, rumors in the city would explode instantly.

The carefully crafted, devoted-lover image Chris had displayed at his grand wedding would crumble on the spot.

Online harassment would be nothing compared to the fallout he truly feared:

Eldridge Tech Corporation’s stock price is plummeting.

He had clawed his way out of poverty with enormous difficulty. Of course, he did not want to fall back down and never climb out again.

But knowing all of this did not make the sting any less sharp.

My heart felt as if it were being sliced open, layer by layer, with a kitchen knife dipped in lemon juice.

For ten years, I had given Chris everything, heart, soul, and body.

To save more money for him, I wore the same clothes for a decade.

I woke before dawn and slept past midnight, surviving on five hours of rest a day.

At my lowest, I collapsed in the rice fields and vomited blood.

Even when the doctor warned I would die if I kept pushing myself, I never once told Chris I was tired.

I sincerely believed that eventually, all my sacrifices would be rewarded. I imagined him standing before me at a special ceremony, placing a wedding ring on my finger, and gazing at me with steadfast devotion.

But I had forgotten something essential:

Love’s ending is often simply that. An ending.

My throat burned as if it had been soaked in acid, and even breathing hurt.

I forced my trembling hands to steady and said coldly, “If anyone asks, just say I am your housekeeper.”

Chris stared at me in shock.

Even Melissa looked frozen in place.

Only Tucker burst into delighted laughter, utterly unaware of the tension in the room.

“Yay! Then we can use the money saved on a housekeeper to buy lots of toys! I want the new drifting go-kart! And the realistic sniper rifle! And—”

“Tucker, stop talking nonsense!” Chris snapped, though disbelief still lingered in his eyes.

Then, he turned back to me and asked, “Nadine, you really do not mind?”

I looked at Matty sleeping on the bed, guilt squeezing painfully in my chest. His toys during his childhood had been nothing but mud and pebbles along the roadside.

The toys Tucker casually listed were ones Matty probably did not even know existed.

“I don’t mind,” I said, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat.

Then, more evenly, I added, “You said the school is going to check the deed and the household records to make sure both kids can enroll, right? Chris… let’s just get a divorce. You can go ahead and marry Melissa.”

When I married him, his family had been so poor they could not even afford a bride price.

A wedding ceremony was not even an option.

Outside this village, no one even knew I was his wife.

I thought divorcing now would make things easier for him and Melissa.

Unexpectedly, Chris shot me down right away.

“No. We’re not divorcing. Nadine, when we had nothing, all I could offer you was the title of wife. But now that life is better, I’m not going to fail you again.”

Ah, yes... The man who made his fortune in sales.

His words were always beautiful, but the hidden blade behind them always cut the deepest.

My heart twisted with irony, but I kept my tone steady. “You misunderstood. I meant we could have a fake divorce. Once both children finish school and no longer need the quota, we can marry again. It is for the children’s sake. The only question is whether Melissa would agree.”

Melissa’s eyes lit up instantly, though she fought to maintain a gentle, considerate expression.

“Nadine, if you are willing to divorce Chris for the children, how could I possibly refuse?”

Her eagerness barely hid her triumph.

Seeing this, Gemma stepped forward as well, urging her son. “Chris, both Nadine and Melissa are thinking of the kids. Just finalize the divorce. You relied on education yourself to leave the village, so you know how important schooling is.”

Melissa quickly added, “Chris, if you feel guilty, then rent a place in the city for Nadine. She can live there with Matty. It is better than squeezing in with all of us anyway.”

Chris had been hesitant, but after hearing that, he finally agreed. He gripped my hand tightly, his eyes filled with guilt and tenderness. It brought to mind the day he learned I was quitting my job to go back to the countryside.

But I no longer knew whether that tenderness was real or fake.

Silently, I took out our marriage certificate and handed it to him.

Ten years of foolish devotion, every last piece of it, had turned out to be nothing more than a dream mistaken for reality.

A guest’s dream, destined to dissolve into smoke.

What I did not expect was for Gemma to burst into tears suddenly.

She hobbled toward me, her wrinkled hands cupping a pair of heirloom bracelets.

“Nadine, our family has wronged you. These bracelets were given to me by Chris’s grandmother. I am giving them to you now.”

With watery eyes, she gently slid them onto my wrists, her fingers softly brushing over the calluses on my hands.

I let her hold my hand, emotions swirling chaotically beneath the surface.

When Chris married me years ago, she cried and apologized, saying their family was too poor to offer me anything meaningful as a bride price.

And now this.

Was she finally feeling guilty on her son’s behalf?