Chapter 1

I ran into my husband Howard's mistress, Scarlett, at my prenatal appointment for our second child.

I was expressionless, but she looked absolutely terrified.

Scarlett was overthinking it, though. Howard had three or four mistresses before her, and she wouldn't be the last. If I got mad every time, I'd probably die young.

But when I got home, Howard was the one who confronted me. He demanded:

"I told you, everything Howard's family owns will be for you and the kids. Don't go looking for trouble with Scarlett. Why don't you ever listen?"

I lowered my head, clutching my belly, and didn't argue back.

Howard smashed some furniture and threw a huge tantrum.

Then he packed his bags and left for Scarlett's place.

My housekeeper asked, "What are we going to do now?"

I picked up my phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to my mother-in-law, Rosalind.

"Look at this mess..." I typed.

Soon after, a nine-figure compensation hit my account.

Actually, in the beginning, when Howard first cheated, Rosalind didn't have to step in with money.

I'd fight with him constantly, cursing him out right to his face, reminding him we were each other's first loves. We'd only been married ten years; how could he have changed so much?

When did I stop fighting?

It was around the time Scarlett first appeared.

She wore a white dress, sweet and demure. Just standing there, she was strikingly similar to me.

Then I saw Howard with his arm around her, attending parties where everyone knew us.

In that moment, I didn't even have the energy to be angry.

All I could think was, Maybe I should just divorce him.

Rosalind was the one who talked me out of it. She said even though she didn't particularly like me, I came from a good family, and our backgrounds were perfectly matched.

Besides, ever since my mom died, my stepmother had been running our house. A divorce would just give her more to gloat about.

Howard might be terrible in relationships, but he was good at making money.

His stock dividends alone brought in a nine-figure sum every year.

Divorce would mean breaking up the assets. Bad for Howard Group, worse for me.

"So, a woman should be realistic," she advised, "not just filled with dreams of love."

My stubborn brain couldn't grasp it. I bottled it up for over half a year and ended up with depression.

After catching a high fever from being out in the rain, something clicked.

From then on, I started listening to Rosalind and adjusted my perspective on Howard.

She also promised me that if Howard ever hurt me again, she'd compensate me accordingly.

So, this time, I was inexplicably blamed and got a nine-figure payout.

I transferred the money to my investment account, then went to the bathroom to wash up, calling for the butler to find someone to clean the living room.

When I came out, I found my son, Marcus, was home.

He ignored the mess in the house, his eyes fixed on his homework.

I held my lower back as I walked downstairs. "Marcus, you're back."

He barely glanced up at me.

"Yes, Mom," he said, politely yet distantly, just like his dad.

I didn't say anything else, just made myself a cup of milk and prepared to go upstairs.

Marcus spoke up. "Mom, there's a parent-teacher conference tomorrow. Do you have time to go?"

"I'm pregnant, so it's not convenient," I replied. "Ask your dad to arrange someone."

The person Howard arranged would only be his personal secretary.

Sure enough, the next morning, Scarlett, heavily pregnant, showed up at my doorstep.

She flinched but tried to hold her ground when she saw me.

"Mrs. Howard."

"Mm-hmm," I acknowledged.

"Scarlett, thanks for helping out."

Scarlett offered an awkward smile.

"Of course, Mrs. Howard, don't worry. I've been many times."

I knew, actually. I knew all of this ever since Scarlett and Howard got together.

But I was too lazy to ask, too lazy to listen.

I wanted to go to the yoga studio to stretch. Marcus walked past me, looking unusually hesitant. "Mom. Why don't you come with me? Scarlett is pregnant, and she can go."

I looked at him calmly. "Because I'm delicate, and I don't want to deal with the hassle. Besides, you're the one who said Scarlett is gentle and kind, and you prefer her to accompany you to parent-teacher conferences. So, your mom just wants you to be happy."

Marcus's mouth opened, but no words came out.

He watched my retreating back, and his eyes darkened.