Chapter 3

I spent quite some time recovering in the hospital, and the matter was brushed off.

Jeremy sternly warned his mother never to give me any strange substances again. She grudgingly agreed.

The day I was discharged, Jeremy came to pick me up. While he was handling the paperwork, I overheard my mother-in-law’s voice around the corner.

"Jeremy, I asked the doctor. He said Fennie probably can’t have children."

Jeremy already knew and just brushed it off with a few words.

Then, in a hushed tone, my mother-in-law continued, "I’ve found a nice girl for you."

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

"I promised not to force any more medicine on Fennie, but you still owe me a grandchild," she declared with a chilling resolve. "This girl has wide hips and strong bones—she’ll surely bear you a healthy son. And she has feelings for you, as well. If Fennie agrees to raise the child, that’s perfect. If not, well, you can always divorce her!"

I felt my illness surging back, the anger within me spinning my world into a dizzying haze. My mother-in-law, already a ruinous force in our lives, was now audaciously trying to push another girl into the role of mistress to her own son.

Truly, she was rotten to the core.

I forced myself to stand, leaning against the wall, just to hear Jeremy’s response.

“I can’t divorce Fennie.”

Hearing his words, a flicker of relief washed over me. But then, the cruel twist came:

"I need to get more money out of her family first. Once she's no longer of use, I’ll divorce her. Mom, show me that girl’s picture."

I don’t know how I made it back to the hospital room or how I managed to act normal as we left the hospital and went home. I just felt utterly cold, the flames of revenge consuming me.

I shredded the file on the USB drive, walked straight to my mother-in-law’s room, and swapped her birth control pills for regular stomach medicine.

The Kohn family, I won’t let you have an easy time.

Jeremy had pursued me since our school days, promising, “With you, I’ll never look at another woman.”

I thought I had married for love.

But now, I realize that if a woman truly believes a man’s sweet talk, there’s nothing more foolish. Just like I once was.

Don’t place high expectations on marriage. It’s merely two people coexisting, navigating the mundane struggles of daily life together. If you hold onto the illusion of true love, you’re destined for disappointment. Embrace the truth: view him as just a roommate, and you might find a sliver of solace amidst the harsh reality.

But I won’t divorce Jeremy so easily.

The real drama is only just beginning.