Chapter 4

At the banquet hall, we got out of the car and walked inside.

Ryan shoved me aside and grabbed Harrison's hand.

"I want to go in with Daddy and Mommy."

He smirked at me provocatively. Harrison just patted his head affectionately.

"Honey, kids don't know better. Don't take it to heart. We'll go in first."

I stood under the scorching sun, watching the backs of their family of three.

It felt utterly absurd.

Walking into the hall, some clueless people came forward with compliments.

"Mr. Walker, is this your wife and child? What a beautiful couple, and such a smart kid."

Zoe smiled and thanked them. Harrison just smiled without speaking.

My mother-in-law beamed with a kindness I'd never seen before.

But when she turned and saw me, her smile immediately faded.

"Why are you just standing there? You're in the way. If you have nothing to do, go help serve the food."

I didn't move.

"Hurry up! Can't even have kids and just causing trouble. If you won't help, get out."

I gripped the evidence in my hand, silently telling myself to hold on a bit longer. Not everyone was here yet.

The show needed a full audience.

I silently carried dishes. Walking past Zoe, I was tripped.

Scalding food spilled on me, but Zoe screamed first, clutching her wrist where a few drops of soup had splashed.

"Harrison, it hurts so much."

Harrison rushed over, tenderly blowing on Zoe's arm.

"Anna, how can you be so careless?"

"We'll go rinse it off first."

He glanced at me and frowned.

"You should go change too. The ceremony's about to start. Try not to be so clumsy next time."

Ignoring the various stares around me, I endured the pain and walked to the bathroom.

Hold on, just hold on. This pair of cheaters will go to hell.

By the time I changed and came out, the ceremony had already begun.

Harrison was giving a speech on stage.

"Thank you all so much for coming to this ceremony. Due to my wife's health issues, we haven't been able to have children since our marriage."

People around looked at me sympathetically. I kept my head down.

"Ryan's arrival is a gift from heaven, our future support."

"Everything I have will be his inheritance."

Enthusiastic applause erupted. Someone brought a bouquet of red roses to the stage.

Harrison accepted them, knelt on one knee, and presented them to Zoe.

"Thank you so much for giving birth to this child. You're welcome to visit him anytime. He'll always recognize you."

Zoe smiled shyly and accepted the roses. The applause grew even louder.

Watching their interaction on stage, I had the surreal feeling I was attending a wedding.

Zoe glanced at the host, who turned to look at me.

"Ms. Anna, how do you feel about getting a grown son for free?"

Harrison followed the host's gaze to me and said perfunctorily, "The auspicious time is almost here. Come up on stage."

I walked forward step by step. Harrison instructed from the side.

"Zoe gave you a child. You need to repay her properly."

"Now that you have a child, you need to put him first in everything. You can't be as willful as before."

"You've never raised a child, so you'll need to learn from..."

Hearing this, I laughed coldly, stepped forward, and snatched his microphone.

Facing everyone below the stage, I enunciated each word: "Learn from her?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary. I'll have my own children in the future."

"But the reason I haven't gotten pregnant in seven years—I think everyone here will be very interested in that!!"