Chapter 2

Three days flew by. Just like in my past life, the Thanksgiving dinner was hosted at a high-end downtown hotel.

The only difference was that this time, I didn't lift a single finger to plan it. I handed the entire event over to Marcus’s assistant, Chloe.

Right as the party began, Marcus walked into the banquet hall with Chloe by his side.

"We have Chloe to thank for tonight. If it weren't for her, this dinner wouldn't have come together so smoothly."

As he spoke, his eyes deliberately drifted toward me. I couldn't care less, focusing entirely on piling delicious food onto my parents' plates.

My mother-in-law smiled warmly, pulling Chloe over to sit right beside her. Naturally, Marcus took the chair on the other side.

To anyone watching, you'd think those two were the actual married couple.

Mom leaned over and whispered into my ear, "That assistant doesn't look like good news. You need to keep an eye on her."

I smiled faintly. "Mom's instincts were always spot on."

Marcus walked over to our table, handing me a glass of red wine.

"Serena, you haven't been home these past few days. My parents aren't happy with you at all."

"Go over there, offer them a toast, and apologize. When dinner's over, pack up the baby and come back home with me."

My parents, who had been smiling while playing with the baby, instantly froze. Their expressions hardened.

I stared at Marcus coldly. "Are you sure your parents have an issue with me?"

Marcus immediately slapped on an easygoing grin.

"Come on, I'm just messing with you! They didn't say anything, but look at how they're acting. You should know better than to play dumb."

In my past life, I had listened to this exact gaslighting routine countless times. Back then, I swallowed every bit of it. But I had been given a second chance at life. Why should I endure this humiliation ever again?

I stood up, took the wine glass from Marcus's hand, and threw the wine straight into his face.

"Why the hell should I apologize? Shouldn't you be the ones apologizing to me?"

It was the first time in our entire marriage that I had ever stood up to him. Wine dripped down his face, leaving him completely stunned.

Across the room, Chloe jumped out of her seat. She rushed over with napkins, frantic as she dabbed at his face while glaring at me accusingly.

"Serena, what are you doing?! If you didn't like how I set up the dinner, you could have just told me! Why take it out on Marcus?"

I set the empty glass down with a gentle clink, snatched the napkins right out of her hand, and used one to casually wipe Marcus's collar.

"I was just playing a little joke on my husband. But you..."

I turned a sharp, freezing gaze onto Chloe.

"You organized one little dinner party for me, and suddenly you've forgotten your place?"

Every pair of eyes in the hall locked onto the three of us.

The guests began whispering and pointing. After all, nothing beats the thrill of watching family drama unfold in real-time.

Marcus was the exact kind of pathetic man who loved showing off, constantly humiliating me in public just to feel big. And every single time I got genuinely upset, he'd dismiss it, saying I couldn't take a joke and ruined the mood.

I still vividly remembered the first Christmas after we got married. He told me his mother was craving peanut butter fudge from a boutique bakery across town, so I drove through a blizzard to get it.

By the time I got back, the entire family had already finished Christmas dinner.

"Go ahead and eat. I'll take this to Mom," he had said, ushering me toward a table full of cold leftovers.

Before I could even sit down, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the living room.

I dropped my fork and ran out, only to find my mother-in-law choking on the carpet, eyes rolling back, foaming at the mouth.

"What did you buy?!"

"Peanut butter fudge..."

My father-in-law screamed at me while pointing at the box on the counter. That was the moment I found out his mother had a severe peanut allergy.

Marcus had sent me to buy it on purpose.

I had looked at Marcus in utter desperation back then, but he kept his head down, refusing to meet my eyes.