Tears fell uncontrollably. Seeing it with her own eyes was far more devastating than any picture could have been.

Since giving birth, her intimacy with Eric had dwindled to almost nothing. Back then, she had naively believed it was because he cared for her fragile postnatal state.

However, now, she realized it was simply because he had indulged himself elsewhere and couldn’t be bothered to fake interest with her.

Her phone vibrated. Another provocative message from Christina lit up the screen.

This time, it was a photo of the disarrayed bathroom and a pair of torn black stockings.

She wrote, "Guess what Mr. Gordon just did? Isn't it just a necklace? If you want it, take it. After all, his heart is with me."

Wanda did not block her because Christina still had a purpose to serve in the coming days. 

Her bitter thoughts were interrupted by a distant wail. “Mommy! Mommy, where are you?”

The heartrending cries jolted her back to reality. Wanda wiped her tears and stepped out of the room.

Ben dashed toward her like a little whirlwind and flung himself into her arms. “I thought Mommy didn’t want me anymore! Waaaaah.…”

Tears clung to his lashes as though he’d suffered an unimaginable grievance. “Mommy, promise me. Wherever you go, you have to take me with you.”

Hearing the commotion, Eric hurried over. He paused for a moment at the heartwarming scene but couldn’t shake a creeping sense of uneasiness.

He walked up to them and handed Wanda the necklace. I expectedly ran into a client. We chatted for a bit longer than planned.”

Wanda's trembling fingers brushed over the familiar necklace. Once, she had believed that marrying Eric would give her the family she longed for.

However, not all men were like her father, who loved only one woman his entire life. Most of them were just like Eric. They were unfaithful men who had the skill to maintain the façade. 

Perhaps overwhelmed by everything, Wanda fell ill with a high fever upon returning home.

Feeling the scorching heat of her body through the night, Eric panicked. He scooped her up and rushed her to the hospital.

When she woke up, a nurse greeted her with a warm smile and offered her a glass of water. “Mrs. Gordon, you’re finally awake! You’ve had a fever for three days and three nights. Mr. Gordon and your child stayed by your side the whole time without rest.”

She added, "Honestly, I don’t know what’s on your mind. If I had a husband and child who loved me this much, I’d be grinning from ear to ear.”

The nurse sighed and after advising Wanda to think positively and let go of her worries, she left the ward.

As Wanda glanced at the calendar to confirm the date, Christina strutted in, her stomach noticeably bulging.

“I'm pregnant, the baby is Mr. Gordon.” She threw the pregnancy report to Wanda's face.

"So?" Wanda asked but she had just recovered from a serious illness and her voice was a bit muffled.

“The child can't be without a father, so please divorce Mr. Gordon," Christina demanded.

She hadn’t expected she would be pregnant either, but it was the perfect excuse to push Wanda out of the picture.

“Does Eric know?” asked Wanda.

“He’ll find out soon enough. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

When Christina remembered Eric's warning, she gulped.

“It's my birthday on the fourteenth, if you're capable of calling him away from the press conference, I'll file for divorce," said Wanda.

“Are you sure? Won't you lie to me?” Christina was a bit incredulous.

“I'll do what I say," Wanda said.

It was not just a divorce; she would disappear from Eric's world forever.

When he saw Christina, his eyes darkened. "What brings you here?” he asked.

“Mr. Gordon, this is my first pregnancy, I know about the fact that Madam had once given birth to a child, so I've come to ask for some advice …”

“After all, it’s my first time being a mother," said Christina, affectionately stroking her still-flat stomach with an air of motherly care.

“My boyfriend didn’t want me to get pregnant so soon. He said it would ruin my figure. I’m still deciding whether to keep the baby or not," she added.

Ben's eyes widened when he heard this and he quickly said, "Christina, I want a little sister to keep me company.

Christina covered her mouth and laughed, “Good. When the time comes, you must protect your sister and not let certain bad women bully her.”

Ben nodded earnestly; his face serious.

Although the child didn’t grasp the hidden insinuation, Wanda did. Seeing that Christina had indeed talked too much and crossed the line, said in a cold voice, “My wife is not feeling well, you should leave first.”

Christina's beautiful face turned pale, then red. She was clearly upset when she reluctantly left the room.

“She’s just careless by nature and sometimes speaks without thinking. Don’t let it bother you,” Eric said as he carefully put down the still-steaming healthy food, one by one.

“From now on, I’ll keep a closer eye on you to make sure you stay healthy," he told her.

As he reached out to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, Wanda instinctively pulled away and made an excuse, “I’m sweaty and I feel gross.” She fixed her gaze firmly on him as she said that.

Caught off guard, his eyes flickered then avoided hers. He lowered his gaze and clasped her cold hands. “How could you be gross? No matter what, you’ll always be fragrant to me. I’d never resent you.”

To prove his sincerity, Eric kissed the back of her hand gently.

Ben, accustomed to his parents’ occasional displays of affection, covered his eyes with his chubby hands and pretended to be embarrassed.

“Euww … gross!” he shouted, his chubby hands covered his eyes, pretended not to see. However, his little feet shuffled to the other side of the bed as he grabbed Wanda's free hand in his small arms and promised, “I’ll give Mommy lots and lots of warmth too!”

Passersby who saw this scene through the glass couldn’t help but envy the woman on the bed. They imagined that she had a blessed life.

However, that tender moment did not last long. Eric's phone vibrated.

As he unlocked it, Wanda took a fleeting glance and caught the contact name, “Sweetheart.”

Before she could look closer, Eric abruptly stood up. “Wanda, there’s an urgent meeting at the company. I’ll bring back something delicious for you when I return.”

He ruffled Ben’s hair and patiently instructed, “Be a little man and take good care of Mommy.”

“I want to go with Daddy!” Ben protested.

Eric's resolution shook, "Why don’t I just ….”

"Just go," Wanda interrupted, her tone calm yet firm. “Take him with you. It’ll save me some trouble.”

Though Eric was surprised he didn’t insist on staying. He picked up Ben and left the room. At the doorway, he paused his steps and glanced back, as though he sensed something amiss.

The setting sun streamed through the glass, casting a soft glow over Wanda’s delicate features, blurring her silhouette. It was as if she might vanish completely the next moment.

Yet Wanda didn’t meet his gaze. She simply stared out the window and watched the desolate view.

A few hours later, the father and son duo who were supposed to be at the company appeared in a video sent by Christina.

In the clip, Ben was sitting in a living room, while eating cake and playing games, his cheerful voice called out, “I love Christina the most!”

The video transitioned into a long audio clip.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you just saying I could do whatever I wanted? Can’t take it anymore now?”

The man’s hoarse voice dripped with lust, filled with heavy undertones. Then came the sound of lips and tongues entangling, followed by never-ending gasping breaths.

Then she wrote, "Eric’s taking a shower. These next few days, whether it’s the man or the child, I’ll make sure they stay with me. You’re bound to lose on the day of the public hearing."

Christina certainly had the confidence to make such bold declarations.

The days that followed proved that she had the right to make that claim. Eric and Ben never returned to the hospital, not even once. However, Wanda was indifferent.

Yet, Christina was convinced it was just a façade. She made a point of sending taunting messages to Wanda every day, right on schedule.

Eric showered Christina with everything money could buy. He bought her one set of houses after another, set off one firework after another for her and had endless amounts of extravagant jewelry. He even cleared an entire shopping mall of other customers to ensure her peace of mind during her pregnancy.

News of the “golden sponsor” behind Eric quickly went viral online, with her name trending at the top.

The PR response came swiftly. “Yes, he and I are expecting a child.”

A simple statement plunged the entertainment world into chaos once again.

However, Christina paid no mind to the media frenzy. She took a taxi to the Gordon mansion. After all, since she was leaving soon, she felt obligated to bid farewell to the Gordon Family parents who had adopted her. Over the years, although she was an orphan, the Gordon Family had treated her like their own daughter.

After her marriage, they even suggested that she and Eric move out of the old house to avoid being constrained by traditional household rules.

However, as soon as she reached the villa's entrance, the sounds of laughter and cheerful conversation stopped her in her tracks.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll make sure we have two kids within three years so the Gordon Family line won’t end with me.”

Stella Gordon, Eric’s mother, beamed with joy when she heard these words. “Good, good! That’s all I’ve been hoping for. I'm looking forward to having this house bustling with life.”

Then she added, "Poor Wanda. She is a good person but it's a pity she hurt her body while giving birth to Ben. Fortunately, we still have you. As long as you give birth to this child, you’ll be the Gordon Family’s hero.”

The gift bag in Wanda’s hands suddenly felt scorching. Inside the bags were farewell gifts she had carefully selected.

Stella loved playing cards, but her age often left her feeling fatigued. Wanda had sought out a renowned doctor and personally made health supplements for her.

Wesley Gordon, Ben's father, after his retirement, loved to go fishing. Wanda had pulled countless strings to acquire a rare, limited-edition fishing rod for him.

However, now, it seemed it was unnecessary to give those thoughtful gifts personally. So, Wanda handed the health supplements and the fishing rod to a housekeeper standing nearby while trying to hold back her tears.

She still remembered the day after their wedding when Stella had clasped her hands, saying, “If Eric ever misbehaves and fools around in the future, feel free to come to me. I’ll sort him out for you.”

Wesley had also solemnly promised to only ever recognize her as his daughter-in-law.

Yet today, she had seen and heard them warmly hosting another woman and calling her “daughter-in-law” with affection.

However, Eric was their biological son. While, at best, she was an adopted daughter and a daughter-in-law with no blood ties. She was, after all, an outsider.

Wanda stumbled back to her room in a daze. Late at night, when no one could hear her, she curled up in her closet to muffle her sobs.

This time, Eric wouldn’t be there to pull her out of the darkness and reassure her that she still had him.

She didn’t even know when she had fallen asleep but when she woke, she found herself lying on the soft bed.

To her surprise, Eric, whom she hadn’t seen in days, was sitting beside her. He was holding her phone with an unreadable expression.

"Wanda, someone just sent you a message saying, ‘Everything is going according to plan.’ What are you planning to do?” he asked.

Wanda's groggy mind instantly cleared. She scrambled to snatch her phone back and was relieved that it was still locked.

“It’s a surprise,” she said quickly. “You promised me a surprise on this day, so I wanted to return the favor.”

“Silly girl," chastised Eric. "It’s only right for me to treat you well. After all, you’re my wife.”