Two months after our daughter passed away, Henrik Kim’s mistress gave birth to a baby girl. He rented the most extravagant ballroom for a lavish celebration of the child's one-month birthday and made me the event planner: “Elora is sensitive, so ensure all sharp objects are out of sight.”

The mistress cradled her baby, smiling at me. “Elaine, don't you think little Elora resembles your daughter?”

I didn’t attend the birthday party. Henrik didn’t know that the heir from a well-known London family, whom I once turned down for him, had returned to propose. And I accepted.

When we found out the child was a boy, Henrik couldn’t stop smiling. He had a mountain of baby clothes and supplies delivered. Eventually, he bought the estate next door and moved Jessie Coleman in. He hired twenty staff members just to cater to her.

Over dinner, I offhandedly mentioned these expenses, and Henrik inexplicably threw his plate. “Elaine Ortiz, Jessie is pregnant with a boy. We need to be careful.”

“You’re just managing the accounts. The money comes from my account. Not a penny is from you.”

I paused, my fork suspended mid-air, unsure which of my words had incited his anger. Little Kai, sitting next to me, slowly stopped swinging her legs. She asked quietly, “Are you two fighting?”

I quickly set down my fork. “No, sweetheart. Daddy and I are just talking.”

Henrik bent down to pick up the plate, trying hard to smile. Kai believed him. She resumed swinging her legs, her face brightening with a smile. “Daddy, I really want some strawberries.”

“Sure, I’ll have them delivered in a few days,” Henrik promised, making her eyes gleam with happiness.

After dinner, Kai went to her room for a nap, and Henrik resumed his serious demeanor. “Elaine, Jessie is living next door so I can visit her easily, not for you to cause trouble.”

I glanced at the stains on the tablecloth. Jessie had sent her housekeeper over yesterday, saying she fancied my tablecloth and wanted to swap them. But Henrik saw this as me deliberately causing strife. Just like now, I had done nothing, yet I was accused of stirring up trouble.

I let out a soft laugh. “Alright, I get it.”

Henrik frowned, assuming I was being moody. “Be reasonable. I’m different from you. You have no parents, no pressure from the previous generation; you are free.”

“But I am the sole heir to the Kim family. I must have a son to carry on the family name.”

I felt like a stone was lodged in my throat as I looked at him in disbelief. What does he mean, I’m free? My parents died when I was five, and the Kim family took me in until I was twenty, at which point I married him. After marriage, I was forced to take medication and undergo treatments to stimulate ovulation. Finally, I got pregnant but had a daughter.

My in-laws wanted me to have a son, but due to the excessive medication and treatments, my uterus was damaged, and I could never conceive again. Since Kai’s birth, I have been someone the Kim family disregarded. I wasn’t allowed to attend family events with Kai, appear in media, interfere with Henrik’s affairs, or have any social media presence to protect the family image.

I was like a caged bird in the Kim family, not even comparable to Jessie’s treasured canary. Yet, he said I’m free?

Before I could question him, Henrik’s phone rang. He smiled again. On the other line, Jessie’s voice was as clear and melodious as ever. “Henrik, your son wants some strawberries!”

He almost jumped up, indulging her over the phone, “I’ll go get them for you right away. Give me ten minutes.”

As I watched him stride away, I realized for the first time that he could walk quickly. Behind me, on the staircase, little Kai hugged her teddy bear, stubbornly biting her lip. “Mommy, I won’t eat strawberries anymore.”

That was the second-to-last time Kai mentioned strawberries. The last time was after she fell from a slide, hitting her head on a sharp piece of metal. Blood poured from the back of her head, and I cried until I couldn’t breathe, trembling all over.

Yet, she struggled to hook her little pinky around mine, saying, “Mommy, I have a secret for you.”

“I still love strawberries. When I wake up, can you buy some for me, Mommy?”

I nodded vigorously, intending to call Henrik, but a message from Jessie popped up. Henrik had rented her an entire strawberry farm. She sat in a plush chair, caressing her pregnancy bump. Henrik squatted on the ground, picking strawberries for her.

Meanwhile, our daughter was dreaming of strawberries—a dream from which she would never wake.

Jessie Coleman had a daughter.

The Williams family was silent for half a day before announcing that the entire medical team had been let go that afternoon. That night, a celebratory message appeared on the Williams Corporation's website: "Congratulations to Mr. Williams on the arrival of his lovely daughter!" Accompanying the message was a photo of the three of them together.

Eight simple words, a recognition I'd never received.

When I gave birth to Kai, the Williams relatives came and went, each with the same sigh. Instead of congratulations, I received only pity.

Even Henrik, who had once assured me it didn't matter if we had a boy or a girl, finally revealed his true feelings:

"Elaine, I need a son. Recover quickly and we can try again."

Tears welled up in my eyes, and they haven't ceased flowing since.

The celebration for Jessie's daughter lasted a whole month. Meanwhile, I was confined to the house.

Margaret, my mother-in-law, called me a jinx.

"You brought bad luck to your parents when you were young, then to your own daughter, and now you want to bring it to Elora too?"

"Elora is very fragile; she can't handle your bad luck. Just stay inside."

Henrik sat beside me, endlessly scrolling through pictures of Elora, never tiring of them.

I clutched Kai's little hair clip in my pocket, wondering why Henrik brought me home if he believed I was cursed.

But then Jessie called, saying she was hungry.

The family of three immediately left, taking the last housekeeper with them.

Before they left, I called out, "Henrik."

I rarely used his full name, and as expected, he scowled:

"What now? Can't you cook for yourself?"

I opened my mouth but suddenly couldn't find the words.

"So troublesome, can't even speak properly."

Margaret nudged him: "Don't pay her any mind. What if she spreads her bad luck to Elora?"

They left.

I stood alone in the empty mansion and finally found the words:

"We should get a divorce."

Every day, Jessie sent me endless photos and videos.

She didn’t need to say a word; she was sure I would feel sad.

This time, it was Henrik holding Elora, with Ray slipping thick envelopes of cash into the baby's hands.

Margaret, her face beaming, was laughing non-stop:

"Jessie truly is the Williams family's good luck charm, giving us such a lovely little princess."

The camera turned for a selfie, and Jessie joined them.

Five faces, brimming with happiness.

Only I remained, keeping watch over Kai's ashes, curled up on her pink bed.

After Kai passed away, I stopped everyone from touching anything in her room.

I pretended she was still here.

But Kai, my dear, I can hardly feel your presence anymore.

Mom can't hold on. Another video appeared in my messages.

Margaret transferred a hundred million to Jessie, who pretended to decline.

It earned her more praise: "You're our good luck charm, even a hundred million is too little. Take it."

The Williams family was superstitious.

They took me in because a fortune teller said I brought luck. I was brought to the Williams family at five years old, and the struggling family indeed found a path to prosperity.

Their faltering business revived, the company went public, and its value tripled.

They said I was the Williams family's little good luck charm and arranged for me to marry Henrik when I turned twenty.

Everyone assumed the good luck charm would bear a son.

So, no one ever told me I had to have a son.

Until the day Kai was born, and the Williams family’s real estate business faltered, their market value shrank, and I transformed from good luck charm to harbinger of misfortune.

All previous affection vanished instantly, and Henrik began seeking other women.

But the child who was once eagerly awaited only received all my love.

I received another message from Henrik, asking me to coordinate Elora’s first-month party.

Pages and pages of instructions followed, along with countless photos of Elora.

But his phone didn’t have a single picture of Kai.

Nor, perhaps, any of me.

The day before the rehearsal, Jessie, having just recovered from childbirth, approached me with Elora cradled in her arms.

"Elaine, look, Elora is so much like your daughter."

The small, rosy baby slept peacefully in her arms.

On Kai’s first month, she did the same thing, smiling even in her sleep.

I could see Kai’s face vividly, and I lost myself in the moment.

Jessie suddenly burst into tears:

"I'm sorry, Elaine. I just wanted to show you Elora. I didn’t mean to bring up your pain."

Henrik walked over from behind her, his brow furrowed like the fog that had clouded my life for the past three months.

"Elaine Ortiz, do you want to ruin Elora's first-month party?"

"Your daughter has already passed away. Must you drag everyone down with your constant mourning?"

I could never have imagined such words coming from his mouth.

"Henrik, wasn't Kai your daughter?"

"She passed away when she was only three. Don’t you feel any sorrow?"

His brows furrowed even more tightly. "I gave her the grandest memorial service possible. Isn't that enough sorrow?"

Enough sorrow?

The dense fog clouding my mind suddenly cleared away.

In that moment, all lingering attachment to him vanished completely.

I regained my composure.

"Yes, I suppose that's sufficient."

Henrik no longer looked at me. He gently wiped Jessie’s tears away and held her as they left.

"From now on, I won’t visit unless necessary. You can head home alone later."

I watched them leave, lowered my head, and opened WhatsApp.

"I agree to what you suggested, but on the condition that you take me with you."

The reply was instant: "9 AM tomorrow. I'll be waiting at your favorite café."

On the morning of the christening, I packed my bags and left the divorce papers on the table.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Bring the tie Jessie gifted me."

"Just leave it and go; spare me any embarrassment."

I found the untouched tie he valued and headed to the banquet hall, only to find Jessie there.

She laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.

"I thought you had some dignity and wouldn’t show up at Elora's christening."

"And yet, here you come running at just a call from Henrik."

"Do you think that’ll win his heart back? Dream on. A woman who can't bear a son is just a burden to him."

I didn’t want to argue with her. "The tie’s here," I said, turning to leave.

She scoffed dismissively.

"Aren't you going to stay and watch? Elora resembles your daughter quite a bit."

"Perhaps your daughter realized she chose the wrong family and died only to end up in my belly... ah!"

I slapped her, eyes blazing with anger, and was about to strike again when my wrist was caught.

Henrik's eyes looked as if he wanted to tear me apart.

"Elaine, you’re insane!"

His parents rushed in, shielding Jessie behind them, and Madalyn pointed at me angrily.

"What bad luck! You ruined such a wonderful day, you jinx!"

Ray glared at me menacingly. "Where's the security? Get this madwoman out!"

Guests began to gather around, whispering in shock at the scene.

I fought back tears, my wrist aching from Henrik’s grip.

"Didn't anyone ask what she said to provoke me?"

Jessie immediately started sobbing:

"I'm sorry, I only said... Elora is afraid of sharp objects, and I wanted Miss Ortiz to remove any sharp items from the venue..."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You never... you’re doing this on purpose!"

Henrik roared, the pressure from his hand intensifying as if to crush my wrist.

"Your daughter died because of a sharp steel rod, and now you want to harm our daughter?"

"You’re utterly irrational!"

Voices of reproach erupted all around me.

Standing at the center of the crowd, I shook my head, holding back tears. "I didn’t do it!"

"Still trying to defend yourself!"

Madalyn stepped forward, hitting me for the first time in twenty years.

"What a disaster! If I knew you were this vicious, I would never have brought you into the Kim family!"

"We pampered and fed you, and you cost us dearly. Now you want to harm my granddaughter too!"

I absorbed the blow fully.

Since I was five, I was taught to be grateful to the Kim family, to repay them.

I couldn't ask for an extra plate of food because I didn’t pay for my upkeep.

I wasn't allowed to honor my parents as it supposedly harmed my fate.

I couldn’t accept another’s proposal because I had to marry Henrik.

Spring came and autumn passed for twenty years, and I tread carefully in the Kim household, living as a stranger.

Everything in this house belonged to the Kims; Kai was the only one belonging to me.

But Kai was gone now, too.

The phone in my pocket buzzed.

It felt like a push towards escape.

Awakening from my daze, I jerked my arm free.

"My apologies, Miss Coleman."

"I was out of line."

"I apologize to you."