Chapter 2

Alfie, John's butler, came running inside. "Mr. Garnett! We've checked, but none of Ms. Smith's accounts were touched… Could something have happened?"

John snorted coldly. "Impossible! She'd never bring herself to leave me… Maybe she got herself another sugar daddy, throwing away all her dignity just for spare change."

Alfie did a double take, not expecting John to come up with such a supposition.

Still, he did not dare to argue either, bowing his head as he said, "I'll ask them to keep watch—"

"For what?" John waved him off, his tone weary. "She can go anywhere she wants. Jealous broads like her can die for all I care!"

"That said, we could keep watch to see which prick would wire money to her account. I'd like to humiliate that hussy!"

Alfie pursed his lips but said nothing.

He lowered his head as he backed out of the room, when John added nonchalantly, "Also, buy that diamond ring that caught Lara's eye. No matter how much it costs."

I laughed coolly—that ring was worth millions, but he would get anything Lara wanted.

There was a time when the Garnett family's business had gone bankrupt.

Even so, I had stayed at his side, sparing even instant noodles if I could.

Tuna sandwiches and full-course meals were a luxury, but I worked through sleepless nights for three months just to buy him an expensive suit.

I remember his eyes welling up with tears as he put it on. "You stayed with me through such a difficult time—I will definitely return this favor a hundredfold. If there's anything you want, I'll get it for you."

In the end, it was nothing more than lip service.

Nonetheless, the mood was gone even after Alfie left.

Instead, Lara purred, "John, I'm hungry."

"Alright. Just stay put."

John gave her a warm peck on the cheek and went to work in the kitchen. "I'll make you something nutritious to prepare for your pregnancy."

I felt a dull ache over my chest even as I watched him work masterfully in the kitchen.

After I helped John restore his family's glory, he told me he disliked children and forced me to get an abortion.

When I lay on a hospital bed after—too frail to even move, I asked him to cook for me.

All I got was a cold glare as he snapped, "Cook for you? Don't you know how much my time is worth?"

Later—as soon as I recovered a little, I made pasta for him, but he didn't even look at it and snapped again. "What an eyesore. Get it out of my sight. "

Perhaps he had not loved me for a long time now.

It was my fault for never noticing—for stupidly believing that true love would never die.

Now, Lara smiled as she leaned against the doorway, purring so softly her voice could melt anything, "I heard you made pasta. Can I have a bowl? With minced ginger, please. My cravings are really terrible these days."

"You've got it," John grinned lovingly. "Who would spoil my baby if not me?"

Still, he soon paused when he inadvertently noticed the black roses outside. "I'll tell the gardener to uproot those flowers. They remind me of Claire's disgusting face—I don't want them to hurt our eyes!"

Lara clearly panicked, but forced herself to smile anyway.