Chapter 3

On our wedding night, Lucas took a phone call and left, leaving me alone.

I thought that he would at least show up the next day so we could return to my hometown together for my family gathering.

However, instead of the groom himself, all I got was a cold, emotionless message casually asking me to postpone the banquet.

He claimed his teacher was seriously ill, and he could not wait to go through the IVF with his junior, Rachel, all to fulfill his teacher’s dream of having three generations under one roof.

It was absurd!

He abandoned me, his wife, on our wedding night and completely disregarded the banquet we had planned six months in advance. Messed around with another woman, and even acting like it was perfectly normal to have a baby with her!

I held onto hope for my parents' sake. If he realized his mistake in time, if he backed out of the IVF plan and rushed back overnight, perhaps there was still a chance for us.

He did not.

He did not bother giving any replies. So, when I finally saw him in a video call, the words that came out of his mouth were so absurd, so beyond comprehension.

In that moment, something inside me shattered, my heart went completely cold.

After the three-day banquet was over, I returned to North City.

The moment I reached my doorstep, I heard the sound of laughter inside.

Inside, my former high school teacher was sitting in a wheelchair, beaming as Rachel and Lucas entertained her. If you captured this moment in a photo, it would look like the perfect, loving family portrait.

“Oh, you're back, Naomi?” Rachel said, trying to be friendly.

Rachel was the first to notice me. She practically bounced over, ready to greet me, but Lucas grabbed her wrist, holding her back.

He teased her with a mock scolding, “You're about to be a mom, but you're still as careless as a kid.”

“Oh, come on, I haven’t gotten used to it yet!”

She stuck out her tongue, a blush rising to her cheeks. “Stop treating me like a kid! Otherwise, Naomi will just laugh at me.”

I stood there, expressionless, watching them flirting with each other.

“Naomi, give me a chance to take care of you, to spoil you like a child for the rest of your life, okay?”

His old promises still echoed in my ears.

Now, the woman being pampered like a child was not me.

Rachel reached out, trying to link arms with me, but I sidestepped her touch.

She froze for a second, looking embarrassed, her eyes shimmering with hurt. Lucas immediately snapped when he saw this.

“Rachel treats you like an older sister, and this is how you act? Where’s your manners? Your basic decency?"

I stared at him in disbelief. “Funny. I don’t recall my mother ever giving birth to a second daughter.”

His brows furrowed even deeper. Before he could say something, our former teacher, still seated in her wheelchair, chuckled and cut in. “Naomi, isn’t it? My, my, you’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman. It's been years since you graduated high school, and this is the first time I've seen you since then.”

She took Rachel’s hand, then firmly grabbed mine as well. “Now that Rachel is carrying Lucas's baby, and I’m not getting any younger, it’ll be up to you to take care of both her and the child.”

The old teacher rambled on. Her tone was heavy with the weight of final words, as though she was giving her last wishes. Across from me, Rachel's and Lucas’s eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing that I remained indifferent, the teacher let out a deep sigh, putting on a self-blaming expression. “Naomi, you must resent me, don’t you?”

“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t wished to hold my grandchild before I die, Lucas and Rachel wouldn’t have gone through with the IVF… I never should have said anything… I…”

She suddenly gasped for air, clutching her chest as she coughed violently. Lucas immediately rushed to her side, gently patting her back to help her breathe while shooting me a glare full of anger.

“She’s already this sick, and you're still being so petty? Do you even have a heart?!”

“Just say you’ll take care of Rachel and the baby! It’s the least you can do!”

“Also, the doctor said the teacher would recover better at home, so I’m planning to bring her here to live with us. Hiring a caregiver is expensive, and we can’t trust outsiders. So, just quit your job and focus on taking care of the teacher and Rachel during this time!”

I gazed at Lucas, the man I had loved for a decade, but he seemed like a stranger now.

It was as if his mind had been consumed by some kind of madness. His usual logic and reason were gone, leaving behind nothing but selfishness and blind arrogance.

“No.”

I muttered those words calmly. Arguing with someone like this was a waste of time.

“If someone’s quitting their job, it’s going to be you. I’m not giving up my career for anyone or anything.”

“And one more thing, this is my house. It’s my premarital asset. If you move anyone in without my permission, I can call the cops.”

Perhaps Lucas had not expected me to be so firm. His face darkened instantly.

“Naomi, do you really have to do this? We just got married, and you’re trying to destroy our marriage now?”