Chapter 3He Cheated, I Left with $52 Million

During my last prenatal check-up, our baby was misdiagnosed with Down syndrome.

I was so terrified I could barely stand. When I called him, Brittany switched to video mode.

She was wearing a tight nurse uniform, giggling provocatively.

"Scarlett, Liam says if there's something wrong, fix it, or just abort it. Calling him won't help."

"We're role-playing right now, too busy for you."

"And he said stop using these excuses to check up on him. If you like hearing his voice so much, he'll record a lullaby for you to soothe your baby bump."

She hung up shortly after.

Liam sent a message.

[From now on, text me if you need anything. If I don't reply, I'm with someone else. Stop calling and interrupting us.]

He paused, a flicker of satisfaction on his face.

"Finally listening, huh? Good, commendable. Though that time, I genuinely didn't know it was about our son. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let her talk like that."

He pulled two necklaces from his pocket.

One was a solid gold longevity charm for good luck for our son.

But the moment he touched Leo, our son burst into tears, as if he couldn't stand being near him.

Blocked, Liam then offered the other necklace, a delicate piece with small diamonds, to me.

"Here. I was at an auction with Brittany yesterday and saw this necklace. Thought it might suit you."

It was true he'd bought it at an auction.

But I'd seen on Brittany's Ins feed yesterday that it was a bonus gift that came with a two-million-dollar pink diamond, practically worthless on its own, not even a few hundred bucks.

As he spoke, he reached to put the necklace around my neck.

I flinched and pulled away.

He frowned, annoyance in his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? I give you two compliments, and now you're playing hard to get?"

A wave of sarcasm washed over me.

He always thought I could be won over by his occasional acts of kindness.

"You misunderstand. I'm allergic to this kind of material."

His face stiffened.

He seemed to have forgotten the millions he'd once spent to craft a gold diamond ring that wouldn't irritate my skin.

In the past, when I most desperately wanted him to change his mind, I'd accepted everything he gave me, even if I was allergic, even if it was uncomfortable.

As long as he showed even a sliver of kindness.

I would never contradict him.

For that fading flicker of love, I'd humiliated myself beyond measure.

In the end, it was all for nothing.

After that day, he seemed to find a convenient excuse and stopped coming to see us.

I was glad for the peace and quiet, focusing on my recovery, postpartum care, and playing with Leo.

But on Ins, I often saw him with Brittany: one day on a Ferris wheel, the next shooting an advertisement.

Mornings he'd cook for her, afternoons they'd check out trending restaurants.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, there'd be posts about their exciting nightlife.

Everyone at his company said she was his longest-standing mistress.

They all speculated when he'd finally kick me, his loyal, long-suffering wife, out for her.

Truth be told, from my fifth month of pregnancy until just before delivery, I'd brought up divorce countless times.

But Liam refused. He didn't want to give up the image of a perfect family.

If he had truly agreed, I wouldn't have minded being shown the door.

The day before our divorce was finalized, it was Leo's one-month celebration.

Liam made a grand entrance with Brittany.

He even arranged her seat right beside him, the seat reserved for the lady of the house.

He held Leo, playfully teasing him for a while.

Brittany leaned in, looking at the baby with him.

"Hello,Leo. I'm your stepmom."

At her words, everyone present's expression shifted.

But Liam, before anyone could react, quickly smiled at me.

"I forgot to tell you, Brittany's prepared a gift for Leo. She's going to be his godmother."

Brittany slipped a gold bracelet onto Leo's wrist.

She smiled sweetly at me.

"I'll help Scarlett take care of the baby from now on."

Listening to her provocative declaration, I gently pressed Eleanor's hand, stopping her from reacting.

I smiled faintly and took Leo from their arms.

"A psychic recently said Leo's aura was a bit too strong, and he needed a godparent to balance it out and ward off bad luck."

"Brittany, you truly are a saint, saving me so much trouble. I'll accept the gift, thank you."

Both their faces instantly fell.

Brittany's eyes welled up, her voice choked.

"It's okay, Scarlett. It's my honor to do something for Liam's child. Warding off bad luck? I'd even die for him."

"Perhaps it's best if I, a harbinger of bad luck, just leave now, before I spread my misfortune to everyone."

With that, she cast a tearful glance at Liam, grabbed her bag, and started to leave.

Liam glared at me, displeased, and made to go after her.

Eleanor grabbed his sleeve, her eyes sharp.

"Today is your son's one-month celebration. In front of all these people, you're going to chase after a mistress? Do you want our family to be shamed forever?"

He paused, about to speak, when I smiled at Eleanor.

"Mom, let him go. Leo is the star of today."

She hesitated, then sighed.

"Get out! If you ever bring these low-class women into our house again, don't bother coming in yourself!"

Liam's gaze was probing, as if he expected to see the familiar clinginess and bitterness in my eyes that used to reassure him.

But there was nothing.

I looked away and toasted the guests with tea.

The one-month celebration wasn't exactly dignified, but thankfully, Leo was too young to be sad.

And I wasn't sad either. Tomorrow, with the divorce papers, everything would be over.

Eleanor took us to the old mansion to stay with her for one last night.

Leo fell asleep on the sofa, and Eleanor went to get him a handmade cotton blanket.

Suddenly, the heavy door of the old mansion slammed open.

4

Liam stormed in, carrying Brittany.

"Scarlett! I truly underestimated you. Where's that bracelet? Give it back! Do you know Brittany suddenly got a fever this afternoon, and then got into a car accident on the way to the hospital?"

"I initially thought it was just a coincidence, but then I met a spiritualist collecting donations who told me you tampered with the bracelet, putting a curse of bad luck on her! How could you be so malicious?"

Back when I was bleeding during my pregnancy and prayed for days for our child, he'd called me superstitious and old-fashioned.

I scoffed.

"Those were just words to provoke you both. You actually believed them? Where did this mystic come from, and how did you 'just happen' to meet him? Ask him which temple I supposedly put the curse in."

He was speechless, about to retort. Brittany, still sobbing, pulled out a bracelet and approached Leo.

"It's okay, maybe I just have a weak constitution and these things coincidentally happened. This is a blessed bracelet I got from a temple. I want to exchange it for that gold one."

I stepped sideways, blocking her.

"I won't take your item. I'll return the bracelet to you tomorrow. Leo is asleep. Please leave now."

Liam glared at me.

"Why can't you give it to me now? What else do you plan to do with it?"

I frowned, about to speak, when Liam suddenly scooped up the sleeping child.

"What are you doing! Don't touch him!"

Brittany grabbed Leo's arm, forcibly trying to take off the bracelet.

"Scarlett, I'm doing this for your own good. No matter how much you hate me, you can't use our child! What if… what if you persist in this delusion, and the bad karma falls on Leo? What will you do then?"

"It's better to take it off now."

Leo cried out, startled by the rough handling, and my heart clenched.

I rushed over and slapped Brittany, sending her sprawling.

"What nonsense are you talking about! I told you there's nothing going on! You are not to touch my child!"

She looked at Liam, tears streaming down her face.

The next second, his eyes blazed red. He shoved me violently, sending me tumbling, and carelessly tossed Leo onto the sofa.

Then, with agonizing care, he helped Brittany up.

"We're doing this to lessen the bad karma for you and the child! Look at you, acting like a lunatic!"

The incision from my pain-free delivery hit the corner of the coffee table, a searing pain coursing through my body.

But what chilled me more was his callousness towards his own flesh and blood.

Eleanor, hearing the commotion, rushed over and helped me up.

She picked up Leo, whose face was red from crying.

Then, she slapped Liam across the face.

"You animal! Even a wild animal protects its young, but you're worse than your own heartless father! Abusing your son for some cheap mistress!"

"You'll regret this someday! Get out! Get out of my house, don't disturb our final family moment!"

"It was her first..."

Liam's previously dark eyes suddenly froze.

He paused.

"What do you mean, 'final'?"

But before he could finish, Brittany suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

He instantly lost his composure and hurried to pick her up.

As he turned to leave, he glanced back at me.

A flicker of unease crossed his eyes.

"I'll be back tomorrow for the bracelet. Don't try any tricks!"

Eleanor, wiping away tears, slammed the door shut.

The next morning, Mr. Davies, the butler, brought back our finalized divorce certificate.

I didn't disturb Eleanor.

I placed the divorce certificate under the gold bracelet, inside the large box that once held the gold engagement ring Liam gave me.

I put it in a prominent spot on the coffee table.

Looking at Leo in his swaddling clothes, my voice was lighter than it had ever been.

"Baby, let's start a new life with Mama."

He suddenly grinned, his eyes curving into little crescents.

Amidst his innocent, unburdened laughter,

We boarded a plane to a new world.