Chapter 4After That, the Rainy Season Never Ended

Thunder boomed outside, and a blinding flash of lightning lit up the entire sky.

I looked at Richard, his face twisted with fury, and Wendy, nestled smugly in his arms.

I suddenly shook my head and laughed.

Richard froze. "You..."

I didn't give him a chance to say anything else. I calmly wiped the corner of my mouth, got to my feet, grabbed my bag, pushed open the villa door, and walked out.

I held up the umbrella I had refused to give Richard and walked into the rain.

Half my body was soon drenched, and I shivered violently from the cold.

But my steps never wavered.

Another bolt of lightning flashed.

It was as if it had suddenly jolted Richard back to his senses. Listening to the heavy rain pounding outside, he realized that he'd been too harsh with his words. After all, it was pouring outside, and I was pregnant.

A sudden wave of panic hit him, and he wanted to go after me.

But the moment he broke free, Wendy wrapped her arms around him again.

"Richard, don't go. There's thunder outside, and I'm scared."

He placed a hand on her arm and tried to pull himself free.

He gently reassured her, "It's okay. There are plenty of maids here.

"Yoli is pregnant, after all. I should go check on her."

But instead, she only tightened her arms around him.

Her voice trembled as she cried. "Richard, don't you love me anymore?

"I was forced to marry your father, but you were always the one in my heart. You promised you'd take care of me. After the way Yoli treated me, are you really going to leave me here and go after her?"

He hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he stopped.

Instead, he gently reassured Wendy. "Don't overthink it. I'm right here."

But his eyes remained fixed absently on the torrential rain outside the window.

Once Wendy had calmed down, Richard called me.

I didn't answer.

He called three times in a row, but I didn't answer.

Wendy suppressed her secret delight and rested her head against his chest, carefully testing the waters.

"Richard, do you think Yoli might be so angry that she won't even come to the wedding tomorrow? She's pregnant, after all. What are we going to do? Maybe you should text her and apologize properly."

Richard's eyes darted away, but he stubbornly insisted otherwise, almost as if he were trying to reassure himself. "Apologize? She's the one who was in the wrong. If I apologize now, she'll think she can walk all over me.

"Don't worry. She loves me that much. We're getting married tomorrow. Do you really think she'd actually give me the cold shoulder and break up with me? She probably just went to our new home to cool off."

He was wrong.

I was at the airport.

Ten minutes ago, I boarded a plane with no destination in mind.

I simply asked an airport staff member for the next flight out.

It was 3:20 am.

I'd just gotten off the plane when I received two text messages.

One was from the private investigator.

"Ms. Xander, everything is ready."

The other was from Richard.

"I was a little too harsh earlier. Get some rest. I'll come pick you up from our new home tomorrow morning."

I didn't reply to either of them. I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open.

I found a hotel near the airport, collapsed onto the bed, pulled the covers over my head, and fell asleep.

At 7:00 am, everything was ready at the Johnson residence, and the groomsmen were noisily urging everyone to get moving.

But Richard couldn't shake his unease as he stared at the message that still hadn't received a reply.

Wendy asked with concern, "Richard, what's wrong? You look awful.

"Yoli still hasn't replied to you?"

He shook his head.

His gaze fell on her outfit, and his brows furrowed.

It was dazzling, a brilliant shade of red.

Beautiful, but completely inappropriate.

"Wendy, why don't you go change?

"Today is my wedding to Yoli, after all. If you show up dressed like that..."

Wendy lowered her head, looking wronged again.

She had planned to use the same trick again, putting on a pitiful act to make Richard back down.

But the groomsmen weren't having it. One after another, they chimed in.

"Wendy, don’t you think you're dressed a little too flashy? I mean, today is Richard's big day, but you're still a senior member of the family. You should dress a little more appropriately. That outfit... honestly, it looks a bit too provocative."

"Exactly. Richard is marrying Yoli today, and you're his stepmother. Showing up in a dress like that? How is that appropriate?"

"There are several media outlets here today, too. Wendy, you should stop hanging onto Richard. What if someone gets a picture? What if rumors start spreading? What will that do to the Johnson family's reputation?"

…

With everyone chiming in one after another and Richard distractedly saying nothing, Wendy resentfully changed into something more understated and followed the wedding procession to the new home.

Fortunately, along the way, Richard's assistant called.

"Mr. Johnson, a security guard said he saw quite a few people inside the new home around two or three in the morning. They seemed to be setting something up.

"They said Mrs. Johnson was the one who called them in. She should be inside too."

The weight in Richard's chest finally lifted, and the corners of his lips even curled up slightly.

But when they arrived at the entrance of the new home, the entire villa was eerily quiet. There wasn't a single wedding decoration in sight.

It didn't feel like a wedding was about to take place at all.

Richard was uneasy, but remembering what the security guard had said, he forced a smile and waved a hand confidently.

"Come on! Let's go get the bride!"

But what he didn't expect was that there was no one inside.

The door was slightly ajar. With a gentle push, it swung open, and the groomsmen and friends outside all poured in.

Rows of confetti cannons suddenly went off with a series of loud bangs.

Countless photos burst through the air like fireworks, flying everywhere.

High-resolution photos of Richard and Wendy embracing, kissing, and even intimate photos of them in bed came raining down like snow.

Richard froze in place, the color draining from his face in an instant.

He stared at a photo that had fluttered to the ground beside his feet.

In it, he was kissing Wendy passionately in the lounge of his father, Alexander Johnson's memorial hall, completely carried away.

Beneath it was a line of text.

"Richard, congratulations on your wedding to your stepmother!"