Chapter 4

I looked at Vivian.

She was wearing plush wool slippers, and there wasn't a speck of dust on her legs.

I struggled to control my emotions.

"Mom, Dad, I just remembered I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving now."

No one followed me out. I slid down the wall, tears streaming down my face.

"She's so clueless, she'd never figure out what I've been doing. Her dad might have been impressive back then, but she's completely useless, didn't inherit an ounce of his intelligence."

There was a hint of smugness in Kevin's voice.

I leaned against the cold wall, my heart pounding faster and faster.

"Speaking of which, her dad really was good to you back then," Martha suddenly said.

"If it weren't for her dad, could you have gotten into such a good company? Would you be where you are today?"

Kevin's voice turned sharply cold. "Even without her dad, with my own capabilities, I would have still made a name for myself."

"Because of her dad's connections, people whispered that I was just a kept man, both openly and behind my back."

"Enough," Vivian said softly. "The man's dead, why bring all that up now?"

"Kevin's doing just as well as her dad, if not better. By the way, you mentioned our old family house last time..."

Martha's voice dropped. "I had someone look into it. There are buyers for that area, offering over two million dollars. We need to transfer that money quickly so she can't get a single cent."

"Then transfer it into Vivian's name," Kevin said.

David, after a long silence, murmured, "Suzanne isn't a bad kid, really. It's just... she can't have children."

Martha sighed. "Exactly! Five years of marriage and not a single child. Kevin is our only son, we can't let our family line end with him."

My heart sank to rock bottom. All these years,

I'd undergone countless tests, taken so many medications, yet I couldn't conceive a child.

Martha, always so 'understanding,' used to console me,

"Children are a gift from above, it's all predetermined, just let nature take its course."

Martha patted Vivian's hand.

"You're the one who really came through, getting pregnant with a boy right away. All my life, I've just wanted a grandson."

Kevin said, "Mom, once the baby is born, you can move in with us. The preschool is right across the street, making it easy to care for Vivian and the child."

"What about her?" Martha asked.

Kevin paused. "We'll tell her everything once Vivian's baby is born. Besides, after five years of marriage with no kids, making her leave with nothing wouldn't be unreasonable. And with her personality, so obsessed with appearances, she'd never air our dirty laundry."

"I'm just afraid she'll get desperate and cause a scene," David chimed in.

"If she wants to make a scene, then we'll divorce. I've already transferred all the money anyway," Kevin interrupted him. "All these years of separate finances, she chose it herself, I never forced her. She thinks she's so noble, but she's just a fool."

That night, after returning from Martha's house, I developed a high fever.

In a hazy daze, I drifted into a dream.

My father was still alive, sitting in the wicker chair in our old house, peeling an orange for me.

He said, "Suzanne, the biggest regret of my life is that I taught you too well. So well that you'd rather be wronged than hurt anyone."

I woke to find my pillow soaked.

Outside, the sky hadn't brightened yet. Kevin hadn't returned all night.

I opened my phone. Vivian posted on Ins at three in the morning.

The photo showed two hands clasped together, with the caption: "Thank you for waiting for the sunrise with me."