During a meeting, my son’s smartwatch alerted me his temperature was high. I rushed to school to take him to the doctor, but his teacher, Ms. Clarke, eyed me warily. “Who are you to Ethan Holloway?” she asked. “I messaged his mother this morning—she’s already taken him to the hospital.” I showed her my blank message screen. “Did you text the wrong person?” She pushed her phone toward me. “The records are right here. Don’t try to impersonate a parent.” As security escorted me out, I overheard teachers whispering: “She’s delusional, trying to marry into money. Mrs. Holloway warned us about people like her.” “Mr. and Mrs. Holloway are so devoted—he held her hand all through orientation.” But on orientation day, I’d been at the hospital with my mother-in-law. Lance had taken our son himself. So who was this “Mrs. Holloway”? Following the watch’s GPS, I reached the hospital and saw my best friend Vanessa carrying Ethan out of the clinic. Lance walked over with payment slips, gently pinching our son’s nose. “Get down from Mommy’s arms—you’re in elementary school now.” Vanessa… was his mother? Then what was I—after ten months of pregnancy and nearly dying in childbirth—just a joke? … The sounds of the crowded hospital faded into a blur. I was barely aware of my surroundings. The three figures before me, so intimately entwined, looked like a true family. Someone bumped into me, jolting me back to reality. I saw them walking towards my direction. Without thinking, I spun around and ducked into a corner. Ethan’s childish voice drifted to me. “Oh, if only Aunt Nessa were my real mommy.” “Just thinking about facing Mommy’s poker face when I get home gives me a headache.” His precocious tone made the two adults beside him laugh. But my heart, standing in the shadows, plunged straight into an icy abyss. Vanessa gently patted his back. “Don’t say that, sweetie. Mommy is busy with work and works very hard.” Lance’s tone was harsh, filled with disgust. “You’re too soft-hearted, still defending her. The child is sick, and she doesn’t even care. Is she the only one who’s busy? Is she the only one with a job?” Vanessa lightly hooked her finger through his. “Lance, don’t say such things in front of the child.” “Ethan, be good. Aunt Nessa always thinks of you as her own son.” Lance, moved, pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Vanessa, I’ve put you through so much. I’m lucky you’ve been with us all this time.” Vanessa’s eyes reddened, but she bravely shook her head. “I don’t feel wronged being by your side. It’s just…” She blinked, and a tear slid down at just the right moment. “If only time could go back to last week. That week was the happiest of my life.” Lance pulled her into his arms. “Don’t say that!” Ethan also reached out his small hand, clumsily wiping her tears. “Daddy, can you send Mommy on another business trip today, the farther the better? I’m sick, and I want Aunt Nessa to stay with me.” Last week? Lance had sent me to Arlington to deal with an extremely difficult client. He had held me from behind, exhausted, his chin resting on my shoulder. “Honey, help me. Those old geezers are all waiting to laugh at me. You’re the only one I can trust.” My heart ached for him. Despite a relapse of my stomach condition, I forced myself to go to Arlington. As I left, Vanessa had comforted me. “Chloe, you go focus on your work. I’ll help you take good care of Ethan.” At the time, my heart was filled with gratitude, feeling lucky to have such a thoughtful best friend. But it turned out that from beginning to end, this was all a carefully orchestrated lie, designed to get rid of me! My husband of ten years, my son for whom I endured ten months of pregnancy, my confidante. They had long formed a new “family” behind my back! I returned home, physically and emotionally drained, to find my mother-in-law sitting in the living room. Years ago, after my parents died, it was my mother-in-law’s financial support that allowed me to complete college. When my relationship with Lance was exposed, his entire family opposed it. She was the first to give in, agreeing to my marriage into the Holloway family. To me, she was more than just my mother-in-law; she was also my benefactor. So, no matter how bad my mood, I respectfully greeted her. “Mom, you’re here.” My mother-in-law glanced behind me, then smiled. “Yes, I came to see you all.” Our housekeeper, Mrs. Miller, peeked out from the kitchen. “Madam, should I soak the dried yams you brought, or boil them directly?” My mother-in-law hurried over. At that moment, her phone screen lit up, and I clearly saw a notification: “Temperature too high, precious might be unwell.” My eyes widened. I suddenly remembered the smartwatch was a gift from my mother-in-law to our son. Of course, she had also linked the app. So, she came today because she knew Ethan had a fever? But from the moment I entered, she hadn’t mentioned it once, nor did she show any surprise at seeing me come home alone. My hands and feet turned cold as I walked to the kitchen doorway. Sure enough, I heard my mother-in-law’s hushed voice. “The yams need to be cut into small pieces, and go easy on the sugar. The child has a fever; he needs something bland.” Mrs. Miller chuckled softly. “Oh, I know. Ms. Evans just called specifically to say we should make fewer sweets these two days.” My mother-in-law was silent for a moment, then sighed. “Vanessa… she knows how to handle things.” So, it wasn’t just my mother-in-law; even the housekeeper knew about Lance and Vanessa’s affair. Was I the only one kept in the dark all along? I went upstairs, made a phone call, and then, finding a flimsy excuse, prepared to leave. The front door suddenly opened, and Lance returned, carrying Ethan. He saw me and froze for a moment, then uncomfortably said, “Ethan has a fever. I just took him to the hospital.” Seeing Ethan clinging weakly to his shoulder, a pang of heartache went through me. He was only 7 years old, my flesh and blood, a part of me! To protect him during my pregnancy, I had spent a month on bed rest. Later, when he was born, my mother-in-law insisted on a natural birth, and I was in agony for two days and two nights. Finally, the doctor issued an ultimatum before my mother-in-law reluctantly agreed to switch from natural to C-section. Exhausted, I held my tiny baby, tears streaming down my face. “Baby, you’re amazing. We made it through together, you and I.” “From now on, the three of us will always be together.” Thinking of this, my heart softened. I raised my hand. “Ethan, come here, Mommy will hold you.” But Ethan opened his eyes, saw me, and burst into tears. “I don’t want you! I want Aunt Nessa!” “I hate you! Go away! I want Aunt Nessa to be my mommy!” My hand froze in mid-air. Vanessa flung open the door, reaching out to take Ethan into her arms, gently cooing, “Be good, sweetie. Aunt Nessa is here. Don’t cry!” My voice trembled. “Vanessa, give me back my son!” Vanessa held Ethan, avoiding my outstretched hand. “Chloe, don’t be angry. Ethan is still little. He was playing too wildly outside yesterday and ate ice cream. He’s afraid you’ll scold him.” She lightly tapped Ethan’s nose. “Tell Mommy you’re sorry and that you won’t do it again.” Ethan buried his face in her arms. Under her gentle gaze, he reluctantly mumbled, “I’m sorry.” Then he clung to her, whining, “Aunt Nessa, I just want you to stay with me, please!” I was about to speak, but Lance impatiently pushed me. “What’s the fuss? Let Vanessa take the child to his room first.” My mother-in-law, emerging from the kitchen, witnessed the scene and shot Lance a glare. “Why are you so harsh? Chloe has been busy at the office all day; she’s tired enough.” Then she took Ethan from Vanessa. “Vanessa, Ethan isn’t feeling well today. Why don’t you go home for now, so you don’t catch anything?” “It’s already dark outside; let Lance drive you back.” My mother-in-law’s words seemed to be defending me, but in reality, she was covering for Lance. I gave a bitter laugh, looking seriously at my son and asking, “Do you really not want me, and want Vanessa to be your mom?” Ethan hesitated, looking at Vanessa. Vanessa smiled and leaned closer, intimately hooking her arm through mine and swaying it. “Chloe, why are you being so serious with a child? We’re best friends; if I have children someday, won’t they be like your own?” I pulled her hand away, then looked up at Lance. “Do you think so too? Do you want Vanessa to be the woman of this house?” Vanessa, seeing me ignore her, forced a strained laugh. “No way, you’re not jealous of me, are you? Chloe, we’ve been friends for over ten years. I saw you were busy, and I came out of the goodness of my heart to help you take care of the house, and you…” Lance finally spoke, his voice filled with accusation. “Chloe, why are you getting angry at Vanessa? Why don’t you reflect on why our son isn’t close to you?” “Vanessa, just an ‘aunt,’ can make time to be with the child, but you? What have you cared about all day besides work?” “Our son had a fever today; where were you, his mother?” I waited for him to finish, then calmly said, “I went to the school today.” “The teacher told me the child had already been picked up by his mother.” “The contact person in her phone, the profile picture and name were mine, but it wasn’t my number.” “Lance, at the orientation, who did you actually put down as our son’s contact person?” One sentence changed everyone’s expression. Vanessa’s face froze. She tried to explain, her voice dry. “Chloe, it’s not what you think. We’re best friends; trust me…” Only Ethan didn’t understand what was happening. Seeing the tears welling up in Vanessa’s eyes, he angrily yelled at me, “Don’t bully Aunt Nessa! I just hate you. You don’t let me do anything, you’re always forcing me to do homework. Daddy said you only care about work and don’t love me at all.” “Go on your business trip already! I want Aunt Nessa to stay with me!” I deliberately ignored the dull ache in my chest. I quietly looked at Ethan. His small face was flushed from the fever, and his little chest heaved violently. “Next week is your eighth birthday. Your birthday present is hidden in the cabinet in your room.” That was the treasure hunt game he loved playing with me when he was little. “You’re allergic to lamb and tomatoes; don’t eat them anymore.” His allergies had been managed much better in the past two years, but those two things were still off-limits. I paused, suppressing the bitterness. “There’s one last gift.” “I promise you, I’ll leave, and let Vanessa be your mother.” With that, I left the house without looking back. Lance and Vanessa both rushed after me. Vanessa, trembling, grabbed my arm, tears streaming down her face. “Chloe, don’t go! I can explain! I really did envy your happy family, but I never intended to destroy it. Lance truly loves you; there’s nothing between us. I can stop being Ethan’s aunt. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll leave. I’ll disappear forever, okay?” I shook her off. “Vanessa, even now, you’re still acting. You claim to be my best friend, yet you snuck into my husband’s bed behind my back. When you were kissing and hugging him, did you ever think of us as friends?” “Presuming on my trust, doing something so shameless, aren’t you afraid of karma?” I couldn’t be bothered to listen to their continued excuses and justifications. I simply shoved the hospital photo of Lance kissing her in front of them. Lance’s pupils constricted. The composure he had maintained finally cracked. “How did you end up at the hospital?” he asked, his voice dry. “Chloe, I’m sorry.” I stared at him, asking word for word, “When did you start the affair?” Lance was silent. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a single sentence. “When… you were pregnant, I was drunk and lost control.” Tears streamed from my eyes. Hatred almost consumed my last shred of sanity. I raised my hand and slapped his face. “Lance, you bastard! Who was it who pointed fingers and cursed men who couldn’t control themselves as disgusting?” “Who swore at our proposal that if he ever betrayed me, he would meet a terrible end?” Before he could speak, I slapped him again with my other hand. “Now you’ve cheated, you’ve betrayed me, so why aren’t you dead yet?!” Vanessa cried, lunging forward, arms outstretched to shield Lance. “Don’t hit him, Chloe! It’s all my fault! I was the one who fell for Lance first. I wanted to keep it a secret forever, but feelings are truly uncontrollable.” Lance pulled her closer into his embrace. “Chloe, it’s true that cheating was my fault. But after we got married, you focused entirely on the company, always talking to me about clients, reports, and performance.” “After you got pregnant, you constantly talked about the child.” “I’m a man; I have desires too. Did you ever consider my feelings?” I found it utterly ridiculous. “Lance, do you have a conscience? You were the one who said you were too young to control the old guard at the company. You and your mother begged me to join the company to help you get established.” “You come home from work, say you’re tired, and then feel perfectly justified in doing your own thing. What about me? After I come home, not only do I have to spend time with Ethan and research his allergy-friendly recipes, but after he’s asleep, I still have to work overtime to prepare for the next day’s meeting materials.” “I’m so busy I only get five hours of sleep a night. Did you ever ask if I was tired?” I stared intently at him. “You cheated because you’re selfish. Don’t try to blame me.” “You don’t deserve it.” “Lance, I want a divorce.” Lance released Vanessa, took two steps forward, massaged his jaw, and gave a short, bitter laugh. “Chloe, can you really give it up? Without the Holloway family, how would you have climbed to your current position?” “Stop this nonsense. I never intended for anyone else to take your place as Mrs. Holloway.” Vanessa stumbled, then suddenly clutched her abdomen, her face pale. “Chloe, don’t divorce Lance. I’ll get rid of the baby, disappear forever, and never appear before you again. Please forgive me, okay?” Lance spun around, seizing her wrist, and raised his voice. “You’re pregnant? Why didn’t you tell me?” Vanessa slumped weakly into his arms, her eyelashes trembling. “I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position. I felt so guilty towards Chloe.” “Lance, my stomach hurts so much.” “This baby, he shouldn’t have come…” Lance broke out in a sweat, yelling back towards the door, “Driver, hurry up and drive! To the hospital immediately!” He didn’t spare me another glance. I stood rooted to the spot, a cold sneer in my heart. So, this was Vanessa’s trump card. But she didn’t know that this card would also lead her to ruin.
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