A Foolish Husband's Mistake

"She's the same age as Gracie, so why is Lily so much smaller and thinner? Bella, is this how you raise our kid?

"You ran away from home while I was overseas, and now you've turned my little princess into someone who looks like she crawled out of a slum. You're dressed in rags yourself. What's this—waiting here on purpose to admit your mistakes and beg me to take you back?"

Instinctively, I shielded my son behind me. It was only then that I realized the guy was Logan. And he was holding the hand of a little girl with a look of utter tenderness.

The girl was about Lily's age. But my Lily… had long been gone.

A sting rose in my nose as my gaze shifted to the woman beside him—flawless makeup, couture from head to toe. She was Joann, Logan's childhood sweetheart.

Her familiar smile pulled me back to the days when I had first started pursuing Logan.

Back then, everyone said he was untouchable and indifferent to women. My confessions were rejected again and again.

But I was stubborn. As long as he didn't explicitly forbid me, I believed there was still hope. I kept digging for his likes and dislikes, determined not to give up.

Then Joann approached me herself. She acted all friendly, telling me all about Logan's preferences, cheering me on, and becoming my "closest friend."

I stayed up countless nights helping her secure awards and a guaranteed graduate school spot. I even turned down an overseas scholarship. In return, she offered me advice for my confessions.

When I finally succeeded and wanted to share my joy with her, I overheard her laughing with a friend.

"Logan and I come from wealthy families. How could we possibly stomach just anything? Only an idiot like Bella would believe it and get up at dawn every day to prepare food for us. She's more obedient than my family's maid.

"Haha, you should've seen Logan's face whenever he threw away the junk she gave him, like he'd just been disgusted by a fly. And honestly, she is like a fly. You just can't swat her away!"

Hearing her words with my own ears crushed me. Because of my lowly background, I lived under the shadow of that humiliation for a long time.

But now… to me, they were nothing. No longer worth my care.

I took two steps back, met Logan's gaze, and said flatly, "You're overthinking. I'm just here to buy toys for my kid."