Chapter 3

Willow walked in with Samuel's parents, Ian Sullivan and Layla Callaway, at 6:00 pm. It didn't occur to anyone to consult me first.

After changing her shoes, Layla went to check on Mom, who was sitting on the couch.

Willow followed her and sat down beside Mom.

"Mrs. Fischer, are you feeling any better? No offense, but young people should be allowed to work things out themselves. Janice is throwing a tantrum, and as her mother, you should talk some sense into her instead of making things worse."

The blood drained from Mom's face. "Right, it's... it's all my fault for being a burden to them."

I stepped in front of her. "Mom, go back to your room and get some rest."

Layla shot me a disapproving look. "Am I wrong? Samuel and Willow have known each other for more than a decade. If anything were going to happen between them, do you really think you'd even be in the picture?"

Willow rose to her feet and walked into the kitchen. "That's enough, Mrs. Sullivan. Mrs. Fischer just had surgery. She can't handle any more stress."

Willow adeptly pulled open the kitchen cabinet and took out the mug Samuel usually used. "Samuel, your stomach's been acting up lately. Let me make you some oatmeal."

Samuel took off his jacket and handed it to her without a second thought. "Don't bother. Your wrist was just injured. Don't get it wet."

They were acting too familiar, as if she were the real lady of this house.

I took one look at Mom's tightly closed bedroom door. "Forget about dinner. Get them out of here, Samuel."

His expression darkened. "I called everyone here today so we could clear things up once and for all. Aren't you upset about the video? Willow can post a clarification."

Willow fished out her phone and posted an update in front of us. "I'm grateful to an old friend for looking after me all these years, and I'd also like to apologize to Mrs. Sullivan. From now on, I'll try to handle my own affairs."

Layla's heart immediately went out to her. "Why are you apologizing to her, Willow? Had you not gone abroad to pursue your studies back then, you and Samuel would have had a child in elementary school by now!"

The living room fell dead silent for a moment.

"That's enough, Mom," Samuel said lowly.

Layla pursed her lips. "It's the truth. Didn't you design that home appliance repair system for Willow in the first place, Samuel?"

I looked at Samuel. "What does she mean by that?"

Willow's expression shifted slightly. "You must be mistaken, Mrs. Sullivan."

"I'm not." Layla still hadn't noticed the tension in the room.

"Willow was afraid of the dark when she was little. Whenever a household appliance broke down, she'd burst into tears. Samuel wanted her to be able to call for help with a single tap, so he developed a repair program when he was in college.

"Eventually, when he found out Janice had a knack for interaction design, he asked her to help improve the system."

My blood ran cold.

Samuel's company's first flagship product was a smart home service platform. During the second year of our marriage, his company ran into a cash flow crisis.

I quit my job and spent four grueling months rebuilding the entire program from scratch. I thought it was something we'd built together. Yet, from the very beginning, it had been a gift for Willow.

"Don't read too much into it, Janice," Willow explained softly. "The initial concept was different from the current product. Samuel's just sentimental. Besides, he did compensate you for your designs eventually, didn't he?"

"He gave me three thousand dollars. Do you think that's a fair design fee?"

Samuel set his glass down. "My company was struggling back then. Is it really necessary to draw such clear lines between husband and wife? You also received a share of the company's profits. It's not like you worked for free."

I looked him in the eye. "In that case, why isn't my name in the credits?"

"We're on the verge of securing an investment. If we change the copyright information at the last minute, it'll affect due diligence," he answered without the slightest hesitation.

"I'll make it up to you once we've finalized the investment."

There he went again. We were five years into our marriage, and he'd fulfilled every promise he'd made to Willow. Yet, every promise he made to me was put off until later.

At that moment, Willow pulled out a document. "On that note, the platform wants to turn Samuel's repairs at my apartment into a promotional case study. Since you're the system's visual designer, I need you to sign an authorization form, Janice."

Right after saying that, she handed me a pen.

"Sign it. The ad is scheduled to go live tomorrow," Samuel said flatly.

I pored through the document. The authorization covered more than just the visual design. It also included the interaction design patent I'd registered before our marriage.

"You want to use my patent to market your decade-old promise to each other?"

Samuel frowned. "Don't make it sound so ugly. It's just a marketing campaign. Once you sign the authorization, Willow won't call me over to fix her appliances again."

Willow lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I'm the reason you two are in this difficult position."

Layla slapped the pen down in front of me. "Willow has already compromised this much. What more do you want?"

The commotion roused Mom from her sleep.

She emerged from her bedroom, leaning against the doorframe for support. Her complexion was pallid. "Sign it, Janice. I don't want you to be criticized because of this."

My nose prickled as I took in her cautious demeanor.

Samuel, however, took it as a sign that I'd caved. He pushed the document closer to me. "Sign it, and this matter ends here."

I picked up the pen and crossed out the authorization clauses. Then, I wrote two words in the blank space of the document—Authorization Denied.

Willow's smile froze on her face. Samuel planted his hand on the document and demanded, "Janice, do you have to destroy the company's chances of getting an investment?"