Chapter 2

Five years later, I was no longer the shadow following Jacob around.

Seeing them again brought back nothing but pure irritation.

I didn't even want to bother entertaining them with fake pleasantries.

Just as I was about to set the record straight, Sasha cut in again. "Celine, please don't hold this against Jacob. He's only doing this for your and the kid's own good.

"Don't overthink it either. You've been gone for five whole years. Even if I stepped aside now, you and Jacob could never go back to the way things were. Don't worry. I'll treat the kid like my own. I won't let him suffer for a second."

After five years, Sasha had completely shed the shy, needy act of her broke student days, but her sickening facade still made me scowl.

Jacob frowned with impatience, though he couldn't hide the smug smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, drop the attitude. What kind of life can a single mom really offer a child on her own? I'm not letting my kid struggle in poverty with you.

"Things aren't like they were five years ago. You'd better know your place. For the kid's sake, I'll set you up with a place and make sure you're taken care of for the rest of your life."

As soon as he finished, the crowd broke into a chorus of snickers.

"That whole secret baby, tearful-reunion trope only works in novels. Quit while you're ahead."

"Jacob's being generous enough to throw you a lifeline. That's a lot better than the broke life you're living now, isn't it? You should be thanking him."

Sasha put on her best empathetic act, chiming in innocently, "Oh, just ignore them. With Jacob around, he won't let you suffer."

Jacob let out a sharp chuckle. "Suffer? She's the one who threw a tantrum and vanished without a word back then. Now that I'm actually willing to claim the kid, I'm already giving her way more grace than she deserves.

"She only crawled back because she couldn't survive out there. So what if my friends poke a little fun at her? She brought it on herself."

Hearing those words made my heart skip a beat.

He was the one who sent me away. After seven years of companionship, in his words, things had suddenly turned into me throwing a fit and disappearing?

A sharp sting hit my chest, but it faded just as quickly.

The Jacob who once saved me had died long ago anyway.

Back then, he funded my studies and shielded me from every embarrassing situation. I truly thought of him as the light in my darkest days.

Yet after giving him my heart and soul for seven years, I finally realized that I was nothing more than Sasha's stand-in from the beginning.

I looked at his arrogant, self-absorbed face.

Five years had passed. His looks hadn't changed much, but he felt so foreign it was almost laughable.

I sighed and swallowed back the words on the tip of my tongue.

Whatever. It was all in the past anyway.

I was already married, and my kid wasn't his.

I was in no mood to deal with their nonsense. My voice turned cold as I said, "Out of the way. Don't waste my time checking in."

They exchanged glances, convinced I was just putting on a tough front.

They pointed at the gilded logo in the lobby and laughed.

"Open your eyes and look. This is a top-tier luxury hotel under Cain Group. One night here costs more than six months of your living expenses. Can you even afford it?"

I walked straight up to the front desk and gave the receptionist my husband's name—Oliver Cain.

Sasha froze for a second before letting out a sneer. "Celine, you've got some nerve. How dare you just drop Mr. Cain's name out of nowhere?"

Jacob's buddies quickly chimed in behind her.

"Exactly. Do you even know who Mr. Cain is? He built his empire from scratch and monopolized the industry. He's known for being ruthless in business but hopelessly obsessed with his wife. He oversaw the design of this exact hotel as a gift for her.

"Everyone in our circle knows that if you want to get on his good side, you have to flatter Mrs. Cain. She's his whole world, and he won't let her suffer even the slightest wrong."

As I listened to them chime in back and forth, the corners of my lips curved up.

In our five years of marriage, his empire had grown massive, and his reputation for spoiling his wife had spread even wider.

Seeing my reaction only fueled Sasha's irritation, so she intentionally raised her voice.