4.

Jenny POV

Alex opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say more—to defend her, to minimize it, to ask me to be reasonable.

But he saw the look on my face, and he swallowed whatever he was going to say.

For now, he chose to calm me down.

“I promise,” he said softly.

It sounded like a vow.

A weight lifted from my chest at his words.

“I just hope you can enjoy your birthday.” Alex said, holding my hand, “Would you still like to go to the birthday party? We set it up, and our friends are waiting upstairs at the restaurant. Daniel’s been excited about it for days, and he even made you a little gift…”

Looking into his expectant eyes, I agreed.

Minutes later, Alex pulled me along and pushed the door open.

“Surprise!”

“Happy birthday!”

Streamers floated down through the air, bright ribbons scattering above our heads.

Still holding my husband’s hand, I looked around the room. My friends were gathered close, their faces glowing with excitement and warmth, each of them calling out birthday wishes, laughter filling the space. 

For a moment, the noise and light almost overwhelmed me.

Alex guided me toward the center of the room, his hand resting naturally—but firmly—at my waist.

“Let’s all wish Jenny,” he announced with a smile, “the best wife and the best friend I could ever ask for, a very happy birthday.”

Applause and cheers broke out instantly. Someone whistled. Someone else started singing again.

He didn’t remove his arm.

Gifts wrapped in bright paper were pressed into my hands one after another.

“Jenny, Alex has been preparing this surprise for weeks,” Vincent, Alex’s best friend, said with a teasing grin as he handed me a box.

“I always knew you two would make it,” Julia, our college classmate,  added. “Back in college, it was obvious. You’re such a lucky woman.” She gave me a look that mixed admiration with just a hint of envy before passing over her gift.

“Excuse me?” My best friend Rita cut in immediately. I hadn’t saw her in person for a long time since I quit my job to babysit Daniel. I had no idea Alex had invited her. “If anyone’s lucky here, it’s Alex. Jenny is the real prize.”

Everyone laughed.

Alex laughed too, tightening his hold at my waist slightly, as if in agreement. “That’s true,” he said easily. “I am lucky.”

His hand remained there the entire evening, steady and warm, as though he wanted the room to see exactly how happily married we were.

When Daniel, encouraged by Alex, finally stepped forward with the handmade gift he had been secretly working on for weeks, his small face tense with nervousness, my heart softened completely.

“Happy birthday, Mommy.”

I knelt to hug him, breathing in the familiar scent of his hair.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Anna standing near the wall, quiet, almost blending into the background. For a brief second, our gazes nearly met.

Strangely, it didn’t upset me the way it had earlier.

Surrounded by friends and family, bathed in laughter and warmth, I felt grounded. I had built something real. I had a husband, a child, a life that people admired.

I told myself that was enough.

I wouldn’t let anyone—especially Anna—take it from me.

By the time the celebration ended and everyone finally left, the emotional swings of the day had drained me completely. The joy, the fear, the relief—it all settled into exhaustion.

I fell asleep on the sofa almost immediately.

My dreams were light, drifting, full of colorful but unmemorable fragments.

When I woke up, I was still in the hotel room. My throat felt dry and my head heavy, the remnants of fatigue lingering in my body. I climbed out of bed, intending to pour myself a glass of water.

Just then, I heard low voices talking in the hallway outside the room.

It sounded like Alex and Anna.

I tiptoed to the door and pressed my ear against it to listen.

“She’s sleeping…” That was Alex’s voice.

“It’s finally over…” That was Anna.

“How much longer are we going to keep this up? I don’t want to hide it anymore.” Anna’s voice suddenly bristled with dissatisfaction and resentment.

The words made me push the door harder without realizing it.

The door swung open with a loud creak that echoed sharply in the quiet hallway.

Alex and Anna both turned to look at me at once.

Only then did I see his arms around her. And at the sight of me, Alex immediately pushed Anna away.

My already dizzy mind went strangely numb at what I saw. With an unexpected calmness, I called out, “Alex. Come here.”

Alex’s face stiffened. He seemed to think I was about to start another unreasonable scene; a flash of impatience crossed his face as he began explaining immediately, “Jenny, it’s not what you think—”

“Come here, darling.” I cut him off gently, my tone softening into something almost coquettish. “I have a bit of a headache. Could you come help me for a second?”

Alex looked surprised by my unexpected request, but my softened attitude clearly reassured him. He walked toward me.

With his back turned, he couldn’t see the furious, venomous expression on Anna’s face.

But I saw it clearly.

Almost the next second, when Alex reached my side, I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down into a kiss, my eyes locked on Anna the entire time.

My rare initiative seemed to catch Alex off guard. Within seconds, he melted into the kiss, responding eagerly.

When it ended, his arm naturally slipped around my waist, drawing me close. We stood there intimately together, while I watched Anna’s face twist with barely contained rage.

For a moment, the mask she had been wearing cracked completely.

Pretending I hadn’t heard their earlier conversation, I turned to her and asked directly,

“Anna, what are you doing here, seeing my husband alone at midnight?”

At my question, Alex also turned to look at her. Anna immediately put on a hesitant, reluctant expression and glanced at him, as if seeking his help.

I knew exactly what game she was playing.

So I said coldly, “Why are you looking at my husband? You can say whatever you need to say right now—or leave and never come back. Alex promised me he would never see you again.”

“No!”

The cry came from the doorway.

Lisa ran out from the other room, and Daniel, just like before, followed nervously behind her.

Anna immediately pulled her daughter into her arms, while I instinctively held Daniel back.

Lisa looked up at Alex. “Why can’t we see Uncle Alex anymore? Uncle Alex… don’t you like Lisa anymore?”

Seeing Alex hesitate in front of the child, Anna spoke in a conciliatory tone.

Lisa shook her head, clearly unable to understand the logic.

But she seemed to have found someone to blame.

She turned toward me angrily, her voice rising into that shrill, unreasonable pitch children sometimes had. “I already promised I wouldn’t call him Daddy anymore! Why is Aunt Jenny still being so mean?”

Her face had turned red from shouting.

Anna had used her child again.

The absurdity almost made me sick. I was about to respond when, suddenly, the little girl somehow broke free from her mother’s arms and charged at me like a tiny cannonball.

Before I could react, she slammed straight into my leg.

The girl's strength was unexpected. Pain shot through me instantly.

But before I could even say anything, the girl suddenly covered her nose and looked up at Alex in panic, her face smeared with blood.

She burst into loud sobs. “Uncle Alex! I’m bleeding!”

Alex was clearly startled. He shot me a sharp，blaming look,“You shouldn’t say things like that in front of a child!”

My leg still hurt, but I felt a flicker of guilt. Although I didn't expect the kids would overhear our argument. I quickly lowered my head and pulled some tissues from my pocket, intending to help stop Lisa’s nosebleed.

Lisa’s cries grew louder. Daniel wriggled free from my hands and ran toward her.

When I looked up again, I saw blood trickling down Lisa’s nose. Anna was pressing her long manicured nails against Lisa’s nose far too tightly, leaving angry red marks on the child’s delicate skin.

“What are you doing? She’s bleeding! Move your hand and tilt her head forward—now!” I said instinctively.

Anna and Alex exchanged a quick glance.

Then, instead of holding on to her bleeding daughter, Anna let go and came straight toward me.

“Lisa is seriously ill. We need your help,” she said urgently. “You’re the only one who can save her. Please…”

Her nails nearly pierced my palm.

“Wait—what? How? I’m not a doctor… and you should stop her bleeding first!”

“It’s useless,” Anna said, shaking her head.

I had no idea what she was talking about. And why did Alex look like he already knew something?

But what Anna said next shocked me so much that I even forgot to be angry.