Chapter 3

The next day, I opened the door to find that Felix was not our only guest. Mandy's parents were here too.

I saw them less than three times a year, and I only ever got to meet them because of Felix. After all, they were only willing to make an appearance when their godson, Felix, was around.

When Felix came, Mandy entered the kitchen for the first time. We had known each other for at least a decade, but she had never cooked for me before.

The first dish was a creamy mushroom soup. I was just about to scoop myself a bowl when someone slapped me hard on the back of my hand. My hands turned red instantly.

"That soup is good for couples trying to get pregnant. A sterile man like you doesn't deserve to have it."

After that, Mandy's mother scooped a bowl of soup for Felix. "You should have more soup, Felix."

When I first married into the Sudds, Mandy's mother did not treat me this way. She always made sure that I had healthy food and enough supplements, but when Mandy failed to get pregnant, her family's attitude toward me changed for the worse.

Mandy's mother insisted that I was sterile, but the truth was Mandy had polycystic ovaries, and it was difficult for her to get pregnant. However, I did not show her the medical report because Mandy loved children, and I did not want her to be sad about it.

Her father put some anchovy salad on my plate and said, "It doesn't matter how much dressing you put in there to hide the smell. You can never change the fact that it's an anchovy. That's how it is with all anchovies."

My fists clenched under the table.

He was insinuating that my mother and I were the anchovies in their life.

I looked away and glanced at Mandy, who was pretending not to notice anything as usual.

On the day of our wedding, my mother had no seat at the main table. She was forced to stand with the waiters because no seat was allocated for her, so she could only watch me get married from a distance.

The seat that belonged to her ended up being taken by Felix, who sat next to Mandy's mother and was chatting happily with her.

During my mother's funeral, everything had been arranged and set up, but Mandy's parents left the moment they arrived. "We're just here to take a look. We won't be staying in case we get stained by bad luck."

Mandy noticed the poor turnout, and she said, "Mick, I need to leave. I have work at the office." She paused before giving me what she thought was consolation. "It's not a bad thing to be rid of your blood family."

From the very beginning, Mandy and her family looked down on my mother and me.

After dinner, I was ordered to do the dishes while Felix chatted with them in the living room. After I was done, I was about to walk into the living room when I overheard Mandy warning her family in a low voice, "Don't say anything like that to him in the future."

Mandy's mother did not seem to mind. "What's wrong? Do you think Mick will leave you if you get pregnant with Felix's baby?

She shook her head. "How could he leave me? Look at how old he is. He doesn't have a job, doesn't live his life to the fullest, and can't even get me pregnant. What woman would want him? He's nothing without me."

Mandy's mother laughed. "Sounds about right. The Sudds need an heir."

She seemed to agree with her mother, as she did not object to what her mother said.

However, Felix was not happy about it. "All you're talking about is having a baby. I haven't forgiven you yet, Mandy."

Mandy knew what he meant, and she quickly explained, "I know that phone has a lot of our memories saved, but that guy is asking for $150,000—"

Her mother interrupted, "$150,000 is nothing."

Mandy's father agreed. "It's worth going bankrupt if Felix is happy."

My mind went into a daze when I heard their conversation, and I absent-mindedly let go of the plate in my hand. There was a loud smash, and everyone turned to look at me.