Chapter 2 It's Ridiculous

My hand was still shaking as I opened that door. This was the place my son had called home since the day he was born. And this was the first time Harold had ever allowed me inside.

But the moment my fingers touched the handle, pain tore through my scalp.

Nate Cletcher, my son, was standing right before me. He had grabbed the wig I had worn so I would not frighten him, and he was laughing with cruel delight. "That's what you get for bullying my mom, you baldy!"

My trembling fingers touched his face. This was my baby, but he was taken away before I could even hold him properly. "But I'm your mother."

He froze and shoved me away. "As if! You're born to be a lowly servant. I'd rather die than call you my mother!"

Every word struck my heart harder than the last. "You think you're good enough to be my mother, nanny?"

I turned and looked at Harold with one last, unspoken plea. HBut he did not even stop opening the door. For three years, I had cared for his long-term bedridden mother. For three years, I had said goodbye to the stage I loved.

I cleaned his mother and made sure she got to move a little. My hands always smelled faintly of disinfectant. had given up the stage, the spotlight, and all the glory that once belonged to me. Yet when our son insulted me, Harold would not even defend me.

Wendy came in holding a knife against her long, long hair. Tears streamed down her face, and her voice shook pitifully. "I'll cut off my hair, Elizabeth! I'll pay you back! I'll apologize! Please, don't hurt my son!"

Her movements were exaggerated, but she did not even cut a single strand of hair. I pushed myself up from the ground, and a mocking smile curled my lips. "If you're so bad at using a knife, I can help you."

The next second, a slap landed across my face. My cheek burned.

Harold glared at me as if he wanted to bore a hole through my body. The air turned colder. "Enough! How dare you make her cut her hair off? It's sacred! No wonder Nate doesn't like you! We're picking a present for Wendy. You stay here and reflect on yourself!"

Wendy went down and helped Nate wear his shoes, her movements gentle, but she was obviously used to this.

Harold put on his coat, then reached out and tucked Wendy's hair behind her ear. Standing together, they looked like a couple who had lived this way for years.

The living room fell silent. The housekeeper came holding a broom, and she tossed the wig into the trash bin. "He's so nice to his sister-in-law. Spent a fortune hiring us to take care of her and her son. You're so lucky you found a husband who knows gratitude."

I leaned against the wall and slowly pulled myself back up. Harold fell in love with me at first sight during a charity gala, but my father had never liked him. Back then, he made a bet with me.

"If your marriage can survive three years, I'll do all I can to help him. If it fails, you come home and marry the man I choose."

The housekeeper continued, "It's Ms. Shaw's birthday tomorrow. Mr. Clether wants you to apologise to her. If you do, he'll let you be the child's godmother."

I snickered. Just when I was about to say no, Wendy called me. She sounded bashful as she said, "We're even, Elizabeth."

"What do you mean?"

"You were angry because Harold plucked out my gray hairs, weren't you? So I rubbed one out for him." A pause later, she said in a quieter voice, "And I tattooed my name on his… It's my present. Oh, it's so exciting every time it gets bigger. Now we're even."

My hands were trembling. At that moment, my father's message arrived. "I'll pick you up in three days. Get all your affairs in order."

I took a deep breath and told the nanny, "Tell him I'll attend, and I'll bring a grand present."