Chapter 3

After graduation, I jumped straight into marriage with Laurent.

The Maddox family was traditional and despised the idea of their daughter-in-law showing up in the workforce. They demanded I stay home to be a conventional wife and mother.

I didn't mind the restriction at all. In fact, I thought it was a luxury that Laurent was willing to let me live as a freeloader.

After breaking free from his thumb, I looked around and realized the devastating cost of that lifestyle. I had never built a social circle of my own, but that did nothing to dampen my appetite.

I ordered a Michelin-starred dinner from hotel room service and ate every bite until my stomach was bloated.

Bored out of my mind and needing to digest, I wandered over to a nearby park, rubbing my full stomach with one hand while propping up my lower back with the other.

I never expected that fate would be cruel enough to throw me right into the path of Serena and Laurent. Yet there they were, walking side by side down the trail, chatting and laughing.

"Debbie? Hey, long time no see!" Serena exclaimed, cutting herself off mid-sentence with Laurent.

She waved enthusiastically, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. A saccharine smile broke across her face as she added, "You've put on a little weight! Your face looks so much softer now. It's so cute."

If this had been the old me, hearing her passive-aggressive comment about my body would have left me mortified. Compared to Serena, whose years of professional ballet training had left her with a perfectly toned, curvy silhouette, I looked like a featureless cylinder.

I wasn't exactly fat, but I certainly had squishy bits all over. Now, however, those shallow insecurities couldn't touch me. I had a baby to grow, and if I didn't eat enough, my child would starve.

When I didn't respond, Serena let out a knowing chuckle. She pointed at my posture, focusing heavily on how I was rubbing my stomach and supporting my spine.

"Debbie, are you pregnant?" she asked, testing the waters.

I was indeed pregnant, though just one month along. My body wasn't showing yet, and I was just suffering from a food coma.

Before I could answer, Laurent frowned and said dismissively, "No, she just overate."

A wave of bewilderment washed over me. Hadn't I texted him the medical report the night before? Yet here he was, looking unbothered and clueless.

I quickly swallowed my shock. We were getting divorced anyway, and as far as I was concerned, this child belonged entirely to me.

"Right, I just overate. I'm not pregnant," I echoed smoothly, then gave them a dismissive wave. "Now, if you two would kindly move aside, I'd like to get back to my walk."

The trail wasn't even narrow, but the two of them were standing in the center, blocking my path. If they wanted to canoodle and make out, they were welcome to do so.

I just couldn't understand why they had to trap me here like I was being punished.

"You're out here walking all by yourself?" Serena asked, covering her mouth in mock surprise while refusing to budge an inch.

I bit back a sarcastic retort. My husband was currently acting as her personal escort, so what else was I supposed to do? Tag along behind them like a lost puppy?

"How about we keep you company?" Serena offered seamlessly.

It was a masterful piece of manipulation. By phrasing it that way, she grouped Laurent into her camp, establishing the two of them as a singular "we," while completely alienating me.

She conveniently forgot that Laurent and I were a married couple. What a phony bitch!

"No thanks. I don't feel like being a third wheel," I said evenly. "Take your time walking, and if you go just a little further up the path, there's the Vienna International Hotel. Super convenient for you two."

In the past, whenever Serena subtly rubbed her "special connection" with Laurent in my face, I would swallow my humiliation in silence.

I wasn't stupid; I knew that if I fought back or made a scene, Laurent would simply label me a jealous shrew and drift even further into her arms.

But now that I no longer wanted the man, her psychological warfare failed to spark even an ember of jealousy in my chest. So, I stated my thoughts bluntly, even kindly pointing them in the direction they should go next.

My blunt insinuation soured Laurent's mood. He sulked, "Debbie, I came out here to find you and take you home. Running into Serena on the way was a complete coincidence.

"She was only trying to be kind, and you repaid her concern with nasty suspicion. That's ridiculous."

His words stepped on my landmine. The absurdity of his defense tore a cynical laugh from my throat as I turned on him, retorting loudly, "Are you kidding me?"