Chapter 2

"The fetus is too small. I wouldn't recommend a procedure just yet. Come back in a week," the doctor told me.

I walked out of the examination room in a daze. My mind had gone completely blank. A week felt unbearably long. It was as if time had decided to stand still.

I wandered aimlessly down the hallway. To my surprise, I saw Ambrose supporting Nellie. His face was etched with worry.

She leaned against him as they walked. With a weak but playful tone of reproach, she said, "It's just a little stomach pain. You're overreacting. Did you really have to make me go through all those tests?"

"You've got a stomach issue. From now on, I'll cook your meals and bring them to your office," he replied. His eyes were full of concern.

"It's just mild acute gastritis. If you start bringing me food every day, won't Talitha be upset? She's always been sensitive."

Nellie was always ready to take a jab at me, but never without that sweet, innocent tone. It was as though playing the victim made her look more considerate by comparison.

Ambrose's expression changed almost immediately.

"Don't mind her. You know how I feel about…" he responded. His voice was laced with a bitterness he tried to hide.

However, he cut off abruptly when he saw me.

"Tali, what are you doing here?" He quickly added, "Don't get the wrong idea. I just happened to run into Nell when she wasn't feeling well. It was on the way, so I brought her here."

I nearly laughed. Nellie lived on the east side of the city, while the hospital was on the west side. "On his way", huh?

How could he keep a straight face while telling such a pathetic lie?

"Stay with her," I said coolly, unwilling to look at either of them for a moment longer.

As I turned to leave, Ambrose chased after me. It was evident that he was desperate to explain.

"I'm fine. I'm not mad. Just tired," I interrupted.

I refused to hear a single word of his excuses. Then, he noticed how pale I looked.

"Are you okay? You don't look well. How about eating out tonight?"

…

As I got into Ambrose's car, a thought crossed my mind. He had never cooked for me, not even once.

So, I asked, "Do you know how to cook?"

He froze momentarily before saying, "Of course not. It's too much of a hassle. Once we're married, I can hire a housekeeper if you don't feel like cooking."

I closed my eyes and tried to hold back the disgust bubbling up inside me. He didn't even bother to fake it.

…

That night, Ambrose took a phone call and left in a rush.

Not long after, Nellie sent me a message. It was a mirror selfie, and she was wearing my wedding dress. Ambrose, on the other hand, was crouched beside her. He was carefully adjusting the hem.

She wrote, "Oh no, what do I do now? Your fiancé says I look better in it."

Nellie never missed a chance to flaunt. Back then, she boasted about how much Kendrick adored her. Now, it was Ambrose.

But I no longer cared about all this.

I rose to my feet and headed straight for Ambrose's safe. I tried two combinations, yet both were wrong.

After a moment of thought, I entered Nellie's birthday. Sure enough, the lock clicked open.

Inside were a few documents, and I recognized them immediately. They were the files from the projects that had bankrupted my family.

Ambrose had dumped 200 million dollars into rigging the deal, all to bring my family down. I couldn't help but marvel at just how far he could go for Nellie.

My hands trembled as I picked up the documents. That was when I saw a journal lying beneath them.

There was a four-leaf clover stamped on the cover.

I opened it to reveal Ambrose's handwriting. Every line was dripping with affection for Nellie.

It turned out that he had fallen for her the moment he first saw her at my place.

"She's the only one who matters. I'd give up everything for her. Even if I don't love Talitha, I can still tolerate being with her every day," he had written.

My fingers lingered on the word "tolerate", tracing it again and again. A beat later, tears began streaming down my cheeks.

At that moment, I received a text.

It was a message confirming that my immigration paperwork was in process. On top of that, the plane ticket had been issued.

I wiped my tears and decided to give Ambrose one hell of a wedding gift.