Chapter 3

"Mrs. Ritter" used to be a title I once longed to hear. But now, it cut into me like a jagged blade.

I stood frozen for a long, agonizing moment. Yet, I still pushed him away and went to the spot under the tree at home, crouching down and curling my body inward as I gathered the fragments in agony, piece by piece.

But I couldn't even tell which bits of dirt was my child anymore.

In the end, I sought refuge in a temple. I held a memorial service for her there and bought her toys to soothe my emotions.

When I returned home, a high fever took hold of me. Nathan made a rare appearance and brushed his hand against my forehead.

"How did you let yourself get into such a state?"

I summoned all my remaining strength to push him away. He didn't press further, retreating back into his usual, icy detachment.

"Go back to work tomorrow. "I—The company needs you."

Back then, I had immersed myself in the dense, complex world of business just to be by his side. I earned a position as his secretary with my own competence, but everything changed after Miranda arrived.

This time, I had no desire to return. I didn't want to anymore.

But the very next day, he sent someone to bring me to the office against my will. Whispers swirled around me, but I lacked the energy to respond.

During the morning meeting, news broke that the company's bid proposal had been leaked. Nathan flew into a towering rage and yelled, "Who was responsible for this section?"

After a long silence, someone spoke up.

"It… It seems to have been Ms. Hooper…"

Miranda let out a soft, choked sob and pointed a trembling finger at me. "It was her! She's been desperate to make a comeback, so she stole the bid proposal and leaked it using my account! Mr. Ritter, please, you have to believe me!"

With so many eyes fixed upon me, I instinctively looked up to deny the accusation.

"I didn't do it!"

"Enough! Anastasia, you are suspended pending an investigation, and your salary will be cut. Meeting adjourned."

As the room cleared, Nathan gently handed Miranda a tissue.

"There, there, don't cry anymore. It's not your fault."

I lowered my gaze, my fingernails digging in so hard they nearly split.

In a daze, my mind drifted back to the past.

I had been suffering from low blood sugar at the time, and a mistake appeared in the presentation deck during a meeting. Nathan had then hurled a pen straight at my forehead without another word.

"Anastasia Winters! How could you mess up something so simple? You should go to the hospital and get your brain checked."

I tried to explain myself, over and over again. Eventually, he grew impatient and hollered, "If you have an objection, file a formal request through the proper channels."

I wrote a thousand-word explanation, but I never heard back. Later, I saw it again on Miranda's desk, used as a placemat for her lunch.

"Forget the suspension. I'm resigning."

I then opened the door and walked out.

Nathan moved faster, grabbing me and pulling me around the corner into his office.

"There you go again, Anastasia. I know you felt wronged today, but Mimi is young and easily embarrassed. She can't handle being treated this way.

"Give it a couple of days. I'll find an excuse to get you reinstated, alright?"

My eyelids burned with tears, but I stepped back and kept my expression neutral.

He seemed to have forgotten that back when he stood there, berating and tearing me apart, I was only 21 years old too, fresh out of college.

A heavy, suffocating ache tightened in my chest. I left his office and leaned against the wall, trying to recollect myself.

Nearby, the laughter of my colleagues grew louder.

"She's just his wife on paper and nothing else. What even is the point of fighting back anymore?"

"And now that the child is gone, she's lost her only leverage. Mr. Ritter has even less use for her."

"Exactly. Imagine having to go through a formal approval process just to get your husband to accompany you to a prenatal checkup. What a sick joke! Ms. Hooper never has to deal with that kind of nonsense."

They were right.

Whenever I wanted Nathan to be more involved in the prenatal checkups, he always told me to "follow the proper channels" and promised to approve it "when he had the time".

He ended up never approving a single request from the start of my prenatal registration to all the detailed ultrasound sessions later on.

The day I returned home after my ultrasound, I saw a post on Miranda's social media. It was literally ridiculous. As it turned out, Nathan had been busy taking Miranda's dog to get its vaccinations that very same day.

And as for those "formal approval channels", not only was Miranda exempt from them, but even her dog had more privileges than I did.

I wiped my tears away and tossed everything from my desk into the trash bin. Nathan appeared out of nowhere and pulled me toward the stairwell once again.

"I already told you that I'd take care of things, Anastasia. Why are you making such a scene?"

"I'm not."

"Then what's with this temper?"

I looked up, my eyes and expression heavy with exhaustion.

"Let's get a divorce."

The mug in Miranda's hand clattered to the floor. She ran toward me, weeping and crying, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Ritter. I was just too terrified just now! Please, don't let me come between you and Mr. Ritter!"

"A divorce?"

For a fleeting moment, Nathan tensed up, but moments later he let out a cold, derisive laugh.

"You want a divorce? Do you think your mother would ever agree to that? Her illness is getting worse every day, and her greatest wish is simply to see us happy."

Just as he finished speaking, a message from Mom popped up on my phone.

"Ana, is Nathan busy tomorrow? Would you two like to come over for lunch?"