Chapter 3

Penelope loved taking things from Jacklyn. When they were kids, it was toys and clothes. Now, it had evolved into snatching men.

Looking back on their childhood, Penelope's pitiful look always managed to win more love from their parents.

And Jacklyn, who wasn't good with words, was painted as the "bad kid" in their eyes, all because of Penelope's constant accusations.

"You're the older sister. You should be more considerate of Penelope!"

"Jacklyn, why can't you be more like Penelope? Say some nice things to make us happy."

"You're just a born troublemaker!"

Their parents' favoritism left Jacklyn with a childhood trauma.

Her early years were a dull gray, and she grew up surrounded by insults and slander.

It wasn't until college, when she escaped from her family, that she met Eugene. They were each other's everything.

Jacklyn had thought no one could steal Eugene's love from her.

But today, Eugene had chosen Penelope. And it was their wedding anniversary, too!

Even though she hadn't expected anything, just the thought that she had truly loved Eugene, the scumbag, made Jacklyn sad.

She wasn't upset for Eugene but for herself, as she realized how she had wasted her genuine love on him.

As she looked at the beautifully plated dishes before her, her stomach churned. She had no appetite.

Moments later, Jacklyn forced herself to swallow the nausea and took screenshots of the messages Penelope had sent her.

Not only did she want to leave Eugene, but she also wanted Eugene and Penelope to pay. She was going to ruin them both completely and strip them of everything.

…

The lights in Lloyd Manor stayed on all night.

When Eugene rushed back, he found Jacklyn asleep on the couch as soon as he entered.

She was lying on her side with one hand protectively over her abdomen. Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes were rimmed with faint red. She didn't seem to be sleeping well.

Eugene's heart ached.

Last night, Penelope had suddenly sent him her prenatal checkup report and cried on the phone for a long time.

Thinking about how Jacklyn had been married to him for three years without getting pregnant, while the Lloyd family needed an heir, Eugene had an idea.

He couldn't bear to see Jacklyn's body change after carrying his child for nine months.

But if Penelope got pregnant, he could bring the child back to Lloyd Manor after two or three years under the pretense of adoption and have Jacklyn raise it.

So, Eugene had gone to see Penelope last night. When he touched Penelope's belly, he felt the joy of becoming a father for the first time. The joy was something he had never experienced before and something Jacklyn had never given him.

For a moment, Eugene even thought Jacklyn was useless. His three years with her couldn't compare to his three months with Penelope.

But that thought quickly faded. After all, he still deeply loved Jacklyn.

Eugene rushed back to Lloyd Manor first thing that morning. He anticipated that Jacklyn would be upset, so on the way back, he prepared a lot of sweet nothings to coax her.

Seeing Jacklyn's weary face now, Eugene felt like his heart was sliced by a knife. Guilt hit him like a powerful wave, crashing against him over and over.

He tiptoed over, planning to carry Jacklyn back to their bedroom.

But before he could take two steps, Jacklyn let out a soft groan and slowly woke up. She smelled the familiar scent of sandalwood on Eugene and immediately felt a wave of unease.

In the past, that scent had reassured her. But now, everything had changed.

"Did I wake you?" Eugene's voice was extremely gentle.

He walked over and pulled Jacklyn into his arms. His eyes were full of love.

Jacklyn stiffened. She gradually grew more resistant to his closeness with each passing day.

Noticing that, Eugene frowned. "Jackie, are you feeling unwell? Do you need me to call the family doctor?"

"I'm fine." Jacklyn shook her head. "I'm just tired. Why are you back so late?"

"It's the end of the year. There's a lot of work."

Jacklyn gave Eugene a longer look as he said that.

She sneered inwardly. No wonder he was the head of Lloyd Group. He could hide his emotions perfectly and lie without batting an eye.

"I'm sorry, Jackie. I promised I'd stay with you. I shouldn't have broken my word. Hit me or yell at me—whatever helps you vent your anger. I'll accept anything."

Eugene pulled Jacklyn closer, as if trying to melt her into his bones.

Jacklyn, however, felt a tightening in her abdomen and instinctively pushed him away.

Noticing Jacklyn's struggle, Eugene thought she was just throwing a tantrum. After all, she cared about him so much.

He enjoyed the attention she gave him, his lips curling into a faint smile.

He was about to take out the gift he had bought for her when his phone, which he had casually tossed aside, rang.

Jacklyn looked over and noticed Eugene had changed Penelope's contact name to "Babe".

As she was in a daze, Eugene hung up the phone right in front of her and explained smoothly, "Just a spam call."

Jacklyn saw the panic in his eyes.

She was about to call Eugene out to watch him squirm. "You…"

Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification.

Jacklyn held her words back, wanting to see his reaction.

Eugene checked the messages, and his expression shifted from irritation to full-blown tension.

He quickly pulled out a ring box from his pocket, stood up, and turned serious. "I'll leave the gift here, honey. Something came up at the company. I need to handle it."

Before Jacklyn could respond, Eugene turned and rushed out the door.

With a loud bang, the door to the villa slammed shut.

Jacklyn still felt Eugene's warmth on her skin.

She calmly looked at the ring box in front of her. And then, almost instinctively, she grabbed her phone.

Sure enough, Penelope had sent her a message.

"I'm having a stomach pain, so I asked Eugene to come over and keep me company. You won't be mad at me, right, Jackie?

"Eugene even bought me a ring. What does it mean when a man gives a woman a ring? Do you think he's planning to ditch you for me?

"Look, Jackie. Do you think Eugene's ring for me is pretty? He's so sweet. I really like it."

She attached a photo at the end.

Eugene had chosen Penelope over Jacklyn once again.

Jacklyn opened the picture Penelope had sent and grabbed the ring box that Eugene had left on the table. When she opened it and saw the identical rings, she almost laughed out of frustration.

How dare Eugene buy the same gift for his wife and mistress? He was truly something else.

Jacklyn tossed the ring box aside and closed her eyes, repeatedly calming herself.

It wouldn't be long. In less than three months, she'd be completely free of Eugene.

After taking a deep breath, Jacklyn opened her eyes. For the first time, she replied to Penelope's message, "Does it feel good picking up the trash I don't want?"

After replying, Jacklyn rubbed her temples and didn't even bother to check Penelope's response.

She had more important things to focus on now.

…

Not long after, Jacklyn arrived at a nearby top-tier hospital, ready to get some blood tests.

But just as she turned the corner on the second floor, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Eugene, Penelope is pregnant. Aren't you going to divorce Jacklyn and marry her? You can't expect Penelope's baby to be born without a proper name, can you?"