Chapter 2

Liam's parents didn't like city life. Yet, when my parents wanted to help, he insisted the house was too small for so many people.

Later, he suggested hiring a household helper, but I knew we couldn't afford one. After all, we were already stretched too thin.

At the time, Liam had shrugged and said I shouldn't work. Instead, I should just stay home as a full-time mom.

So, I gritted my teeth and contacted Matilda. Since the pay was low, all she had to do was care for Ezra and make lunch and dinner. Breakfast and all the housework were still on me.

Out of my six-thousand-dollar salary, four thousand went to Matilda, while the remaining two thousand dollars went toward Ezra's schooling.

On the other hand, Liam's five thousand dollars covered all the other household expenses. We weren't rich, but we managed.

Then, I saw it. The truth was, he earned 50 thousand dollars a month, yet he gave me only five thousand dollars.

For a split second, I was dazed.

Right then, a notification popped up on the screen. Liam had just transferred 15 thousand dollars to his mother, Shirley Davis. The same amount had been wired every month for nine years.

So, every month, he gave Shirley 15 thousand dollars, Matilda 20 thousand dollars, and kept 10 thousand dollars for himself. But I was left with just five thousand dollars to cover the three of us.

Had Ezra and I been placed last in this family?

I bit my lip. Just as I was about to close the account and look for something else, I noticed a few new messages.

Liam wrote, "Mom, same as always. Save the money and buy jewelry for Matilda and Lexi for Christmas."

My hands trembled, and the tablet slipped onto the bed.

A beat later, I glanced toward the bathroom, the sound of running water filling the air. Through the glass door, I saw Liam hunched over his phone.

In that moment, the last flicker of hope inside me died, and I clutched the hem of my shirt. It seemed like I had no choice but to see the villa for myself.

…

The next day, Liam left for work as usual at 6:00 am.

Once he was gone, I dropped Ezra off with a friend and headed to Cloudridge Villa alone.

The villa looked like something out of a fairy tale, with a yard on the ground floor, a terrace on the second, and a sunroom on the third. It even came with a basement.

It was a house I had never dared to imagine owning.

Soon, the door opened, and Matilda appeared, holding the hand of a little girl in a private school uniform. She herself was impeccably dressed.

Liam held the girl's other hand. Then, she waved at the people behind her. "Bye, Grandma and Grandpa!"

I watched as my in-laws leaned in, smiling warmly as they piled snacks into the girl's arms.

Without warning, a lump formed in my throat. Ezra was nine this year, yet he had only seen his paternal grandparents twice.

They always claimed farm work kept them busy and refused to come to the city to help with Ezra. Worse, they didn't want us visiting them.

I worked myself to the bone every day and had complained to Liam more than once. However, he always brushed me off with the same excuse.

"My relationship with my parents isn't good. If they came, we'd just end up fighting."

Now, those same parents, who supposedly didn't get along with him, were living in a villa. In fact, they were spoiling someone else's child.

Every one of them had been lying to me.

A short distance away, Liam gently buckled the girl's seatbelt before starting the engine.

I, on the other hand, stood rooted to the spot.

Moments later, he slammed on the brakes. His eyes widened with shock as they met mine. "B-Beatrice? What are you doing here?"

Matilda and my in-laws froze as they stared at Liam in stunned silence.

In the next second, he jumped out of the car and ran toward me, anxiety written all over his face.

"So, this is what you meant when you said you were too busy at work to take Ezra to school?" I asked.

He stammered, "N-No… Let me explain. Matilda can't handle everything on her own, so she asked me to help…"

"Aren't your parents here? How could she possibly be overwhelmed with them around?" I shot back.

Liam was left speechless.

Suddenly, the little girl in the passenger seat shouted, "Daddy! I'm going to be late for school!"

All at once, everything fell silent.

Matilda quickly covered the girl's mouth, while my in-laws stomped their feet in frustration. Liam's face drained of color.

I clenched my fists, my palms slick with sweat.

"Liam, you said you have to leave at 6:00 am and wouldn't finish work until 8:00 pm," I began. "That's why picking up and dropping off Ezra always falls on me, even though I work too.

"I sympathized, thinking you were exhausted. Turns out, your exhaustion came from giving all your time to someone else."

He shook his head desperately. "No, you're mistaken."

"You're right. I was mistaken. Your heart was never with us. It has always been with your other wife and her child."

My voice grew colder as I continued, "I was wrong all along. Ezra and I are the outsiders here."