Chapter 1

"Mommy, are you sick?"

My son, Oliver Hudson, reached out his chubby little hand, trying to feel my forehead.

I took his small hand in mine and nearly burst into tears.

A year ago, his little hands had been all pudgy and soft. But now the baby fat was gone, and they felt solid.

Clearly, he had built that up by following his father's frugal, hard-working lifestyle.

I had let them both down.

Back then, I used to grumble about how cheap they were. I couldn't even get ice cream without them price-checking three different stores before saying yes.

Looking back now, he had already been preparing for the family's bankruptcy all along.

"Ollie, I'm not sick."

I sniffled a little. "I just grew up, that's all."

At that, my husband Theo Hudson and Oliver looked at each other, then silently returned to stacking the cardboard.

"Wow, the drama queen suddenly has a change of heart? She's definitely faking it, trying to trick Theo into buying her something even more expensive."

"Exactly. Old habits die hard. A pampered rich girl like her wouldn't know the first thing about hardship."

"Poor Theo. Even on the brink of bankruptcy, that woman's still trying to squeeze him dry."

That was nonsense.

I wasn't going to deny it.

I, Riley Stone, could be spoiled and delicate, but I wasn't heartless!

If Theo could carry the weight of this family on his shoulders, then I could tighten my belt and suffer alongside him too.

I couldn't sleep that night. I lay sprawled across the enormous bed, but my mind was anywhere but still.

Theo was asleep next to me, breathing evenly.

But even in sleep, his brows remained tightly furrowed, as if he were still worrying about the company's debts in his dreams.

The floating comments occasionally drifted by.

"Theo definitely didn't eat enough tonight. Those two slices of bacon at dinner all went into this woman's stomach."

"The creditors' meeting is tomorrow. He's probably so stressed he can't even sleep properly."

I was innocent.

I had specifically put those pieces of bacon into his bowl!

He was the one who insisted he didn't like meat and secretly put them back into mine!

It was only then that I realized he had been saving his share for me.

I turned sideways and gently smoothed the crease between his brows under the faint moonlight.

"Theo, I'm sorry," I whispered softly as tears soaked into my pillow. "I won't buy any more designer bags. I won't even take your bacon. We'll suffer through this together and pay off the debt. Don't leave me, and don't go looking for Evelyn Clark."

Theo rolled over in his sleep, draping his arm around my waist instinctively.

"Don't be silly..." he murmured, still half-asleep. "We've got money... I'll get it for you..."

I burst into tears instantly.

Even with everything collapsing around him, he was still dreaming of buying me things.

I was going to save this idiot of a man.