Chapter 3

Henry was stunned by my slap. He stared at me while covering his cheek with his hand.

"Have you lost your mind?" he demanded. "How dare you raise your hand against me? I only did what I did for the sake of charity! To raise awareness for the students who are living in the mountains! You crazy, short-sighted wretch! Do you have any idea how much exposure Felicity's post will gain?"

"Exposure?" I asked with a scoff. "Do you really believe that you earned that exposure with your own hard work? Or did you gain that exposure by using the money that would save Mom's life?"

Henry swallowed the rest of his words as he looked into my eyes.

"Fine. I'm not going to argue with you anymore. You're clearly not mentally stable right now. We'll talk about this again once you've calmed down."

He then grabbed the sack of sweet potatoes and walnuts and retreated to his room, slamming the door with a loud bang.

I stared at the door that was sealed shut.

…

It was extremely quiet in the house for the next few days.

Henry began leaving early and returning late every day. A strong stench of perfume clung to him every time he stepped through the door.

He only returned home early on Friday, bringing a gift box with him.

"Are you still angry, honey?" he asked with a smile as he pressed the gift box into my hands. "Open it and have a look. I specifically picked this out as my apology present to you."

I opened the box.

A pearl necklace was nestled inside. The pearls had a dull sheen, and they were clearly defective.

"I specifically talked to the gala organizers to get this for you. The necklace itself isn't from a prestigious brand, but it has a unique design.

"I'm one of the main guests for tomorrow night's charity gala. I'll be going up on stage to accept an award. The organizers told me that the award-winners' families must attend the gala, so you have to be there to support me. Don't let me down!"

I fiddled with the necklace.

Half an hour ago, I received a selfie from Felicity.

In the photo, she was wearing a necklace with Artanan white pearls around her neck.

"Mrs. Gibbons, Henry told me that top-of-the-line, Artanan white pearls are perfect for me because I have a slender neck. Meanwhile, you have a thick and wrinkly neck, so you only need to wear counterfeit freshwater pearls to cover up your wrinkles.

"See you tomorrow night. I'll be wearing a gown from your favorite brand. Henry's the one who bought it for me."

I switched off my phone. I then picked up the necklace and looked at Henry. I made sure to sound excited when I exclaimed, "Is that so? This looks amazing! You're so good to me, honey."

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. A hint of disdain flickered in his eyes before he said, "Of course. It only makes sense for me to treat you well. Oh, that's right. Felicity will be attending the gala too. She's the representative for the student beneficiaries. She'll also be going up on stage to give a speech.

"This is a good chance for us to show the fruits of our labor. Since you're my wife, you'll also be going up on stage to present an award to her."

"Sure."

Henry hadn't expected me to be so cooperative. He gleefully rubbed his hands together and said, "Marvelous! You're so understanding and generous, honey. Oh, there's one more thing…"

He continued rubbing his hands together as an expectant smile stretched across his face. "My condition has been pretty good recently. I think now's the right time for us to try for a child. I'm not getting any younger. It's about time for me to sire an heir.

"Felicity told me that she dreamed about me cradling a chubby child the other day. It's probably a good omen!"

It seemed that Henry was trying to convince me to accept Felicity.

However, I already had other plans.

The private investigator had handed the information that he had collected to me yesterday afternoon. He had found evidence of Henry transferring our assets to another account, as well as a copy of a full-body check-up report.

A decade ago, shortly after Henry and I got married, we dropped by the hospital for a check-up because we couldn't conceive.

The doctor had asked Henry to enter the office by himself.

Henry had remained silent after he exited the office. He tore the report to shreds before telling me that all was well.

However, I had secretly remembered the name of the doctor since I was concerned about him.